History 1: Chained to the Dock

by the "J." of jlime

It's August 2009

"Let's go for a drive. I'm feeling like exploring. Let's go and look at some boats."
"Ok, where? Want the kids to come?"
"Sure. How about ... Coupeville, I don't know if I've been down that way in years."
"Let's stop and get some groceries that we can use for a picnic."

So starts an afternoon trip, with various stops along the way. We made it to Coupeville, then Oak Harbor, then Anacortes before returning home that day. We looked at lots of boats. Some out in the harbor (Coupeville), some at their slips (Oak Harbor and Anacortes).

But, by the time we had arrived in Anacortes, the kids and the L. elected to say in the car. J, alone walked down the docks, taking a look here and there. Out came the camera to look at this interesting anchor set-up, or that cool running light (kerosene?), or even a particular paint scheme. J. even noticed a boat, and his heart said, "that'd do just fine!" Then his heart caught ... she was chained to the dock.

Notice covered chain from mid-ship to dock?

A quarter of the year before J. had a conversation with a friend about finding boats. The friend has been a yacht broker that was always looking for boats to sell himself, in addition to those he was selling for others. As such, the friend always walked the docks. "Look for the ones chained to the dock," he told J., "they usually have a story behind them. Then check them out. Some are really good buys, some are not worth fixing up (cost you more in the long run than just buying a good used boat). But it takes patience." J. was reminded of what he had read from the MacNaughtons to the effect that there is a boat for everyone in anyone's price range, if you are patient.

With excitement mounting, J. walked down the finger dock to get a better look at this boat. She had carvings done on her whisker stay attachments. There were more carvings on the rudder head. The tiller swooped in a graceful arch. The port holes were bronze opening ports. And a sticker on her smoked lexon hatch that read the boat was seized due to failure to pay past mooring charges. It had even been 90 days.

J. kept my pace from a run, but only just. J. found the L.and dragged her down there. "Wow!" she said. We decided not to show the kids that day. For one thing, one of them was asleep. For another, we were unsure of getting their hopes up, only to have them be dashed again. This wasn't the first boat we had looked at. We had even made an offer on one, only to have it fall through. We decided to not raise their hopes and then disappoint them.

On Monday, J. called the Harbor Master and was told that they were 99.9% sure the previous owner was dead, and there had been no claims from family, nor was any mail answered. The previous owner (a live-aboard) had walked up to the marina office one day 2 years previously, announced he had incurable cancer, and was moving to Oregon. They never heard from him again. The 90 day limit had expired, but as the vessel had been registered with the Coast Guard it was making it slightly more tricky in handling things from the marina's end. The marina had decided that there would be an auction, but they were unwilling to auction off just one boat. There were a few other boats that the marina was in the process of seizing for outstanding moorage payments. J. was to stay tuned and keep checking.

Only then did J. start to learn about patience. The auction didn't take place until 3/2/10.

But that didn't stop him from stopping at the marina from time to time on his through to a meeting.

During this time of waiting, J. found myself praying, dreaming, and wondering.