Two Best Days

The two best days in a boat owner’s life are first, when he buys his boat, and then when he sells her. Anonymous

Baloney!

If you’re talking the best days—the absolute best—are, duh, days underway and sailing! Why else be a “sailor?”

That said, the honest sailor might concede that were someone to amble down the pier, stop to admire his yacht and offer to buy her at a fair price, he’d have to think about it. Not that such offers are common. Some would say it doesn’t happen at all.

Yet that is more-or-less what has transpired with Steadfast! Not quite, but close.

Patrick turns videographer while John and Charlie confer.

It all started last fall on the ICW. Enough reasons arose to think selling Steadfast made sense, once she was back to Virginia. Then, in Stuart in December, there was a chance conversation with Tom Whittington ( www.manateepocketyachtsales.com ) which led to January’s decision to “just test the waters.” Let’s see if there’s even a market for Com-Pac 27, albeit one well-maintained and well-equipped. It turns out the CP27 has quite a following.

Charlie emerges from the engine room.

In the first 48 hours after listing, Tom took calls from folks from Michigan to Florida expressing serious interest. A gentleman called from Chicago, made an offer that could not be refused—and agreed not to close ‘til now—and Patrick now stands on the pier at Hinckley Yacht Services, planning to take Steadfast north to sail Lake Michigan.

First, though, there’s the matter of a pre-purchase survey. Charlie-the-Mechanic squeezes into the engine room to test, sample and wipe while John-the-Yacht-Surveyor crawls over, under, around and through the rest of the boat to report the status of everything else. The sea trial follows with John and Patrick on board to be sure she performs up to expectations, Tom there to provide his much-appreciated support and your correspondent at the helm for one final time.

Your intrepid crew flanked by Tom (left) and Patrick.

Steadfast comes through it all with flying colors! (It’s thought that she likes the attention.) So, when the check clears, will today be remembered as one of “the two best days”? Not hardly.

First off, a pre-purchase sea trial is all business. Sails open, she heels to the wind but there’s nothing leisurely about it. The sailing is brief. Just enough to show, yes, she does in fact respond to the wind and move through the water accordingly. Sweetly, in fact.

But this day’s not about “sailing.” It’s about a good friend, one to be counted on, reliable no matter what. Steadfast, as it were. And it’s about saying “farewell” and “thank you” for so many miles, so many years and so many wonderful ports and people. A solid little ship, she is, that has served her crew well in all kinds of weather and sea, and done so with a smile.

The course may not be clear but the way ahead is bright, indeed!

No, not a glad day.   Not sad, either.

Just part of the sailing life.

Steadfast out…and standing-by.