So we went to a boat auction.
Several months back I signed up for several notifications of local auctions, but as it turns out the internet is full of misleading information. As an example, I was recently made aware of an online auction of a cargo ship, approximately 210 feet in length. Although roomy, I'm wagering that the slip fees would be a bit beyond our current income. There have been better notifications, but that one was one of my favorites.
But we did receive notification of a live auction close to home, so on an early Saturday morning we woke up and headed out to Long Beach. We eventually ended up in a parking lot a bit of a distance away from the auction site, forcing us to make our way by walking along a path that taunted us with beautiful boats that would make our liveaboard dreams come true. Forty-plus foot yachts (yeah, that's the word I'd use to describe most of these bad boys) beckoning with signs that posted the information of the boat brokers hired to get these money pits sold...
It made me think.
It made me question the viability of our dream, the fact that these people whose annual income would double the income I've managed to bring in within a decade are attempting to sell these majestic vessels. I could've literally passed out from the beauty of some of these "potential" homes. It was almost too much to bear. I began thinking about the reduced space, the lack of growing space (I got my green thumb due to my maternal grandfather's love of gardening - my son and I are currently working on a portable herb garden), the potential for homelessness... It all weighs on my conscience, on my thoughts regarding this lifestyle. I continually weigh the pros and cons, making a real concerted effort to NOT influence my decision with idle daydreams of scuba diving amongst the coral reefs of the world, of swimming with whale sharks around Baja California, of the amazing experiences I can bestow upon Kiddo...
We finally arrived, and Kelly went in to register for the bidding (we had a little bit of cash, but were not intending on spending it. If a boat that fit our parameters was found, however...) and I perused the lots. Everything from fishing tackle to lifeboats to a HDTV was sitting out looking for future homes. I glanced through and saw nothing that we could live without, and began to scan the available boats from a distance.
Many of the vessels were in a state of disrepair, as we expected. There was a mix of sail and power boats, fairly close to 50/50. None of them had the two private cabin requirement that we knew we needed, so we knew early on that this was more of a chance to network rather than look for a floating domicile. In fact, we learned from conversations that one of the boats up for
auction was purchased for $10 and then registered here, giving us ideas
for the future... as long as the boats aren't totally thrashed. Like the pre-1970 (I feel comfortable judging THAT much) wooden boat that literally had holes in the deck and scared the bejeezus out of us. Because of some back issues, I decided to opt out of the inspection "away team" and left it to Kelly and Kiddo. They proceeded to venture onboard several of the boats, with Kiddo being the only member on at least two of the boats.
Watching him jump on and walk around as if he was on land was amazing to behold. He walked around a couple boats like he was born to it, not losing his balance in the slightest despite the occasional choppiness. I honestly don't know if it's genetic (I always felt at home on board a boat and have never felt the slightest bit seasick) or if it's something that children are prone to do, but my boy was walking around like a pro, as seriously as you could imagine an inspector with at least ten years of experience would conduct himself. He was inspecting the interiors of boats that Momma and Daddy were not venturing on, giving us information on it ("It was real dirty") that we were able to utilize in our bidding decisions.When it was time for us to turn in our bidding number and roll, there were no complaints from him with regards to having to leave without purchasing a boat. He is normally an awesome boy, but he outdid himself this day.
I realized that if I was going to give Kiddo an environment conductive to a well-rounded education, onboard a boat would be right up there. He has a passion for nature in all its forms (he's as fascinated about outer space as he is with underwater) and the options for summer vacations for us can be pretty wide-ranging with boat ownership, giving us more of an opportunity to connect with our planet and each other that most people only dream about.
We are so getting a boat.
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