A lovely woman and blog-reader from the Chesaspeake Bay area reached out to us a few weeks back with an interest in buying our much-adored Splendido. Her story really struck a chord with me: Now in her 70s, she had grown up sailing on Cal 25s and, reminscing on those happy times, had a vision of buying Splendido for herself and her college-age son, who is absolutely wild about sailing on those legendary waters. She had recently bought a second home on the water’s edge, and we had several long and delightful phone calls about the pros and cons of buying this boat for what she and her son were seeking. She had fallen in love with the appearance, upgrades, and care and attention that Debbie and I had put into Splendido over the years. In the end, it turned out that hauling this 27′ sailboat and her 38′ double-axle trailer 2,700 miles across the country would add $7-10K to the cost, and — not suprisingly — that was the deal-breaker. Though disappointed at the missed opportunity to pass along our Splendido to someone who truly appreciated her, Debbie and I loved that she saw in our boat what we see — a refitted, lovely, sea-kindly “good old boat,” which is exactly what we set out to achieve when we bought her.
I’d like to give credit where credit is due, however: When we bought the boat in 2010, the first thing I had done was an eight-hour-long, comprehensive survey by Vince DiLeo, AMS® of Admiralty Marine Services. Vince provided us with a detailed report of everything that needed to be done to restore Splendido to first-class working order, mechanically, structurally and equipment-wise. We immediately prioritized the list and got after it, and — as I’ve said before — while you can’t make a good old boat “brand new” again, you can make her the best “good old boat” she can be, which I think we’ve achieved.
That said, we’re selling Splendido in the condition you see here (and, though I flatter myself, I doubt one could find a better-documented (the good, the bad, and the hard work involved) sailboat ownership journey anywhere than the 15-year-old blog you’re reading now!), in a package that includes her two-axle trailer, Walker Bay dinghy, Shipshape winter cover and frame, plus four tidy storage bins full of the sailing necessities you rarely think about that makes buying a “pre-loved” boat a bonus over buying new.
Before I sail off into the sunset, I want to give a massive shout-out to my sailor pal, shipwright and mechanical wiz Ancil Sigman of Pleasant Valley, Nevada, who found ways to restore and improve Splendido that I hadn’t even dreamt of. She wouldn’t be half the boat she is with Ancil’s tireless tinkering, expertise, and care. Thanks, Ancil!
Thanks, too, to you, gentle reader, for sharing this news with your personal and professional networks. I’m giving personalized tours beginning this afternoon to interested sailors, though I have to laugh — it’s a different experience showing a boat that’s on the hard, on her trailer, winterized and all packed up for our seven-month “sleep” here in the foothills of the High Sierra, versus having someone climb aboard at Obexer’s or Tahoe City Marina, cast off and head out across Big Blue. I’m getting a little misty-eyed just writing this, so I’ll sign off by saying fair winds, smooth sailing, and here’s my favorite sailing poem to meditate on. Until next time… DB
Sea-Fever
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
Sailing Lake Tahoe on a good old boat 