June 28, 2015 Our first look at a Tartan 4300 was a photo on the wall in a broker’s office. We had come to look at a Saga 43 he had listed. While waiting for the broker, the boat in the photo caught our eyes. It had nice lines, a dark hull, and a Solent rig which John had liked for years as he looked at Outbound 46s…the Outbound 46 had been John’s dream boat until recently when we realized it was not really a boat for us. We were not likely to throw the dock lines and sail away for years...the Outbound seemed a perfect boat for that.
While there, the broker was able to get us aboard a T4300 they had recently sold. We liked what we saw, but didn’t really investigate thoroughly as it was someone’s personal yacht and not for sale. We talked to the broker about used T4300s and he indicated they were hard to come by. We also talked about the price of a new boat and it was out of our budget.
Later, John looked online and found a used T4300 for sale in Florida that was within our budget. Could that boat be our next step from Red Rover, the Ericson 38 we loved so much? The fact that it was in Florida was a bit of a hurdle, but after conversations with the broker and a little more investigation, we flew down to Jacksonville to see Czech Mate first hand and take her out for a test sail.
July 27, 2015 For the test sail, we had to go out a shallow entrance to the marina and then about 8 miles up the Intracoastal Waterway, passing under two bridges that we just cleared along the way. This got us to the St. John’s River with a strong ebb current running…not ideal conditions to see how well the shoal draft keel/centerboard T4300 went to windward. Another frustration for us was that the centerboard would not go down. The owner said he never used it. We did like the way the boat felt under sail in about 15 knots of wind. At dinner with the broker and owner, we settled on a purchase price and Czech Mate was ours, pending a survey.
August 21, 2015 After an aborted survey immediately following the test sail due to a severely corroded sail drive, John flew down in late August for the survey. All went well with the survey and there were only a few contingencies to resolve before the closing.
While there, the broker was able to get us aboard a T4300 they had recently sold. We liked what we saw, but didn’t really investigate thoroughly as it was someone’s personal yacht and not for sale. We talked to the broker about used T4300s and he indicated they were hard to come by. We also talked about the price of a new boat and it was out of our budget.
Later, John looked online and found a used T4300 for sale in Florida that was within our budget. Could that boat be our next step from Red Rover, the Ericson 38 we loved so much? The fact that it was in Florida was a bit of a hurdle, but after conversations with the broker and a little more investigation, we flew down to Jacksonville to see Czech Mate first hand and take her out for a test sail.
July 27, 2015 For the test sail, we had to go out a shallow entrance to the marina and then about 8 miles up the Intracoastal Waterway, passing under two bridges that we just cleared along the way. This got us to the St. John’s River with a strong ebb current running…not ideal conditions to see how well the shoal draft keel/centerboard T4300 went to windward. Another frustration for us was that the centerboard would not go down. The owner said he never used it. We did like the way the boat felt under sail in about 15 knots of wind. At dinner with the broker and owner, we settled on a purchase price and Czech Mate was ours, pending a survey.
August 21, 2015 After an aborted survey immediately following the test sail due to a severely corroded sail drive, John flew down in late August for the survey. All went well with the survey and there were only a few contingencies to resolve before the closing.
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| Haul out for the survey |
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| Centerboard up in the keel will not drop down |
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| Working to release the centerboard |
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| Success! |
September 10, 2015 In between the survey and closing, we sailed with friends aboard their Catalina 380 from Stanford, CT to Annapolis, MD. En-route, we continued to communicate with the broker to resolve the contingencies. It was also on this trip that we settled on Owl Moon for the new name of Czech Mate. With all worked out and closing documents signed, we flew down to Jacksonville for final acceptance of the vessel and were underway southbound on the ICW by late morning.
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| Southbound in the ICW on our new boat |
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| Diane's turn at the helm
After about a 3 1/2 hour motor, we arrived at the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine just in time for the 3 pm opening. From there we headed up the San Sebastion River to the St. Augustine Marine Center where we had arranged to have Owl Moon hauled and work done. Gene met us at the T head for what should have been an easy docking straight into the swift current. However, John misjudged the current and put a light scrape along the topsides with the well protected hard rubber corner of the dock. Fortunately, the streak was easily buffed out later.
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| Docked at the St. Augustine Marine Center |
We had an enjoyable weekend in St. Augustine, including a visit with our friends Dan and Jaye and tour of El Galeón, replica of a 16th century galeón. After only 2 nights aboard Owl Moon, we flew back to Maryland, leaving Owl Moon at the dock waiting to be hauled.
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| Our pirate friends Dan and Jay |
October 3, 2015 Quick weekend trip down to St. Augustine to see Owl Moon securely blocked on the hard at the Marine Center. We discussed the work that we wanted to have done with Andrew and again enjoyed a bit of the St. Augustine town.
January 14-18, 2016 Using the long MLK holiday weekend, we returned to St. Augustine to bring some things to put aboard Owl Moon, check on work done by the Marine Center, and try to get a few DIY items done. We were looking forward to getting back aboard Owl Moon even though she was still on the hard and not going anywhere. Opening the companionway hatch and stepping below, we saw that most surfaces were covered by a layer of mildew! Spending the next 2 days cleaning had not been in our plans. Fortunately, most of the long weekend was sunny and dry weather, good for putting cleaned items on deck for some sun.
During this trip we purchased a new dinghy from Arnis Zvirbulis (www.fairwindsboatrepairs.com). He repairs dinghy's and we asked him to look at the deflated dinghy that had been included with our purchase of Owl Moon. He told us that, although he would like the work, the dinghy was not worth repairing. Since he is also a dealer for Walker Bay, we purchased a new Walker Bay Superlight 310...not in our budget, but now we have a reliable dinghy.
January 14-18, 2016 Using the long MLK holiday weekend, we returned to St. Augustine to bring some things to put aboard Owl Moon, check on work done by the Marine Center, and try to get a few DIY items done. We were looking forward to getting back aboard Owl Moon even though she was still on the hard and not going anywhere. Opening the companionway hatch and stepping below, we saw that most surfaces were covered by a layer of mildew! Spending the next 2 days cleaning had not been in our plans. Fortunately, most of the long weekend was sunny and dry weather, good for putting cleaned items on deck for some sun.
During this trip we purchased a new dinghy from Arnis Zvirbulis (www.fairwindsboatrepairs.com). He repairs dinghy's and we asked him to look at the deflated dinghy that had been included with our purchase of Owl Moon. He told us that, although he would like the work, the dinghy was not worth repairing. Since he is also a dealer for Walker Bay, we purchased a new Walker Bay Superlight 310...not in our budget, but now we have a reliable dinghy.
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| We worked with Charles Downing of St. Augustine Signs to design the boat graphic for Owl Moon and he put it on just before we left. He was great to work with...knew what he was doing with boat graphics. |
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