The first picture we took as new owners of Cream Puff in 2011. Please notice paper charts. Back then, we used paper charts as we were learning how to use our navigation software.
I had this post written a while ago. Like, 9 years ago. It was put on the back burner behind more fun posts and forgotten. Recently, the question was again raised to us as we are celebrating 12 years of full-time cruising and 15 years owning SV Cream Puff. It reminded me of this unpublished post. Instead of more pictures of our boat, I decided to add pictures of some of the friends we have made along the way. We have met hundreds of sailors in our journey. But the people who made the biggest impact or are the most meaningful are pictured in this post.
Paul & Karen
On a recent afternoon, we were sharing lunch with some friends who have been cruising for about two years. I was asked what the most stressful part of the journey has been thus far. There are different aspects to the journey that could be considered stressful: retiring, downsizing to live on a boat full-time, leaving the dock knowing we were not going to return, bouncing around from country to country, weather windows, extended voyages, the paperwork for officials…and more. It was all part of the adventure and part of the journey. However, none of those hit the top spot. My most stressful day was the day of the survey and sea trial of a boat that soon would become SV Cream Puff.
Ian and Margaret
If you are reading this post and are not familiar with surveys and sea trials, they are two of the last steps in purchasing a boat. The best way to describe the sea trial would be like taking a test drive in a car you want to purchase and having a mechanic along for the ride to check it out. The survey is like having a home inspected before you buy it.
It was mid-year 2011. We had been contacted by the Amel Broker in Florida late evening on a Wednesday. He said an Amel was coming on the market in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but was not yet listed for sale publicly. The owner was waffling on selling the boat and just that afternoon decided to go forward. We had 48 hours to get to Ft. Lauderdale to see the boat and make a decision before it would officially be listed for sale. The broker said it would not last once it was listed publicly. This is often true about Amel boats. Especially the really nice ones.
It was a few years ahead of schedule for when we planned to buy a boat to go cruising. That was a big deal. We did not have plans for where we would keep the boat and we had not started downsizing yet. The boat was located in the wrong state. It was a 12-hour drive away from where we lived. But, we had seen a couple other Amel’s sell quickly and did not want to take the chance of missing out if this boat was right for us.
Mark and Alice
It was a whirlwind of rearranging our lives to get to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to view the boat. We arrived late evening on Friday. Early Saturday morning, we received an extensive tour of the boat by the Amel Broker that took a few hours. We were impressed and put an offer on the boat that morning. The usual steps followed; nothing out of the ordinary. We came to an agreement with the owner, and contracts were signed. Next step, sea trial and survey.
Pika & Guy. Two of our heroes. Keep moving forward wherever SV Tina takes you!
We arrived at the boat a few weeks later for the survey and sea trial. The surveyor was already busy inspecting the boat. Both the owner and the broker were busy getting the boat prepped to leave the dock. We motored to a local boatyard to have the boat lifted out of the water for inspection of all things below the waterline. Everything looked good. Time for the sea trial.
The weather was overcast with the threat of rain. Anyone familiar with Florida knows those afternoon squalls can pack a punch. So maybe not ideal conditions but it was the only day everyone was available. With one last check of the weather, it was deemed safe to go, so off we went. The surveyor needed to be sailing long enough to check the things on his extensive list. Maybe an hour round trip, two at the most. It was a great opportunity for us to see the boat in action. Things were going very well.
Sima & Mark
We made our way out of the boatyard and motored down the river toward the Atlantic Ocean. The broker proceeded to contact operators to open about 100 bridges for us to pass under. Ok, it was maybe five or six, but each one looked nerve-racking for the boat’s owner and the broker, so I became nervous as well. As I sat waiting for the final bridge to open, I looked around at our crew for the day.
