First time posting, wanted to pass on the experience we are having getting our little 27 island packet back up and ready for sailing. We found and purchased her last July from a machinist and his wife on the western shore of Maryland. They took excellent care of her, we brought her to Gratitude on the day of the purchase and had the last few small items taken care of. My wife and I had the trip of a lifetime ( so far) sailing her up the chesapeke thru the C&D, stopping in Cape May, Longport, Barnaget, and Brielle before tying up to our mooring in Staten Island. Had a wonderful summer sailing in NYC, ocean sailing, up the Hudson to the top of manhattan, sandy hook, the highlands...really lots of fun. Enter the superstorm.....Great Kills was annailated. Boats were thrown up on shore and up streets, landing on cars and in houses. Restaurants and businesses completely destroyed, yacht clubs flooded to the tops of the doors on the first floor, and the boats were everywhere. We had scheduled with a local marina to haul and block our boat long before the storm was on it's way, so we were in what was the highest point in the paved boatyard. Hauled on the Friday before the storms Sunday arrival, I went back to PA satisfied we did what could be done.
When I got back to Great Kills on the Friday after the storm, I found our little boat in a pile of 25 or 30 boats...could tell by her masthead. When enough boats had been dragged away and I could see her, she was wedged between two much larger boats. But she stood upright on that flat bottomed long keel, and I thought she might have come out of this ok. After a week our boat was on stands having been reblocked. I could now, legally, get a close look at her. Got inside, looked around the outside, and was amazed. There is lots of cosmetic work, missing gelcoat, bent rails, torn up teak. Not a drop of water inside. Started the engine and ran the antifreeze I brought with me thru, and cleaned her up a bit. Why the long paragraph about all this? I wanted to express to the folks here how happy I am with a boat that is 24 years old, thrown 75 yards across a paved parking lot, buried in the middle of a dog pile of boats, and so far the damage seems to be repairable. I will confess to being a little put out this past summer when fighting an outgoing tide in an attempt to tack into headwinds under the Verrazano bridge, and seeing larger, faster boats accomplish this with less tacks. Now I just smile thinking how well cared for I was, and how the little bit of speed, and the slightly larger bit of pointing ability really are the price of compromise I pay to have a well built, strong boat. I bought the boat in July but think I fell in love with her in december.
Anyway if anyone is interested, I will post the repair progress as it develops. We had great service at Gratitude once before, so the boat is on it's way to John in the yard there, via road transport, this week. I am happy to have this little lady instead of another lesser quality boat, and am looking forward to more summers like the last one.
