Confession...I Was Tempted!

There is a saying..."Confession is good for the soul."  So, here goes.  I was tempted.  There is no denying it.  She definitely caught my eye.  It started innocently enough.  I would pass her and comment to myself on her beauty and think that someone sure was lucky.  But then one day a picture online caught my attention.  I clicked on it and a whole page of pictures of her filled my screen.  And I was tempted.  After that I did more than throw an innocent glance...or two...her way.  I began to imagine going out with her...the fun we could have...the joy she could bring.

Oh...did I mention that "she" was another sailboat?  Surely you knew what I meant!  Ever since we bought our boat in October I have been trying to get her ready to sail.  That much you probably already know.  This process has come with the usual ups and downs, successes and failures.  So when I saw the Craigslist listing for the sailboat two slips down from ours...and at a pretty ridiculously low price...I was tempted.  Now it isn't that we wanted a fleet of boats...I wasn't looking to become a Commodore...we didn't want "his and her" boats...and we weren't looking for a spare boat, like a spare tire, to have just in case something happened to the other boat.  No, the thought process was something like this...after all the time and money we have invested in our Catalina 25, there is still much to be done.  So, if this boat...which is three-feet longer (which translates into more space, more headroom, more everything)...was ready to leave the slip and go sailing, then we could buy it and sale our boat.  This seemed like it could be the quickest way to get out sailing.  We are really ready to go sailing!  And I was tempted.  In fact...we were tempted.

But the interesting thing is, the more I thought about having a different boat the more mixed emotions I felt.  Would I be abandoning ship?  Would I be giving up on a project just before it was completed?  I mean, sure going sailing SOON would be very nice.  The standing headroom in the cabin while cooking would be nice as well.  Yea, I was tempted, but it didn't feel right.  Was this even fair to our beautiful little Catalina?  Maybe...maybe not.  But I made the call and we went to see this boat.

Now, I had walked past it countless times.  I mean, it is only like two slips away and we can't get to our boat without passing this other one.  She was a pretty boat to be sure.  A 1980 O'Day 28.  I had seen several on YouTube...including one of the channels I frequently watch...so I am a little familiar with the layout and some performance aspects of this boat.  But you know, there is a difference between seeing a boat and LOOKING at a boat.  I had always seen this boat as I walked by...and she was very pretty.  But today we were LOOKING at the boat.  Even before stepping on board her glamor was starting to disappear.  The broken parts, the missing pieces, the worn out components, and the general disrepair of many things were glaring.  Now, don't get me wrong, she could still be a pretty boat...but it will take a good bit to get there.  A good bit of money and a good bit of time.  Neither of which were part of the bargain we were looking for if we were to do this.    

So, yea...I was tempted.  But in the end I realized what we actually already have.  I guess life is like that sometimes.  Often you really don't know what you have.  Sure I was tempted.  But while the temptation opened the door to go look at another "girl"...it helped me, and us, to realize just how much we love the boat we have.  I love the lines of the Catalina 25.  I love the idea of having brought this old girl back to life.  So, I hope you will remember that the grass isn't actually always greener on the other side of the fence.  It may just look like it.