Ski bums at a boat show

Having been ski bums for the last 30 years, part of our new life adventure was to shift gears into the world of wind, palm trees and warm salt water.  So we dropped into the sailboat show in Annapolis, Maryland.

A block and half from the docks off a residential side street, we found a little tucked-in piece of free parking where we hunkered down for three nights. We rode our bikes all over while scouting and absorbing anything "marine" affiliated.






For 45 years, this small quaint historic town of Annapolis has hosted the worlds largest floating sailboat show.  They construct an amazing web of floating docks within their tiny city dock area and meticulously wedge and squeeze over 50 sailboats and catamarans on the water; everything from an 18ft--$13,000 day sailer to a 90ft---$5.5 million mega sailboat.

Laced around the perimeter were hundreds of vendor booths set up with everything from the latest technology on navigational equipment to custom designed yacht dinner plates.  Needless to say, it was inspiring and overwhelming. We learned a lot and finished out the day schmoozing with knowledgable salty-type sailors (or often total BS-er's) at the dock side bar.  Everyone has their opinion of what wannabe's (that's us) should have and do to fulfill their dreams.. yeah, yeah...ahoy, bartender! How about another painkiller-extra rum please?

A typical conversation might go like this:
"Where ya from?"  To which we reply,
"NEW Mexico" (emphasis on the New)
Blank look on their face as they quietly say,
"Land-locked.....hmmm".  So I explain to them that my passion began when I was 12 years old when my parents bought a 25ft sailboat that we sailed on area lakes.  I knew back then that I wanted a grand adventure to be a live-aboard cruiser on the ocean while traveling around.  Between Tim and I, we had the confidence to manifest this big bucket-list dream, but only as long as it's warm salt water. Yeah, we're heading to the islands, but need that boat first.

So we cruised the docks in Annapolis and stomped around on brand new $300K+ state-of-the-art Jenneau's, Bennateau's, Catalina's, Tartan's, Gozzard's and more; way above our budget and/or not quite the perfect fit anyway (but oh so much fun)







Then.....we found her......over in the Brokerage Cove section where used boats sit like homeless dogs in a shelter, begging for a new life. We found the let-me-write-a-check-now-boat. It was a 1998 Island Packet 40ft in mint condition, ready to sail.

 IP's are well known for their quality and hence resale value, so they're not a cheap product on any level.  I started researching boats years ago while landlocked in my Taos hacienda. These boats have always been forefront in my first choice. Damn, I got nice expensive taste.   She fit us perfectly and felt nice, but how can we afford her?  Again, not quite in our budget, so we'll have to downsize, nonetheless it kept the dream alive. 

 So we resolved to hold her as a role model.  Mostly, she had helped us to narrow down our search and set an example of what we're looking for. We'll keep looking further on down the coast.  I have a list of various others and now we got something to compare it to.  It's all very exciting.

But first, we head north back up to the Chesapeake Bay, to mooch off some "old" friends. Stay tuned for the adventures with Captain Hooke.