The following is an overview that tells how we got to where we are today!

Our quest to buy a boat began in 1999 when we got married and we've experienced many twists and turns.  We bought a 30' Sabre the month before we got married and enjoyed using her on the Great Lakes; but we wanted to explore and travel more.  So..o..o we started looking at boats we could live on and cruise. 

The first stop was researching trawlers as we didn't want to always be out in the weather. We were particularly partial to full-displacement vessels like Nordhavns and Kadey-Krogens.  This took two years, several boat shows and many hours on Yachtworld.com.  However, we were faced with a quandary.  We really liked the quietness and the environmentally friendly aspects of sailing, so dependence on a diesel engine was something we struggled with. 

As luck would have it, we were wandering through the public marina in Marquette, Michigan in July 2002 and saw a boat that caught our eye - a pilothouse motorsailor - the best of both worlds!  We went back to look at her again and hopefully talk with her owners, but she was gone.  However, that chance sighting gave new direction to our search.

Dorothy searched for motorsailors on Yachtworld.com, pointing us to Hans Christian boats.  Luck was in our corner as two HC44's were listed, both in California.  After several conversations with Don Ross of Heritage Yachts, Inc.; a videotaped tour of both boats; financial considerations; and more conversations, we decided to fly to California during Dorothy's Thanksgiving break from school.  Wand'rin Star immediately enchanted us.  She has excellent craftsmanship, sturdy construction, a great layout, sails (!), and felt like home almost immediately.  Negotiations began and we had a signed purchase agreement before returning to Michigan. 

Winter break in December gave us the opportunity to go back to California to consummate the sale and take possession of Wand'rin Star .  It was wonderful to be able to spend New Year's Eve 2002 on our new home! 

The next eight months passed quickly as we sorted, sold, and stored possessions; sold our house, retired from jobs, and moved west to begin our new cruising life. Wand'rin Star was now berthed in Chula Vista, CA (south of San Diego) and we spent nine months getting her ready to head up the west coast to the Inside Passage of Alaska, our first major destination.

Dorothy, Gary & Murray the cat

© Copyright 2004
Last updated on January 15, 2005