In our last post, I mentioned that we were under contract on a 1978 CSY 44′ Walk Over and we had our sea trial and survey. That was in August and the survey had to be postponed due to a line breaking that made it impossible to raise the mainsail. A rigger couldn’t be scheduled to come out and fix the issue for 3 weeks (ugh!).

The delay on the survey completion didn’t stop us from getting things done. The owner Ralph was absolutely amazing through the whole sale process. He invited us to come visit the boat (which was docked behind his home in Punta Gorda) and do any work to it we wanted. Also during this time, he proceeded to give us a mountain of spare parts, tools, etc. that were in his garage. So many parts and items that Randy and I had to completely reorganize our storage unit to fit them all in! He also gave us his dinghy (which wasn’t part of the sale) because he didn’t think we would want a dinghy so old (it’s a 14 year old Caribe…in great shape!) and we made a deal to buy the 15hp Yamaha outboard from him. We have been so humbled by his generosity of both the items he gave us as well as the time he spent with us showing us things on the boat.

We also used this time to custom cut a 10″ memory foam mattress for the aft cabin. Using the existing cushion from the boat as a template and an electric knife, we cut the foam to shape in my parent’s garage. My mom and sister helped me take a regular waterproof mattress cover and cut and sew it to fit the new shape. Being able to use the existing mattress as a template and then take the new one to the boat during this time was a huge help in us being ready to bring the boat home.

Finally, the mainsail line was fixed and the survey completion was scheduled. All went well and it was finalized. Randy and I accepted the terms and closing was scheduled. The closing was delayed by another week due to a miscommunication between the broker and his office (another ugh!). By now, Ralph and his wife Cindy had returned to their Pennsylvania home. Ralph allowed us to come and go to the boat behind his house in Punta Gorda and begin moving aboard. For 3 days before the closing Randy and I moved boxes aboard, unpacked them and cleaned. Randy gave the boat exterior a good wash down as well so she would be clean on her journey home.

Words can not express how grateful we are to Ralph and Cindy for everything they’ve done for us during this process. Their helpfulness and kindness made the purchase of our new boat all the more better. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch breaks with them during the time we would work on the boat at their home. They would invite us in their home so we could enjoy our lunch in the air conditioning and they would tell us stories of their travels and life aboard Adrienne Marie. They have cruised this boat for over 20 years taking her to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. Their experience, wisdom and love for this boat showed through their stories. Randy and I hope that we can live up to their cruising standards and enjoy her as much as they did. Thank you Ralph and Cindy for taking such great care of our new boat!