In January, we met with our broker in Ft Lauderdale, Florida.  We looked at tons of boats, in and out of the water.  We further studied and discussed hull shapes, prop placement, keel design, engine considerations and much more.  We then found a new listing, that had all the features that we most valued, and we spent a few hours climbing all over her!

The more we explored, the more we were impressed.  We could imagine this boat taking us wherever we wanted to go, in safety and comfort.  One big consideration was to have plenty of space for guests, including our kids and grandkids!  This boat looked like it would do very well, so we made an offer.

A couple of weeks later, we returned to Ft Lauderdale for the survey and sea trial (Nautical Speak for inspection and test drive).  We had three surveyors, (one was for the diesels alone).  Almost two full days of testing!  We hauled the boat out to check the integrity of the hull and running gear.  It is really amazing to see a 50 ton boat just hanging on slings in the air!  I’d have been more concerned, but I got to see the boat hauled out just before ours- it was at least 50% larger!  After the boat was launched again, we took her out in the ocean for a series of runs at specified RPMs, measuring a dozen engine and performance parameters at each setting. We then anchored in a large bay and launched the tender, a very sporty little RIB to zoom around in (or to shore if you are anchored out a ways).  The boat performed well and we were in love!  So now we are moving from our much loved Colorado to a floating home!  You can read more about the boat in the All About Grace tab.