---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 07:24:28 -0800
From: Ken Preston <preston@gencc.com>
To: happy life skills foundation <hapilife@efn.org>
Subject: RE: Trying to find a boat.
Bought it last night. Well. . .really, what I did was commit to it verbally
and arranged to meet them sunday morning (their choice) at the boat launch
with the $1500 and something to pull it home with. I've already begun
scheming how much scrubbing, buffing, waxing etc will be required just for
the boat. . .sure hope some of that green comes off, but what the heck, I've
had funny colored boats before. The price negotiations were funny. I'm no
buyer (or seller for that matter). When first talking to them I simply said
that there was no point in my going to look at the boat if they wanted any
more than $1500. . .mistake I guess. . .Curt thought about a milisecond and
said he thought that was at least possible. . .so I went out to Kenmore
yesterday noon (wednesday, wind and more wind and rain and some heavy mist
among the showers and occasional deluges. . .in the wind, but otherwise a
nice day) and patted the boat on the head. . .called last night to make some
sort of an offer. . .but the price was already settled on. I guess at $1500
it's a fine enough buy not to worry that I didn't somehow manage to steal it
for less. I did not mention your name, but will if you like, when I go to
pick up the boat.
Anyway, I owe you a very large smile or a bottle of root beer or whatever
seems appropriate in that line. I've wanted one of these boats since I was
a teenager (I used to have an original, addressed to me, brochure from West
Wight Plycraft. . .England, which had to be a pretty early iteration of the
boat. . .spoke of delivering the one across the North sea as a recent
achievement I recall. . .) One way or another I've gone through several
other boats and never managed to come to a point where I needed a boat and
could find or afford a Potter at the same time. I've long enjoyed similar
dreams of cruising off away in something bigger and more seaworthy. . .but
am no longer so sure. Small boats go sailing. Damn few big ones do. An
awful lot of people manage to buy just enough boat to keep them mortgaged
enough to have to keep working steadily until they're too old to do anything
with the boat. I've sort of played that stunt, but without the bigger boat
by and large. . .h'mm. Friends of mine have hit a pretty interesting
compromise. . .they have a 26' trailerable swing keel boat with a pop top
cabin. They live in Port Townsend, have sailed that boat twice to the
Bahamas, several times have spent the whole winter in the Sea of Cortez,
claim it's comfortable to live aboard in such climates and trailers behind a
V6 van all right. That might work pretty well!
Thanks Again!
KenP
-----Original Message-----
From: happy life skills foundation [mailto:hapilife@efn.org]
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 1999 1:20 AM
To: Ken Preston
Subject: RE: Trying to find a boat.
hey Ken,
you sound busy. not me. moved up here from eugene in september. i am a
music teacher and pianist and couldn't get teaching jobs in oregon any
more, too many i 695 deals, no budget for the arts in oregon schools any
more. came up here. also i plan on cruising away from here after i get
enough practice in heavy weather, navigation and also get a larger
seaworthy cruising boat. you can't get any experience like that in eugene!
the one lake ( a nice one) to sail on is a reservoir which is drained in
october every year until march.....so this is the place for me.
any how, finally got my teaching license last week so i should be able to
start subbing in january and find work. I also perform at private
functions and would probably play in decent public rooms...
BUT.....THE BOAT! glad you called the gresh's...did you mention i referred
you? interesting that curt talked. she is the sailor. they are really
burned out i think. she said she pulled the boat a year ago and cleaned it
all up and they used it twice that would burn me out too!. How much do
they want? It's still in the water I passed by yesterday. You'll probably
want to repaint the trailer...
i managed to catch the flu from my wife, spent today in bed. one of the
benefits of marriage to a doctor, she's always bringing fun little germy
things home. So I did not go out today (weds) probably just as well with
all the rain and flooding, tho' they said only a quarter inche of rain at
kenmore. You know the Potter does really well in swells and high wind.
It's a fun boat. I'm sure we'll get a chance to go out sometime.....
Keep in touch about the gresh's boat......talk to you soon
Ken Silverman