L Is For Life Lately

This is not the boat we're looking to buy. I just like the picture - nice reminder of our time in Key West. If only we had been on the water enjoying the sunset, rather than watching from Mallory Square.

During April, we're participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Every day (except Sundays), we’ll be doing an alphabet themed post starting with “A is for Adventurous” and ending with “Z is for Zinc”. We've got a theme for every letter sorted except for Y. If you have any ideas for the letter Y, please leave a comment or email. 
 
I bet you’re wondering what we’ve been up to the last few weeks while we’ve been posting all of these A to Z Blogging Challenge posts. Okay, maybe it hasn’t been top of mind for you, but you’re in luck anyway as it’s time for one of our “Life Lately” posts. Because L is for "Life Lately"!

Most of our time lately has been consumed with the process of buying a boat. Or the process of trying to buy a boat, to be more precise. In case, you've never bought a boat before, here's how the process works:

1 - Spend a lot of time looking at boats online. Scott's cup of morning coffee goes hand in hand with checking out the usual sites to see what new listings there are. 

2 - Spend a lot of time checking out boats in person. Looking at boats online and reading all the specs is great, but it can't replace seeing a boat up close and personal. We've seen some boats that we thought we might like, only to realize they don't tick some of our boxes once we've seen up close and personal. 

3 - Finally! Let me say that again - FINALLY! We find a boat that ticks many of the boxes in terms of livability, safety and sailability. (We're realistic - we know that no boat is ever going to tick all of the boxes.) 

4 - Get super excited!

5 - Calm down - it may not work out.

6 - Go see the boat.

7 - Get super excited again!

8 - Calm down - it was just an initial look. More research and another look required.

9 - Try to make arrangements to see the boat again. Uh oh, the boat has developed engine problems which need to be addressed.

10 - Wait.

11 - Wait some more.

12 - Go to the Florida Keys and Everglades to pass the time.

13 - Get the news that the engine issues have been resolved.

14 - Try to make arrangements to see the boat again. Doesn't pan out.

15 - Make an offer conditional on seeing the boat again, along with the usual survey and sea trial.

16 - Offer accepted.

17 - Get super excited again!

18 - Calm down and remind yourself that it still needs to pass the survey and sea trial.

19 - See the boat again. Some issues, but overall seems promising.

20 - Spend hours trying to find a qualified surveyor who is available in a reasonable timeframe, along with a place to haul the boat out. Tear your hair out with all of the logistical nightmares and schedule changes.

21 - Get everything organized and scheduled. Get moderately excited (you've learned by now that boat buying is full of twists and turns and lots of drama and it's best not to get too excited). 

22 - Conduct the survey and sea trial.

23 - Get super disappointed. Some major issues identified by the surveyor. In it's current condition, the boat is not safe, seaworthy or insurable. YIKES! Definitely not the result that either the owner or we were looking for.

24 - Enter into discussions with the owner about how to proceed.

And that's where we're at. It's a bit like a soap opera - how will the story end? Will Ellen and Scott become boat owners or will the boat search start all over again? To be continued...

What's been going on lately with you? Any major purchases lately like a boat, or an RV or a house?

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