Starting a new adventure

The Covid-19 pandemic messed up a lot of plans. I'd been waiting for 2020 for a long time. It was going to be a big year: mine & Chad's 10th anniversary, both boys graduating (college and high school), a milestone birthday for Chad. I was planning a big party for this epic year...then came the lock-downs. 

Being a meeting planner focusing on international work, I was furloughed most of the year leaving me a lot of time to think and dream about what might be ahead. As an essential worker, Chad was never off work but it slowed down quite a bit in the early months of the lock-down. 

Like many people, we took advantage of crazy low interest rates and refinanced the house - planning to finally finish our basement...but then we spent a day on Lake MI with our brother and sister in law on their boat. 

Despite growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes, I wasn't familiar with power boats (more canoes). I had no idea that boats outside cruise ships had AC! We had a delightful day on the lake and started reminiscing about our summer owning a 16 foot daysailer. 

We started searching out boats - starting with power boats and then shifting into sailboats. We (mostly Chad) spent a lot of time researching, learning, and pricing out different boats all over the country. We looked at some local boats, almost flew out to Connecticut, but eventually found a 1994 Hughes 38 in Pentwater that caught our attention. 

Our first reaction was "heck no!" The boat was already covered for the winter. It was dark, dirty, musty, and full of junk. While I was dreaming about a 40' boat in near perfect condition, Chad started thinking about what could be. He woke up one morning with a strong feeling we needed to take a second look at the Hughes. 

Our second showing was much better - the sun was shining and we had our dreaming hats back on. We saw that under the junk and dirt was a pretty cool boat with an interesting story. We decided to go for it. 

We needed some more relaxing, fun time - not just project time/ work. We wanted a boat that could be single-handed but could also accommodate our two adult boys if they wanted to adventure with us. 

After some negotiating, we agreed to a purchase price (bit of a deal) and spent our 6th wedding anniversary weekend buying a diamond in the rough - Blue Jay. Not quite what we expected out of 2020 but why not? 

We definitely had a lot of work ahead of us - lots of learning, cleaning - but also lots of fun. 10 months later, we're about ready to take off on our first sailing trip. I'll share some stories of our sailing adventures, as well as go back into the preparation and unique history of our Blue Jay. 

Thanks for "coming" along for the ride!

~Chad & Charissa