Part Time Job

So yesterday, my buddy Chris McDowell came over while I was working in the shop and asked me to take a ride with him to Sausalito to look at his buddy's 1973 52 foot Ted Brewer ketch. I thought what the heck, dusted myself off and jumped in the car. With the Bay Bridge being closed half of that traffic diverted to the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge, which made quite a little traffic jam. Luckily, Chris makes Kim seem introverted, so we didn't lack anything to talk about.

We finally got to Sausalito and there was a Art & Wine Festival right in front of the marina, so we had a bit of trouble finding a place to park. We finally met up with Dan, the owner of the boat and he took us down to his magnificent boat. It obviously needs some TLC, but she's build like a brick you-know-what. And you obviously can't say much about the design other than having an opinion of ketches.

While Chris and I were taking pics of every little nook and cranny, Dan was telling us all the stuff he wanted to do to the boat. We talked about a lot of nautical stuff and bandied thoughts back and forth. I was just making conversation because I appreciated the boat so much.



When the tour was done, Dan said that he'd pay us as we go along, or give us a hefty slice of the commission when he sells her. At this point I realized that Dan wanted Chris and me to do the work that we had been talking about for the last forty five minutes. He also said that we could use her anytime, once we get the mechanicals squared away. I thought, "Wow, what a great opportunity". Then I thought, "Wow, I'm already busy". Then I thought, "Wow, I better check with Kim on this one".



I thanked him for his offer and told him I'd have to think about it. On the drive home, Chris and I talked about the pros and cons. I think I'll take Kim on the shakedown cruise and see what she thinks. It's an unbelievable opportunity, but also a major committment. If I spend a year working on this boat and we get our boat next year, that means that I'll have to dive right in to another huge project. Another option is possibly purchasing the ketch, but that's not really what we've been looking for.