Offer accepted

[yardie]

Hi everyone,
I've been an infrequent poster on this forum. We've been out to see our first large (>8m) boat and after some thought we went for it. The owner was on holiday so it took a few weeks. But tonight I'll sign some papers and, provisionally, become the owner of a Hanse 400.

It was more than I wanted to spend on a monohull but less than buying new or previously chartered.

[DoubleWhisky]

Congratulations!!!

[biker6977]

Congratulations!!!
Enjoy and keep us posted on your adventures.

[skipmac]

Congratulations and good luck with the new purchase.

So, planning to cruise on the Seine or did you buy the boat further from home?

[yardie]

I definitely will.

It doesn't need a lot of work outside of updating the electronics and maybe some solar panels/wind generator. And the seasonal scrubbing, obviously. At first I thought it was pretty small, being only 40ft. Visiting in person changed my mind. Seeing some of the 45-55ft boats in the yard I don't see how anyone could possibly single-hand them. They are absolutely immense!

It has the deeper keel bulb so canal cruising is unfortunately out. It is in the south of France and VAT paid so that is one less hassle I have to contend with.

Finally, I can close the 40 odd tabs I have open on different boat offerings and move onto a different kind of research; marinas, insurance, certificates...

One thing that I really liked is the ascetic, German interior design. And the fact it doesn't smell like bilge water.

[klmmicro]

Another congratulations on your offer being accepted and your new journey beginning!

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by yardie

I definitely will.

Finally, I can close the 40 odd tabs I have open on different boat offerings and move onto a different kind of research; marinas, insurance, certificates...

Only 40 open boat tabs????
Plebe...

Congrats on the new ride man... She's a sweet one for sure!

PS: Get some more RAM...

[hogHunter]

Congratulations! Where are you planning to sail? Will you have a blog? If so, post it for us to read about your adventures!
We kept a blog during our Caribbean sailing adventure. Glad we did so our friends and family (and forum friends!) could keep up with us and so we could go back and read about our adventures after we were home...motivation to get back out there!
Our blog is TwoAndAHalfSailors.com

[yardie]

I have a personal blog that I post to infrequently. I'll add sail blog once we've decided on a boat/crew name.

I see us doing a Med tour first then shooting across the Atlantic. The admiral, with summer camp sailing experience, wants to shoot straight past the rock and immediately hit the caribbean. Let's just say that after a lifetime in France she's pretty tired of the french. I 'm not sure why

I'd like to put a few more knots under my belt before an Atlantic crossing. It's good to have well laid plans and a bit of luck.

BTW, while inspecting here I only slammed my head into the boom twice, once in each direction.

[Cheechako]

Happy day #1 accomplished! congratulations!

[Prairie Chicken]

Big congrats on the new boat! I wish you both years of enjoyment on her.

Even if your wife has had enough of the French, I really do recommend spending some time in other parts of the Med. Having sailed in both, although admittedly not a great deal of the Caribbean, we greatly prefer the Med. Enjoy it while you're there.

[yardie]

I'm looking forward to sailing the med. Then onto the caribbean and across the pacific.

According to my wife, I'm the right type of immigrant, educated, American, so haven't had to deal with the racism she has grown up with and sometimes still encounters. While we were in the south, boat hunting we were able to get away from the typical tourist traps and had a really great time.

And as a quasi-native I don't get the opportunities to do much touring. When I travel it's primarily for work and family. I'm still obliged to visit my mother at least once a year

[yardie]

Just an update.

Serendipity happened. While I was headed home to sign the offer on that Hanse I received an email alert on a Lagoon 380. At a price so low I thought it was a scam. Since I wanted the broker to know we were a serious buyer I wired the money that weekend to lock our bid in, and lock anyone elses out . And it was a pretty intense moment because my bank's website fraud systems threw up all sorts of scary warnings on wiring large amounts of money to unknown international accounts.

The admiral flew down last minute, $$$, to do a last minute inspection, $$$, in the resort marina the boat was currently docked at, $$$. The owners were really nice and a fount of information while still remaining civil. She's a bit of a bulldog when it comes to negotiation.

[robert sailor]

I have a friend like you!

[biker6977]

So, did you go Lagoon or Hanse??