Not to worry!
In Tahiti the phrase Aita Pea Pea means “not to worry.” It is also the present name* of our new boat, a 1983 Amel Maramu. Yes, when the funds actually make it out of our account and into the sellers, we will be official card-carrying members of the Amel club! Are we happy? You bet!
There is a bit of a funny story about this boat. When we first heard about it from the broker that we had been dealing with, Stephanie Dupland, who has been fantastic by the way, we were told that the sellers were planing on going sailing until July 14th. For this reason alone, we basically disregarded it, as we wanted to have a purchased a boat long before that. Well, as things happen, here we are. Coincidentally, the day we arrived in Martinique, the 8th, is the day that they arrived back here from their trip. Funny, right?
It’s now ours!
The survey and sea trial yesterday went as expected, without any surprises. They were still worthwhile though as we received some good advice during the process, and learned more about the boat. After the survey was completed and we shared some lunch at our favorite Kebab restaurant, we all met back in Stephanie’s office to sign the bill of sale. I expect it will take a week to solidify all of the paperwork (de-flagging the French boat and re-flagging it Canadian). Stephanie and her colleague are walking us through the process; I can’t recommend her enough if you’re looking to buy or sell a boat in Martinique.
We also need to allot some time for the present owners to remove their personal effects from the boat. I hope to use some of this time to pick the Captain’s brain, taking notes and learning the boat’s systems before we jet off to Grenada. There is a lot to learn!
- Yes, we fully intend to change the name of the boat! In fact, we’ve had a new name picked out for some time. 🙂
Congratulations. A new chapter is about to unfold.
An exciting one, I am sure!
Congratulations guys, she is a beauty!
Thanks, Pete!
She’s pretty! I think I have a girl crush!
🙂
Congratulations guys, she is beautiful.
can’t wait to see what you named her.
It will be something a bit more easily pronounceable. 😉
Congratulations, that’s great news.
Thanks, Kevin!
Congrats guys, and welcome to the world of monohulls! are you in Fort De France?
No, we are in Le Marin.
Are you sailing quickly or flying back to Grenada?
Either will be fast as I look at the globe it appears that Grenada is downhill from where you are now.
Sailing. 153nm approx.
So happy for you guys! I am looking forward to reading about your learning curve as you acclimate yourselves to a mono hull and a ketch rig. Totally different type of sailing machine that could not be much more different than a catamaran. I think you will love sailing the new boat just as much if not more
Yes, very different. We both enjoyed the sea trial yesterday.
Congrats Mike & Rebecca! Can’t wait to meet her.
We hope to see you soon!
Congratulations….the two happiest times… Buying a new boat and selling the old boat!
Good luck
Now to work on the second part of that equation…
http://www.zerotocruising.com/ztc-is-for-sale/
Awesome news…. Did you end up selling ztc already?
Not yet.
Hopefully you’ll get lots of 1-1 time with the previous owners to learn the ins and outs and maybe two it out again if you have time. Congrats. Now let’s sell. ZTC,!
Agreed.
Congratulations to both of you. I look forward to hearing about the transition and your new adventures.
There will be plenty to write about, that I am sure of.
Exciting times for you both! Can’t wait to follow along on your new adventure!!!
Thanks, Stacey!
Congrats! What size is the new boat? Was there a particular reason you chose the monohull over a larger catamaran?
A Maramu’s LOA is 46′. As I’ve shared before, the primary decision for purchasing a monohull is our inability to afford a cat suitable for the trip to Patagonia
My wife and I have been following your travels for well over a year now. We are both jealous about your new boat and change of life style. We are dreaming of selling up and buying a boat as well. We just completed our first sailing school. It was a test of our resolve to make sure that sailing and cruising for a lifestyle was what we really want to do. It is no surprise that I am ready to go. What is even more wonderful is that Brenda, my wonderful wife of 35 years is ready to go as well. We hope to be well on our way by this time next year. Congratulations on the beautiful new boat. We would love to visit with you all sometime.
A year will go very quickly!!!
Great news Mike, cant wait to see how your guys make her your own.
Thanks, Izzy!
Congratulations! I’m eager to hear about the differences in sailing the two types of boats!
We are eager to find out!
Congratulations guys! Looking forward to hearing of your new adventures and your thoughts on the mono versus cat debate after you have spent some time on both.
