Maerin
Guru
Time to move on. After cruising over 50,000 nm since 2008, we've swallowed the anchor. It was time. We're now full-time on our land yacht, a 40' Tiffin Phaeton we purchased in 2019.
Maerin was sold to a private buyer after a 7 month travail that started with discovery of delamination related to a 2008 allision that was repaired but caused undiscovered stress fractures in hawse pipe penetrations. Subsequent surveys did not find the condition, but the buyer's surveyor DID. A very bad stroke of chance, as we were completely blindsided by the revelation. An insurance claim with Markel was denied after they dallied for 7 months before submitting the disclaim letter. A maritime attorney reviewed the case and determined it would be costly and time consuming and our chances of prevailing were poor. We signed a release in the 2008 claim. So we took our lumps and parted with our beloved boat under terribly stressful conditions. Time to move on.
We've relocated our base of operations to a suburb of Dallas, and will have a permanent RV pad at our daughter's 14 acre home. We're looking forward to seeing parts of the US that aren't so accessible by water, and although we'll miss the cruising life and friends we've made over the years, we've never regretted choosing the cruising life. My advice to anyone who's considering it, is simple: DO IT. NOW!!!
We quit our jobs and I shut down my business in 2008 with a great deal of trepidation, not knowing what might come. Sold the house, cars. We were financially OK, but we needed to budget. We lived within our means and managed to see so much and meet so many wonderful folks. We've NEVER had a second's regret in making that choice. One piece of advice: don't pay to store your "stuff". Get rid of it or give it away. $10K in storage fees goes a long way to replacing stuff that you think you can't replace!
Perhaps we'll see some of you when we get near the coast, ya' just never know!
Cheers!
Steve & Barb Sipe
Molly & Joey
Solo 4303 "Maerin" (Sold)
Maerin was sold to a private buyer after a 7 month travail that started with discovery of delamination related to a 2008 allision that was repaired but caused undiscovered stress fractures in hawse pipe penetrations. Subsequent surveys did not find the condition, but the buyer's surveyor DID. A very bad stroke of chance, as we were completely blindsided by the revelation. An insurance claim with Markel was denied after they dallied for 7 months before submitting the disclaim letter. A maritime attorney reviewed the case and determined it would be costly and time consuming and our chances of prevailing were poor. We signed a release in the 2008 claim. So we took our lumps and parted with our beloved boat under terribly stressful conditions. Time to move on.
We've relocated our base of operations to a suburb of Dallas, and will have a permanent RV pad at our daughter's 14 acre home. We're looking forward to seeing parts of the US that aren't so accessible by water, and although we'll miss the cruising life and friends we've made over the years, we've never regretted choosing the cruising life. My advice to anyone who's considering it, is simple: DO IT. NOW!!!
We quit our jobs and I shut down my business in 2008 with a great deal of trepidation, not knowing what might come. Sold the house, cars. We were financially OK, but we needed to budget. We lived within our means and managed to see so much and meet so many wonderful folks. We've NEVER had a second's regret in making that choice. One piece of advice: don't pay to store your "stuff". Get rid of it or give it away. $10K in storage fees goes a long way to replacing stuff that you think you can't replace!
Perhaps we'll see some of you when we get near the coast, ya' just never know!
Cheers!
Steve & Barb Sipe
Molly & Joey
Solo 4303 "Maerin" (Sold)
