Season One, 2020 - We Bought a Boat!

In 2020 we found ourselves adjusting to a global pandemic lifestyle. COVID dramatically influenced all aspects of life, work, home, personal, and social. Work-life balance was drastically affected as home settings evolved into expanded work settings. Normal daily routines were impacted due to restrictions, persons and whole communities were unable to participate in extracurricular activities, shopping, travel, and social engagements. Life was different and scary as we faced lifestyle changes and healthcare unknowns. My husband and I assessed this new situation and decided to proceed with a proactive plan to promote positive health and wellness in our family unit. We decided to buy a sailboat. (insert hindsight laugh).

My husband has always talked about sailing. His love for sailing and the lifestyle was nurtured while in college on a Hobie Cat and later after he joined friends on their Catalina for a sail to the Bahamas. These experiences nurtured in him a desire to own his own boat, with the intent to embrace the sailing lifestyle. During COVID he revisited this idea and started cruising websites, casually looking at boats in our local area. He planted the seed with me, and we started exploring the idea of sailboat life to resume normalcy in a new world of isolation and travel restrictions.

In April or May of 2020, we began our sailboat search, and we focused our attention on Stockton Lake. For those of you unfamiliar with Stockton Lake it is reputed to be the best, #1 sailing lake in Missouri. Locals also boast that Stockton Lake is a top three sailing lake in the country. We fell in love with its uncluttered scenic beauty, pristine water, and perpetual southwest breeze. Stockton Lake is a Midwest gem, a hidden sailing jewel, and it supports a thriving sailing community.

We didn't look at many sailboats before we made our decision; we toured a Catalina 27, an Island Packet 28, a J-28, and a Catalina 30. We decided on the 1989 Catalina 30, the Alcestis. The Alcestis was 31 years old when we toured her and her age was showing, she looked 50, but she had a lot of life left in her and we decided to move forward with negotiations. Purchase of our boat coincided with graduation from my doctorate program, and I will never forget my husband, saying, "Happy graduation! I bought you a sailboat!". I laugh now because in hindsight I probably should have been more reserved with my enthusiasm, a sailboat is not your typical boat acquisition and the work coupled with the learning curve was a reality that did not match my romantic vision.(I will explain in a later blog). Regardless, it really is a lifestyle choice, and this new journey has been exciting.

So here is 'our' first boat, and for a first boat it is a big boat. Enjoy the photo tour, this is our 1989 Catalina 30, Tall Rig, Sailboat. These images are our boat as we first met her.

Did this purchase achieve our original goal of promoting some normalcy during a global pandemic? Yes! We live on Stockton Lake aboard this boat as often as we can. During sailing season-one we renovated this 31-year-old lady, and we built a sailing social network that we call family. We spent every weekend outdoors either working on our boat, sailing our boat, learning our boat, and hanging with new friends either floating in the water or at night around the campfire. Sailing or boating is a lifestyle, and it was exactly what we needed as we navigated a world of COVID.