It Begins with a Dream

About two weeks ago I jokingly sent my father an email titled, “Graduation Gift,” which contained a link to a sailboat that I thought looked awesome! Two days ago I sent a down payment to the current owner. This is where the journey begins, but the roots for the tale have long been brewing.

          I wish I could say I was an expert sailor, even a good sailor, but I’m just a kid bred for adventure with a “learn to sail” book and a kayak. This was a little over a year and a half ago. Never had I stepped foot on a sailboat, or even seen one up close for that matter, but the fires were being stoked with fresh paper. Amanda’s big gift to me for Christmas that year was, “The Complete Sailor,” by David Seidman, and I soon had read through the book a few times. It wasn't until late the following spring that I would get my first taste of sailing. In May, after watching Craigslist religiously for a month, I saw a Lido 14 show up for $500. I was interested in other boats too, but they were quite a bit more expensive, and I figured I should at least see it. I looked, it needed some work to be perfect, but I figured it would do the trick. A few weeks later, after figuring out how to rig it in my driveway, I took it down to the Snake River for my first sail… but that fiasco is a story for another time.

          Eight or so months ago I traded up for a Macgregor 25, getting lucky enough to pick it up after a few folks got lost trying to find the owners house, and one backed out after seeing the sails. It was a great find for me and I've been working on the boat on and off since. Then, last Christmas Amanda grabbed us a membership to the local sailing club, which has surrounded us with a wealth of experience, opportunities, and know-how. My sailing skills have been improving greatly, though I feel like a child at the helm still, and I've been lucky enough to place 3^rd in a local day race, the Alex Bell, due in majority to a great crew. A few weeks ago I had my first taste of lake cruising, taking a two day trip to Coeur d'Alene with the sailing club. That trip brought me back to dreaming about bigger boats and ocean sailing, which returns us to this week.

          I look for boats, draw sailboats, and dream of sailing far more than is healthy. So while perusing the internet for my dream cruiser, as happens far too often, I came across Drumbeat. The possibility hooked me; all wood boat, ketch rigged, exterior work all done, and affordable. Every day I came back to it to just stare, to dream of what it would be like to sail and live on this boat. Then I made the grave mistake of emailing the owner with some questions… and so begins our little journey.