-Mike
ThisRatSailed
It should be interesting.
Some folks dream, y’all make dreams come true!
We all look forward to following you and your dreams.
🙂
Thanks, John.
Have followed from the start of your journey. Huge CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you for continuing to follow along!
Congratulations, Mike and Rebecca! Another best day of your life!
You can’t have enough of those “best” days!
Best Blog I ever read–
Best? Really? 😉
Awesome!!! Kathy and I have been watching and waiting for this to happen. Give us the nickle tour when you get settled.
I definitely will. There are plenty of cool things about this boat.
She’s a beautiful boat. Can’t wait to watch you guys sail the hell out of her!
Safe travels!
Thanks Jeffrey. Good thing we brought our iPad with us… there is no chart plotter. 🙂
Amel Santorin ketch
It’s a Maramu actually, not a Santorin. The Santorin is also 46′ long but is a bit newer, and has several differences, most significantly IMO is that it has the Amel C drive as opposed to a shaft drive. We prefer the Maramu.
Again– That’s a lot of Boat!!
Are you going to sail her to Granada?
Definitely. That’s where all our “stuff” is.
Need lots of Pics.!! Of the new Boat..
Hi Mike,
I’ve started following your adventures around a year and a half ago and started reading from the beginning. We’re working on a now 8 year plan and you’re helping keeping our dream alive.
We’re curious though why you’ve decided to switch to a monohull for the next part? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Here’s to many more wonderful new adventures!
Pearl
Hi Pearl
It’s simply a money decision. We can’t afford a cat that is suitable to sail to Patagonia.
Thanks for following along! 🙂
congratulations to you both for finding a boat that will fit your needs for your next adventure. As you say there will be lots to learn but that isn’t anything new for either of you – you learned so much with ZTC, now just another one to learn. Good luck with finding a buyer for ZTC as know it is stressful to be a 2 boat owner. Best wishes to you both! After all the “comments/teasing” about monohulls who would have thought you’d move to a monohull but as you will find out, they definitely are a great alternative to the catamaran! Flexibility is always the name of the game (not only in body but in plans as well!)
Thanks, guys! I agree with the flexibility comment entirely!
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1983/Amel-Maramu-2857558/Martinique-%28FR%29#.VaI6wV7JAyU
Good job.
Can’t wait to read the new Chapter, congrats!
Thank you!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Mike
Thanks, Mike.
Congratulations! Looks like a great pick. The first thing to remember is the deeper draft, but I am sure you will adapt to it quickly. Looking forward to seeing the new adventures.
The first question I always ask is, is the depth sounder calibrated to the water’s surface, or the bottom of the keel?
It would be interesting to know the difference in the water line between your delivery cruise and once you load it with all your belongings.
I doubt our stuff will make much of a difference on this boat.
Congratulations!!!! Let me be the first to welcome you guys to the amel world. Been reading your blog since before we purchased our maramu and it’s likely partly your responsibility that we made the plunge by making it look so easy. Well not easy but do-able without being born into it. Can’t wait to see what I can learn from you moving aboard as we will be following in a year or so…
Best of luck on your maiden voyage and in your new home!
Thanks, Ross. What year is your Maramu?
Don’t find out the hard way..
?
Where the transducer is calibrated to..
Ahhh… Right. That’s why I said that I confirm that right away. If you had replied to that comment about the transducer, I would have known what you meant right away.
Congratulations…….though I hate to see a multihuller go to the darker side!
Maybe I was born to be a monohull sailor but never had the chance? 😉
When’s the launch date?
We are on the boat now.
Congratulations, looking forward to see you down here with your new boat in a week or two. Hope you will give me the grand tour.
Definitely. Morris is invited too.
There are no coincidences…Best of luck and congrats on your new boat. I look forward to following you and Rebecca’s new adventures.
My friend calls them Coordinated Incidences.
You found your next boat … congratulations!
The story goes on.
The Candy washing machine caught Darla’s attention. We sold our set with the house, so Darla suggested, buying a small one to use in our rental and then take it with us to install on a boat. Candy’s have very good reviews
It’s funny, we would never have bought a washing machine but it’s pretty cool to have it. It’s less than a year old.
Nice!
I think so too. 🙂