Drum roll.....Yes, We Have a CATAMARAN!!!!!!!!!!

I guess you have noticed that I haven't mentioned anything about our catamaran buying activities.  Well, since we were in negotiation, and things can be a little complicated, we decided not to mention anything about a boat, until the negotiation was complete!  Plus my broker, Gary, threaten me if I blogged anything before it was finalized :)!  Gary, thanks for keeping us safe!!!!  

 

So, if you remember, we had originally been negotiating on a catamaran in Belize, a Leopard 40, owners model.  Well, when we couldn't come to terms, I found the Lagoon 380 in the Bahamas.  Well, after rejecting the Lagoon, I was able to look at a couple of Leopards while I was in the Bahamas.  After looking at the Leopards, I knew that this was the boat that we wanted!  We then offered on several 2008 models that were being sold, but missed out.  We had also made a backup offer on the original Leopard 40 in Belize, if the first buyer decided to back out.  Well, it turns out that our back up offer was accepted, as the original buyer decided he wanted a newer boat. 

Our 2009 Leopard 40 Owners Model

Gary traveled to Rio Dulce, Guatemala, where the boat was getting surveyed and refit.  The boat was in excellent shape, except for some keel damage.  The damage was completely fixed during the refit!  Gary videoed the survey, so if you have time you can see the boat inside and out!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&v=fos7FnQoaQk

The Moorings has agreed to fix our list of items during their refit, so we should have a catamaran ready to start cruising. 

 

We should close in the first week or so of August!  My mother and I will travel down to Belize and enjoy the country down there until after hurricane season.  There are some great reefs there, and we should be able to snorkel and dive and enjoy time on the boat.  We will have to watch out for hurricanes, as Belize can sometimes get them.  I understand that the Moorings new marina is 'huricane proof', so we will have a plan if one comes our way.  We then plan on sailing up the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and then to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  We will then do a refit for cruising, and head over to the Bahamas for the start of the 2014 cruising season. 

 

Caper sitting on a mooring



Caper, soon to be renamed MokaKat!