I had to work through college while saving as much money as possible. When I graduated with my Master's in Oceanographic Studies, I put the rest of the money I had saved into a thirteen-meter sailboat. I always dreamed of sailing in my boat as a child.
I was about to buy a twenty-foot older model needing work. The hull was in good shape, but the engine, navigation systems, and sails needed to be serviceable. I knew I would spend a few years putting in money and more time than it could be worth. I dreamt of owning a boat.
Mom had saved her money as I had over the years, and I was not aware she had received a rather large insurance payout as Dad died before I was born. She always told me he had gone away and left us comfortable.
We often drove around the local marina looking at boats and talking about how we would someday take a ship around the world with just the two of us being free to be ourselves away from the world out on the water. She pulled the car into a parking spot and took her purse with her as I got out of the vehicle, and we walked down the docks looking at all the boats. It must have been thirty minutes as we walked.
Mom stopped at a light blue forty-foot sailboat with a for sale sign and completely refurbished as a new boat. She reached into her purse, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to me. With tears in her eyes, she hugged me and said, "Baby, this is all for you. I have seen you dreaming and drawing boats so many times, and as we drove by the docks talking, I knew this day would happen. You are the Owner and Captain of your boat. The only thing I did was name it "The Lucky 13," thirteen meters long.
I held her tight, stunned by what she had done for me. As we stepped back from each other and I stepped aboard my boat. The cockpit had protective covers over everything, and the main hatch was locked. I opened the envelope and found the keys, and unlocked the hatch. The interior had polished teak floors like the cockpit, with the Saloon having dark blue-covered cushions. All the equipment was state of the art from the look of what I was seeing. The bed was in the boat's bow with what looked to be the equivalent of a Queen sized bed.
"Mom, I want to spend a few days going over the boat before making plans for a trip out for a few days. Kind of a shake-down cruise, so to speak." I told her as she stepped in and hugged me.
"There is fresh food and a bottle of wine in the galley, as I knew you could not leave. Many of the vessels here have people who live aboard, so just be respectful of others. Call me tomorrow or the day after, as I look forward to seeing you take the thirteen out, and I want to be with you when you do." Mom said as she hugged me and kissed me on the cheek with tears streaming down her face.
"Mom, before I take the boat out, I will hire a Captain and another person who knows the marina. A boat this size took me out with her and taught me how to sail her. I would not like to go out and not know what I am doing." I told Mom as I held her arm's length and looked her in the eyes, "This is a long-term investment, and I need to do this. I will call the Harbour Master and have a referral first."
Mom nodded in agreement before saying," This is a solid idea, and I will give you time to learn to sail the vessel correctly. I had not thought of learning, but like moving from a car to a large truck, you know the basics, and the fine points of safety are also wise to learn. I love you, and take your time learning." as she turned to leave.
The following day the marina sent a Captain and a First Mate, both female, to the boat, and they showed me how to get the Lucky Thirteen out of the marina with the engine. Once we cleared the breakwaters, I learned how to raise the sails in order and get underway. We repeated sailing in and out of the marina under engine power, once out past the breakwaters, put up the sails, and then did the reverse actions, including tying the boat to the dock.
The Captain said I had done well, but I should put the Lucky Thirteen into drydock and let a team inspect every inch of her before heading out to the open sea. What the Captain had said was a wise idea. Just thinking of how much money we had spent on the boat, it would be worth finding out if she was one hundred percent sea-worthy for long voyages. We finished the work I wanted with them, and I told her I would keep her and the First Mate in mind when I set sail.
I waited the next day to go to the dockmaster's office, and he recommended a mechanics team capable of getting the Lucky Thirteen on a hoist for inspecting the boat below the waterline. They would remove all the floor covers and fuel and water tanks. I told him to schedule them as soon as possible as I wanted to be there during the inspection.
The team was there the following day, and the first thing was to pull the boat out of the water. They did a complete hull inspection and power-washed the hull. All possible water intrusion points looked good, and the propeller shaft and rubber worked well. Next were the fuel and freshwater tanks, followed by the wastewater tanks. One person was going over all the electronics from the top of the mast into the galley and cockpit.
By the end of the day, The Lucky Thirteen now had a detailed inspection report. I filed it in the fireproof and waterproof safe and paid the team for the work.
That night as I relaxed aboard, I had a few glasses of red wine sitting in the cockpit, and two attractive women walked by and paused before speaking. "So you bought her?" one of them said to get my attention.
I raised my wine glass to them in a toast before saying," She is all mine and today passed her annual inspection and is ready to go wherever I choose to take her! Would you ladies like to come aboard?"