The owner looked nervous. He did not yet know that as long as the boat did not break into bits during the sea trial or something really bad showed up on inspection, we would buy the boat. He was also nervous because he was not the captain of his boat that day. The broker insisted on being captain. It is always a bit worrisome to let someone else take control of your boat. Boats have their own personalities. The broker looked nervous. Big money was at stake. The surveyor was busy climbing all over the boat and in deep concentration. He had an important job to do and was dedicated to getting it done. Mark looked relaxed and happy to be on a boat. Any boat. Like me, he loves being on the water.
Me? I was doing great until we tacked the boat to return to land. It was when the broker turned the steering over to Mark and said, “Why don’t you take a turn on your new boat, Captain?” CAPTAIN?! Who? Mark?! What?! The realization we were actually going to sell everything we owned, move onto a boat, and leave land life behind was suddenly very real. That one sentence quite unexpectedly sucked the air out of my body.
Paul, Anna Marie & Daniel
I sat quietly fighting with emotions. My thoughts were racing, “Yep, this is it…the last day to back out. After today we will be on the path to a life of cruising. I’d better be darn sure this is what I want to do for the next 10 years or more. Deep breath in…..deep breath out…” This emotion took me totally by surprise. Up until that day, the cruising life was in the future. Out there somewhere, but years away. At that time, in 2011, the internet was not what it is today. There were still a lot of mysteries surrounding living life as a nomad on the oceans. Suddenly it was here 2-3 years earlier than expected. As prepared as I thought I was for a life cruising, I was suddenly and surprisingly feeling unprepared. In just a couple weeks, we went from our sailing dream being somewhere in the future to suddenly moving full speed ahead toward full-time living on a boat. Was it going to be this boat? Are we ready now or do we need more time? There would be many more steps in that direction before we actually left land. But, this was the first and most important step. Step one—buy a boat. Yikes!
I was jarred out of my introspective as a gust of wind hit the sails as we tacked back toward land. The boat healed as expected and the sails were set. I looked up to see Mark sailing the boat. He looked happy and in control of our future boat…our future home. I knew whatever the next steps toward a life at sea would bring, we would be fine as long as we tackled it together.
Pam & James
We have always been a good team. Often performing tasks without the need for words and always having a plan. Since we have owned boats prior to Cream Puff, we have fine-tuned routines. We trust that the other person is capable and will perform their task, allowing us to concentrate on our own task.
The Gals
The Guys
Each person on the crew that day was busy and concentrating on their own thoughts. No one noticed me quietly wrestling with cold feet. It was a fleeting moment, but it is also memorable. I think a healthy dose of reality was a good thing.
As you can know, things went well, and we bought the boat and never looked back. The previous owner was a kind, helpful person, which can be unusual in a boat sale. Everything went smoothly because we all got along and were fair with each other during the transaction. It was a good experience that helped launch us on our path to moving onto the boat full time.
Rudy & Gagi
While staying at a marina in Florida, we became friends with a retired boat broker who had seen just about everything during his thirty years in the business. He once told us that having some worries before setting off cruising isn’t a bad thing. In his experience, the people who planned carefully and went into the lifestyle with their eyes wide open were often the ones who stuck with it the longest.
As I polish this post, I am sitting on Cream Puff thinking about the different aspects of our journey. The adventure took many years of planning and saving money prior to leaving land. Cream Puff has taken us to some wonderful locations around the world. We have met hundreds of really great people. Not just cruisers like ourselves but more often, the people who live in those destinations as well. We enjoy learning about their lives, culture, and history. We have made some lifelong friends in the process. At each port, we often say goodbye to new and old friends as we all go different routes. Sometimes we see each other again, sometimes we do not.
We have challenged ourselves over the years and stepped outside our comfort zone often. I say to myself, ‘Take a deep breath and put one foot forward, and before you know it, you are through whatever challenge is ahead of you.” Being willing to step out of our comfort zone opened the world to us.
Sometimes things happen in life when we least expect it. Cream Puff turned out to be the right boat for us and, surprisingly, at the right time as well. It has been an awesome ride.
Cream Puff. San Blas Islands. My favorite photo of Cream Puff in one of our favorite spots
