I did a lot of traveling. I ended up in a kind of wild-west-situation. I visited the Amel Santorin in Italy. I did get the contact from an English broker. When I arrived at the yacht I noticed the bad paintwork all over. The paint on the topdeck and hull was partly gone. So it was a very bad paint job and I had to remove it all and do it all over again. Here the same problem with the masts. All three Amels I saw had this problem. When I looked at others on pictures on the web I saw the same issues. So it is an Amel problem.
Then when I met the owner, he stated he did not know the broker. It was a nice man and we had some fun, but when I asked further on he did not have any early documentation, the registration was just a registration from the ANWB. That’s a private organization, so the registration is unofficial and so on. So he did not give me a lot of confidence. The price was in the low range, so tempting, but I had promised myself I will never make an early decision. So we left after long talks.
The next day the broker called and I stated that the owner claimes he is not his broker. It was quiet on the other end of the line and finally he said he will sort this out with the owner. Two days later a lot of emails came in from the broker. It was the hefty discussion of the owner and broker. Well that’s it then. I like to trust parties and all this does not give me any confidence.
So, still nothing. Than Ellen said: “Why don’t you look more broader then just Amel?”. She is right. I visited a broker in the Netherlands. Saw a Contest and a Hallberg Rassy. Nice boats, good solid ships, nice flushdeck, etc. I still liked the Amel better, but the condition of the Amels…..
And then finally a message came in from a broker in Spain for a Fountaine Pajot Athena 38! Well that was my first choice all the way. Love to see it. I agreed upon a date and went to South Spain. A privately owned catamaran in good condition and at a reasonable price.
Immediately I liked the owner. He obviously loved his boat. Good solar system, extended hulls gave a nice swimming platform, good navigation. In short ready to take off!
And there was another mail for a Tobago. Almost the same catamaran, a bit shorter and older. Also privately owned and 40k cheaper. That is serious money. So I told the owner of the Athena I must see that one first before making a decision.
So the whole search ends probably with a catamaran.
They are huge! I can tell you. If you stand in the cockpit, you can’t overlook the whole boat! That is very impressive. It is a floating bungalow. Not very nice to look at, but very comfortable inside!
I decided to wait until Sunday in Valencia. Not a bad place to stay. Fortunately during my visit it was Fallas, a kind of carnaval to celebrate Spring.
Lovely dresses, big parades, nice food.
On Saturday I will leave for Northern Spain to take a look at the Tobago. It’s quit similar to an Athena but shorter. Let’s see how that looks like.
Well the headroom is surprisingly better. The boat looks good, so I made an offer and… the next day they accepted!
I’ve got a catamaran!
Now the haul out, paperwork, registration and insurance starts.
