Cruising_World_2016-06-07

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36

fate struck once again. The

moment I saw the Wauquiez

Amphitrite 43 slumped over

in her hurricane hole with a

tree branch growing between

her mast and forestay, I

knew. Her engine was a pile

of rust. Her rig was useless.

Nothing electric worked.

All her running rigging was

bright green in the tropical

dampness. The spreader

lightbulbs hung down like

eyeballs out of their sockets.

Her dinghy was a defl ated

mosquito breeder. The

fabric of her sails tore easily.

There was a major problem

with the title, so having her

documented in the United

States would probably be

impossible, which meant

no bank was interested in

fi nancing her.

Then the story took a turn for the

worse. It had been four years since she’d

last fl oated. Looking closer, I saw that

a major refi tting project was required,

one that would demand diverse skills.

There was a huge yard bill coming up in

60 days. Rainwater was leaking inside,

ruining the varnished interior. The bilges

reeked of diesel oil. The rudder didn’t

turn, and she was sunk so deep in the

mud that we couldn’t see the keel.

Carolyn said, “This boat is almost

worthless!”

“Exactly,” I concurred. “Let’s buy it!”

We did, and for $100,000 less than

the owner originally had the boat listed

for. We tossed in a new Perkins M92B

diesel (I make it sound

easy; it was not), nailed on a

Monitor windvane (ditto), and

immediately set off on circle

number three before the dirt

dwellers and land sharks could

get their greedy hooks into us.

Whew!

Each of these boats has

given me enormous personal

satisfaction for very little

money. Basically, we pay for

our vessels with sweat instead

of cash. Is this diffi cult?

You betcha. Can it be fun?

You betcha. Especially since

there’s nothing I’d rather

do more than mess around

with boats with Carolyn at

my side. But the real key to

my life as a penniless yacht

rehabber was that 16 -foot

fi shing skiff and the 22-foot

double-ender Corina. Their message was

clear: If you’re willing to work harder

and smarter than the next fellow — and

you’re married to Carolyn — damn near

anything is possible.

Fatty and Carolyn are currently preparing

to cross the Indian Ocean on Ganesh, their

43-foot Wauquiez Amphitrite ketch.

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In their early 20s, Cap’n Fatty and Carolyn set up shop in

Boston and framed, fi nished and launched Carlotta, a 36-foot

ferro cement Endurance ketch.

COURTESY OF GARY M. GOODLANDER