19th Oct 2012

Having sold my last boat (Dansa) in May I was on the lookout for a new one. For a while I had been undecided about buying another boat but the lure of the sea and sailing was too strong.  It had to be the right boat of course, not too big, not too small and I had, in the course of a few years sailing, drawn up  a list of desirable features, which resulted in a shortlist of boat types.  For various reasons that list had been whittled down to two and then ultimately to a Vancouver. So the boat search began.

After  viewing a few other Vancouvers,  I spotted Sea Bear for sale and as soon as I viewed it thought “This is the boat for me”. So I  put in an offer, had a survey done and come to an agreement with the owner over the price.

Then it was the big day, I met the owner Michael and he showed me over the boat and showed me where things were and the operation of things. This included lighting the Dickinson Stove. As it was a damp and drear day this was appreciated and the cabin was soon snug and warm.

Paperwork all completed and Sea Bear was mine. Later I walked to “The Jolly Sailor” for beer and a meal, returning later to spend my first night on the boat.

Sea Bear at Swanwick