Thanks for your feedback. I will use it in the very near future.

"I hope he gets his boat back.'

At first we tough he got rescued by a container ship. At supper it was
confirmed that the US Coast Guard did the rescue close to Bermuda.

The feedback we got at our club is that the rudder became non operational at
the high of the big storm.

He and his crew are presently resting in Bermuda.

We do not know where his boat is at this time. Surprisingly there are always
people listening on the radio during a rescue and May Day. Either the boat
is still floating freely or some towing companies have their eyes on it.
Time will tell.

A Canadian Navy frigate is presently on its way to rescue another Canadian
Sailboat at about 650 miles south of Yarmouth Nova Scotia. It is reported
that the winds are very strong and the sea rough enough for the Frigate to
use storm tactics and to proceed with caution. One of the tactics used is to
point into the wind with the engine geared at the proper speed until the
worst is over.

I'll be watching the news tonight!

"DSK" wrote in message
.. .
wrote:

Thanks for taking the time to explain the process.
My comments are as follows;

2) Make an offer, which is PENDING SURVEY and SEA TRIAL.

This needs to be carefully worded. Brokers usually hand you a standardized
form, which is usually slanted in their (and the sellers) favor. The
phrase "subject to survey & sea trial" is commonly used and it does NOT
mean that the boat's survey and sea trial must be satisfactory to YOU the
buyer.

Don't be afraid to take the standardized contract and use it as the basis
to write up a contract that satisfies you.


That means that I will have to make a deposit of about 10%?

Depends. 10% used to be a standard but nowadays everything is on a credit
card. It needs to be a large enough amount for the broker to take you
seriously. You also need to find out what he is going to do with the check
(deposit it in a business account, a NOW account, lock it in a bottom
drawer, or whatever).


The probability of buying a sailboat on the first look around is possible
but remote.

Agreed. If you know a particular type of boat you want, then you can focus
on what it's known issues are, look for problems common to that type, and
have a comparison to sisterships on the market at the same time. If you're
just hunting in general, it's harder.


3) A licensed captain is often used for the sea trial at major brokers.
Once I buy the boat I will be the one handling the sailboat, setting
sails, trimming,docking, maintaining it and so on.
I am not a maverick but what does a licensed captain have that I do not
already have?

Insurance, and the permission of the seller (he does own the boat, after
all). It's not all bad, a licensed captain usually has enough experience
that he will be worth listening as he puts the boat thru it's paces.

OTOH it is well within your rights to say "If I don't get to try it, I'm
not going to buy it." The seller shouldn't refuse to let you work the boat
thru normal evolutins that have no potential harm impending (making sure
the reefing gear works, for example). But you can see why he might be
nervous to let you dock the boat.


I have never turned down good advises and suggestions.
This morning I have a mixed feeling about surveyors. I just learned that
one of my friend lost his rudder on his way to Bermuda and had to be
rescued by a container ship. I hope to get more details on that one.


I hope he gets his boat back.

DSK