Hi
The Sailboat Cruiser #78
June '24
All Good Things Must Come to an End
Well, I might as well come straight out with it...
We have sold our sailboat Alacazam and our days of cruising around the Caribbean Islands for much of the year have come to an end.
We had two reasons for selling our unique sailboat, which had looked after us for some 25 years. One was anno domini - we're both getting on a bit.
The other was more compelling; I suffered a serious illness in 2023 which caused us to miss the entire Caribbean sailing season that year.
Although twenty high intensity sessions of radiotherapy seems to have zapped the malignancy in my collarbone, in doing so it fried the tendons around it.
This impatient skipper created further damage by lifting a heavy outboard motor when he shouldn't have.
"No pain, no gain", right? No, not right. Quite the opposite in fact.
As a result I now have a weak and fragile shoulder which is demonstrably unseaworthy. Although things should
improve over time, both Mary and I decided that it was time for Alacazam's story to be continued by someone younger and fitter.
Consequently, and with heavy hearts, we contacted Rosie Burr of
Clarke & Carter Caribbean
and asked her to put Alacazam on the market. We agreed a realistic asking price with Rosie and within a very short time she had found a prospective buyer.
After a thorough survey, rig inspection and a sea trial, it was clear that the wood-epoxy sailboat that
we built all those years ago
now had a new admirer. We finalised the deal and with Alacazam's British registration cancelled, she now proudly flies the Stars & Stripes from her stern.
So sail on, Alacazam - we wish you and your new owner fair winds and following seas.
Take a Look at Our eBooks!
But here's a tip - If you're thinking of looking at a secondhand sailboat, or just want to be aware of what to look for - and when to walk away no matter what - then you really ought to take a look at
The Boat Buyer's Bundle...
Cruising Sailboats for Sale
I'll continue to provide a free platform for owners to advertise their sailboats for sale on my popular website Sailboat-Cruising.com somewhat optimistically subtitled The Cruising Sailors Favourite Information Source'.
So if you're thinking about putting your boat on the market, drop me a line at dickmcclary@sailboat-cruising.com and I'll publish your ad on my site and also post it on my various social media outlets such as Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
The full list of monohulls and multihulls currently for sale on my site can be seen at
cruising-sailboats-for-sale.
And finally...
Our annual 5-month sojourn in the West Indies provided the source of much of the content for this newsletter, and with Mary and I no longer able to call ourselves 'sailboat cruisers' it would seem an appropriate time to wind it up - so it's likely that this is the final issue of 'The Sailboat Cruiser'.
However, I will continue creating articles for my website 'Sailboat-cruising.com' and will try to set up an automated system through which new and updated articles will be e-mailed to you.
A huge thank you to all of you who have been following my ramblings over the years - I've enjoyed your company!
And special thanks to those of you who - like
Dr Michael Martin Cohen
- have made such valuable contributions to my website.
All the very best to you all,
Dick McClary
Go to Sailboat-Cruising.com's Home Page...
