Saleing

 Circumstances change and the time had come for a good friend to sell his sailboat, a beautiful Landfall 38. Always up for an opportunity to mess about on boats, we accompanied Jim to the shores of the Neuse River to prep his boat for sale.

Beth drove our new van, while Jim and I brought a load of tools and cleaning supplies in his car.

Making the experience more challenging was the unknown of bringing along Jim's six month old puppy. We need not have worried, Chika only needed a little encouragement to get aboard the first time. After one shot, she was jumping on and off the boat like an old pro. She quickly learned to relax in the shade of the bimini when she wasn't taking trips to the dock to defend the marina from pesky mallard ducks.

After a long day of boat scrubbing, the three of us agreed that dinner at Captain Ratty's in town sounded better than cooking our own dinner. Soft shell crabs were in season, so I was a happy camper!

Typical summer weather brought evening thunderstorm activity. We were lucky to get an after dinner walk in before the raindrops fell. New Bern is one of those special southern towns with well-preserved buildings that weren't destroyed in the civil war.

Here's a view from one of the marinas in town. The old schooner is used to deliver Christmas trees during the holiday season.

Each fall, the town puts on a "ghost walk," where historic homes are opened to visitors. Docents in period garb explain the history of the families that built the homes. We have attended several times and can throughly recommend the experience. It makes for a fascinating evening. This is one of the homes I'd love to see inside.

Another day of cleaning and the boat looked good so we all headed back to the Triangle.  Still in the new engine break-in period for our van, we followed the blue highways home. The highway lines on the map weren't the only blue things around. Not far from the marina we stopped at Nelson's Blueberry Farm. Putting the van refrigerator to good use, we filled it with twelve quarts of fresh berries!

Only a week later, Jim and I were back at the marina to ready the boat for a marine survey. Similar to a home inspection, a marine surveyor checks the integrity of the hull, deck, rigging, engine, and boat systems. Still winterized, we had to reconnect the plumbing systems, then clean and fill the freshwater tanks.

With temperatures reaching 100 Fahrenheit, we were relieved when the sun dipped below the horizon.

Making the evening even better, friends Earl & Karen on s/v Temptation invited us over for conversation. Earl had prepared a pitcher of our favorite Bahamian cocktail, the goombay smash, to accompany a tray of coconut cookies reminding us of time we had all enjoyed together at Green Turtle Cay.

Potential buyers and the marine surveyor joined us the next morning for a trip to Duck Creek, the nearest facility able to lift the boat out of the water. Backing into the slip, two big slings, attached to a travel lift, slipped under the boat. Lifting her up, it became apparent that the wind generator would not clear one of the big beams on the travel lift.

Undeterred, the marina staff used a pallet and forklift to remove enough of the generator to enable raising the boat.

What could possibly go wrong with this procedure?

The creative marina crew solved the problem and finished lifting the boat without incident. Nobody even dropped a tool in the water.

After a successful relaunch, the boat and crew sailed back to Northwest Creek to wrap-up the survey. The surveyor was thorough, spending a full eight hours inspecting all the boat systems. He was very complimentary of the way the vessel has been maintained. That came as no surprise to those of us who know Jim.

Our final day at the marina was spent cleaning up from the sail and making some minor adjustments to the boat. With the boat shiny and secured in her slip, we headed home.

Although we were exhausted from the heat, we did stop for a treat.

Google Maps showed that Main Street's Ice Cream Cafe was only a short detour from route 17.  Located in the tiny town of Vanceboro, the cafe was like walking back in time. Tin ceilings, friendly service and good ice cream will have us coming back. Gunsmoke was even playing on the TV for entertainment while we waited.

It is always satisfying to see projects completed and a boat ready for new adventures. I appreciate the opportunity to help a little. We didn't know the outcome when we left, but hope the sale goes through and works out for everyone.