Over the last few weeks my friends have heard me mention a few times that I’m thinking of selling Mariola- I’m not thinking anymore. Mariola is offered for sale. “But how can you have a sailing blog without a sailboat?” you ask. Well folks, after some hard thinking, I’ve decided I absolutely love sailing. Far off adventures, distant islands, sleeping in a little anchorage and waking up surround by nature - it’s me. What’s not me – boat maintenance, haulouts, outfitting and spending more money on my own boat than it would cost to charter a 40′ Island Packet to The Dry Tortugas. It hit me like a swinging boom the other day – I spend over $700/month to fulfill the dream of owning a sailboat, a beautiful vehicle of freedom. Problem is my “freedom” is confining me to Boca Ciega Bay. Reality dictates that the most time off I get is 4 days (once a year, maybe 7). Not much adventure treking 60 miles from Tampa Bay and back. How many more times can we visit Egmont Key?
So I’ve decided, right now boat ownership is not for me. I REALLY want to go to the Bahamas, the islands in the Pacific, Maine, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Mariola is keeping my butt locked down in FL. I’ll finish the Penoboscot 14 I’m building to get my sailing fix on the weekends, but once Mariola moves to the next owner, I’ll play the wild rover once more.
Mariola Specs
- 1980 Morgan 321
- Yanmar 2QM20
- All new batts (2 in series, one cranking)
- Onboard batt charger
- New alternator and starter
- Bottom Job and Stuffing Box repack in March 09
- Patches the Unsinkable 8′ Inflatable Dinghy Included (no motor)
I would say this boat is sailaway. Only thing I haven’t done is the exterior teak.
Keeping Mariola is not about money as much as it is about freedom, so price is firm at $20,000.
Interested sailors can call: 727-954-4716
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t really say that I am shocked by this post. I also can’t argue with any of reasons to put her on the market. But, I am a bit sad, Mariola is an awesome, and she fits you to a tee.
That being said, she will sell, and make the next owner super proud. She is a great boat.
As beautiful as Mariola is, if you can’t get the use out of her then you probably are making the right move, unfortunately. She is a beautiful boat.
A friend of mine once told me that he believes that the smaller the boat you own, the more you’ll use it. I can take that with a few grains of salt. But I do believe that the smallest boat you are COMFORTABLE with is the best bet. Expenses in boating don’t increase proportionately with the size; I think that they exponentiate.
One of the best sailing things that I ever read was William F. Buckley’s chapter in “Racing Through Paradise” where he describes how he got away from large sailing yachts and downsized to a Lancer 36 “Patito”. A big step considering that his previous boat was his 65′ schooner “Cyrano”.
But he also described his new cruising philosophy – the weekend mini-cruise. I have read, and re-read this chapter. The idea is very practical for people with busy schedules. I used to plan for weeks ahead for a sailing passage; to the point where I would almost lose interest in going anywhere. His idea is to have the boat ready for a fast getaway at all times. Just have your food for a couple of days ready to go, grab it & bail, so there isn’t a Chinese fire drill every time you want to head out.
I began to apply this modus operandi when I had the San Juan 24. I would keep essential clothing aboard. If there was something special I needed it would be in the car on Thursday night. Beer would already be in the cooler – I would just stop on the way to the yard & grab a couple of bags of ice. I’d arrive at the boat, Luanne would be stowing the food & icing the bevs while I got the motor going and handled the docklines.
Then, we’d be off. Duffels and other items would be stowed while I was motoring out of the harbor channel and in a few minutes we’d be under sail and having a nice cocktail. A couple hours of sailing would bring us either to a nice anchorage, or to a convenient marina where we’d stop for the night. If it was at a marina we’d trek into whatever nearby restuarant/watering hole we’d find. If we anchored we’d barbeque, and maybe swim, before having some nitecaps and hitting the sack. Then up early and underway for a nice day on the water and then another nice night, before heading back to the home yard later Sunday afternoon.
Closing up the boat meant putting all the dirty stuff in a plastic bag, grabbing whatever else needed to come home, and leaving. The one thing I would do before leaving for home would be to put a fresh case of beer in the ice chest (sans ice) to be ready to go the next time. There is no greater showstopper than having to hit a liquor store before you get to the boat.
So, after all that, why don’t you look into a boat like Rummba? Seems like she could be a lot of fun for $5K.
- Capt. B
A guy on a time frame who doesn’t relish “projects”, who’d reject overnighting on the smaller size of a trailer sailer and has to schedule his sailing time will simply need to charter. Cost effective, no maintenance or storage worrries and endless locations. Mariola, while perfect for somebody, just wasn’t the right way to go for your lifestyle.
Good luck in your sale. Mike & Kelli
love you cuz….. You can sail on my boat any time you want. we will go to the Bahammas whenever you want too. I will supply the boat and you supply the “RUM” This computer shit drives me crazy……It took me a hour just to find this bLoGGGgggggg …….. E-D