Special note - We would like to thank Ken & Cindy of S/V Meant To Be for their gracious southern hospitality during our 5 month stay in Brunswick. Also, we would to thank Joe & Ann of the former S/V Short Walk for a very special weekend after a stressful boat survey & new owner orientation. A special thank you to our boat broker Gary for tolerating Bob's rant and raves. We would also like to thank the staff at Brunswick Landing Marina, for "adopting" Annie and us.
If you thought my previous blog entry was overdue, then this entry is well past being overdue. There is very much ground to cover.
After spending 5 long months in Brunswick, GA where it was very hot, very humid and bug infested, our patience has paid off - Big Run was sold on September 27th. It was a bittersweet moment. We will always treasure our life onboard Big Run. The selling process was a long and drawn out ordeal with lots of drama. We had 9 couples look at Big Run. One couple made an offer which we accepted only to have them withdraw their offer less than 18 hours later. One couple tried to "play" us to help get a lower price on another Kadey-Krogen, which they did make an offer on that boat. Once they had that boat surveyed, they found that the cosmetic appeal of the boat was only a smoke screen for major issues hidden beneath the pretty paint job. They did show up at the marina on our dock 3 weeks later with a different Kadey-Krogen 42 that had previously sat on the hard for 3 years. We did learn from a reliable source that on their trip from Pensacola, FL to Brunswick, GA they had many problems. Then, 4 days after arriving at the marina, their boat almost burned down due to a overheated wiring circuit for the engine room blower which they had left running for 2 days! Four other couples needed to sell their existing boats before they could make an offer on Big Run. One couple had to finish employment obligations in Europe before they could make an offer. The drama of selling a boat went on for 4 of the 5 months we were in Brunswick. But all prospective buyers had one thing in common - "They all loved Big Run and thought she was a beautiful boat"!
Once the boat sold in late September, getting out of Brunswick was more drama. Prior to selling the boat, to amuse myself from the shear boredom, I would research via the internet for a new Ford F150 truck. At one point I had one Florida (FL) dealer and 2 Georgia (GA) dealers vying for my business. I had instructed the dealers that I was going to purchase a vehicle and with "transport tags" drive the truck back to Pennsylvania (PA) for titling and licensing. By purchasing a vehicle down south, we could use the vehicle to transport our stuff from Big Run back to PA and not have to pay for a rental truck. Long story short, the FL dealer called to tell me that he could not sell me a new truck from FL because FL trucks (and GA) do not have a California Emissions System, and PA is a CARB state. Yes, PA has adopted California Air Resources Board (CARB) guidelines and all new vehicles brought into the state must be "50 state legal"! This technicality was actually a blessing, because when we went to move our "stuff" off of Big Run when we sold her, it would have taken a least 3 pickup truck loads. Our solution to the truck snafu was to rent a U-Haul Van with a 10' cargo body.
My truck research days in Brunswick were not in vain for I had learned a lot about the new F150. Once I learned of the CARB thing, I immediately looked for trucks in PA. My search started on the 17 of September, and I was able to find a truck that was just built the previous day and was still sitting on the lot at the Dearborn, MI assembly plant. One catch, to take advantage of the Ford incentive programs, we needed to purchase the truck before October 1st. On Friday, September 27th at 4:45 pm we received an email stating the money for the sale of Big Run had been transferred into our bank account. We had already scheduled the U-Haul truck for Saturday morning and had planned to drive home to PA on Sunday. However, with the news of the money transfer on Friday, we were living on a boat that belong to someone else. Time to get out of Brunswick. Saturday morning we packed up our stuff into the U-Haul truck and by 12 noon we started our 12 1/2 hour drive back to Harrisburg, PA.
Monday morning came quickly, and we found ourselves sitting a the Ford dealership buying our new truck. All things considered, the long months sitting in Brunswick trying to sell the boat and the failed attempt to purchase a truck down south were very well rewarded as the truck we purchased has far surpassed our expectations and should provide us with all comforts as we start our next adventure.
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| 2013 Ford F150, FX4, Super Crewcab, Sterling Grey Metallic, V8, 6.5 truck bed - our "Land Yacht" |