Date: 20 June 2015. Cruising in Tandem.

© janice142
 

Boat brokers used to be totally male-centric. They believed their typical buyer was a man, successful in life. The ideal prospect wished to get out here and become Captain Courageous. And gosh, there is a boat just for you Cap'n. Marked down this week and probably about to be snapped up by a discerning guy...
 

And then there was me. Over fifty, grey hair, the wrong gender, not much money and wanting more than the glossy stuff shown online. When shopping for Seaweed many brokers would not answer queries from Janice. When I would resend the exact same note signing "Janice (and Frank)" I would get a response.
 

Meet Frank:

I played the game and got what I wanted, i.e. information about various boats I might buy. Brokers would be wise to not judge by a name. Not all brokers were less than stellar.
 

Only one boat brand and size interested me in the end. Thus the views about boat brokers stated in this article are not wide-ranging statistically. It would have been better to have shopped for a boat where more than six were built. That certainly limited my choices.
 

If you are a lady wanting to buy a boat: Congratulations!
 

There are a surprising number of women afloat who are single or start out so. Just like the guy with a big yacht, a girl with a boat is a sort of aphrodisiac for the men folk.
 

It's a rough life, but someone has to do it. And truly just make sure your boat meets
Mother's requirements: The ideal boat sleeps two, feeds four and drinks six.
 

The boat Daddy built that I grew up aboard is 40'. She meets Mother's requirements plus one as I did have my own cabin.

 

My Seaweed does half that. She sleeps one, feeds two and drinks three... sometimes I might wish I had opted for a bit larger, you know? There are some interesting fellows in the world however they won't fit onboard Seaweed. Thus, they need their own boat.
 

Cruising in tandem sounds just about perfect to me. I have my privacy, my domain, and so too would my fellow. Presuming the little dresses I have taken to wearing actually work their magic.

Eliza described them to me and she's right. Her article is here: Dresses and Yeses. I would love to know how things are going with Eliza. Perhaps she will write again. Hint to Eliza: Where are you? What are you doing? And with whom or is that too presumptuous? Details, girl. I live vicariously through you!

End Bunny Trail. (A bunny trail is what Kidlet calls it when I wander off the topic at hand.)
 

Cruising in tandem means that two boats are heading the same way and follow along as a pair. Sometimes two boats, sometimes more but all heading in the same general direction. This makes for a good social life when stopping at marinas where you would normally be destined to be the newest arriving stranger.
 

When cruising it's fun to socialize with fellow boaters.

And for those of us at anchor, a pot-luck dinner
aboard a friend's boat is always a welcome respite.

Bear and Drew came by one night for clams and rice. They brought some wonderful garlic bread.

However when cruising in tandem I might suggest that you look outside your group to others. Get on the VHF and say "hello" or hop in your dinghy and explore. Local knowledge can be gained from the boats already there before you.
 

And besides, you might meet someone interesting that can help you with a dilemma. By the same token, it is quite possible something you know may help another boater.
 

I met Belle O' The Bay, a beautiful 44' Hatteras when anchored back in Saul Creek. Terry and her husband and Jeff printed and passed along charts (with compass headings) for the next leg of my trip. And their well-behaved Yorkie named Belle certainly enamored my Skipper.

We had a lovely visit too. Thank you again for the charts. They were a big help.
 

More on the status of the engine work in the upcoming 24 June article.
 

Have you ever traveled in tandem with another family?
And, was the trip long or of short duration?
 

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