Selling the 'Mary Jo'

[Vic K]

Due to a negative turn in my physical condition I'm having to sell my Albin 27 'Mary Jo'. Being 77 years old doesn't help much either. I was hoping that I would be able to cruise her but someone else will have to do that in my stead. I thought I would mention it here before putting her on the outside media. She's been in the water for 17 months. As of today all she needs is food and a ready crew. If you know anyone interested contact me via PM.

[Beta Don]

Sorry to hear this Vic, but I understand where you're coming from. We're actively looking for our next boat and I'd bet a good number of those out there on the market are listed due to 'changes in the owners health' - We drove to St Pete last Wednesday to look at a boat which is for sale because the owner is having surgery and had to give up their plans of doing the loop - Unlike your boat, theirs is far from being ready to cruise

Here's hoping you find a new owner who will appreciate all the time and hard work you put into her!

Curious as to your asking price??

Don

[Vic K]

Do a PM and I'll give you all the setails

[JT48348]

Bummer! That aft enclosure is a sweet mod

[rnummi]

Concur with JT... One fantastic modification. Sorry to hear about you circumstance. As an aside, does it seem like that's happening more and more? The restoration seems like the climb up Mt. Everest. Once it's done you've reached the top...actually proceeding is.... I guess what I'm trying to say is the journey to completion is it's own reward. Someone will be getting a fabulous boat and hopefully will appreciate all the blood seat and tears that went into her rebirth. The gratification will always be the notes you've made on AOG for all the rest of us following in your footsteps and the note on AOG stating "That's CaptVic's Boat".

Good Luck, fair winds and following seas.

[Beta Don]

The restoration seems like the climb up Mt. Everest. Once it's done you've reached the top...actually proceeding is.... I guess what I'm trying to say is the journey to completion is it's own reward. Someone will be getting a fabulous boat and hopefully will appreciate all the blood seat and tears that went into her rebirth.

On a cruise several years ago, we met an elderly couple in Panama City who had come down the rivers from their home in Minnesota on a beautiful wooden 36' sailboat that the man had built himself - Every stick, plank and screw. Beautiful boat on the outside . . . . kind of a 1950's look - Something maybe Clark Gable would have sailed. Gorgeous cabinet work on the inside - Even had a hollow, hand made wooden mast. He sheathed the outside in glass and epoxy to make it more maintenance free. Fabulous paint job! It looked like a hundred grand from one end to the other

He had started the project when he retired about 15 years before and ended up building a barn around it early on so he could work on it in the winter too. The local small town newspaper came by, took photos and did a write-up on it every few years - He had several scrapbooks full of photos and articles. Everyone who came aboard was invited to sign the mast with a felt tip pen they kept just for that purpose

Anyway, they had come down the rivers to Panama City where they hired a local yard to step the mast. They had dreamed for years of sailing her to the Keys . . . . but he thought it would be a 5 year or so project to build her and it ended up taking 15 and by the time we met them, I would guess they were both in their middle 70's. The boat was outfitted with wind vane steering for off-shore work, but they had to manually hoist the dink aboard with a halyard and winch - Quite a chore for them, but she never complained

We ran into them off and on as we made our way toward Apalachicola and when the weather cleared, several of us did the overnight Gulf crossing with them to Tarpon Springs. It seemed pretty obvious to many of us that by the time we made Tarpon Springs, neither he nor his wife were having much fun sailing the boat - They loved the people they met, having new folks come aboard, sign the mast and admire his craftsmanship and dedication, but arthritis and other ailments made it hard for them to sail her, even in the best of conditions

They made it as far as Sarasota where they put the boat up for sale and headed back home to Minnesota. It seemed kinda tragic in a way to those of us traveling with them, but in the end, they were very happy to head home - The 15 year dream to sail the Keys was very secondary to the project of building the boat. Somebody wound up with a beautiful boat . . . . I suspect for about 10 cents on the dollar for the time and money he had put into her

Don

[Nancy]

That does seem like a bittersweet story, Don. Lovely boat.

[Northern Spy]

Try hanging out in Oriental N.C. it where all the old cruisers seem to wash up. Some of them actually went out and lived the dream others only got as far as the dock and haven't untied a line since they found their slip. I have noticed that in my advanced age (I'm 40ish) it gets harder and harder for me to get out there every year. My wife likes the security of being tied to something she can walk on and my kids get bored with cruising at 6kn in what seems like minutes.

Cap'n Vic, you have a beautiful boat. Maybe you could find a younger couple that enjoy cruising and live vicariously through them. Good luck!

[Vic K]

Fortunately we were able to cruise quite a bit when we were younger. The Albin was my 'old guys' project and was meant to only run up and down the ICW maybe from Texas to Florida but things are as they are I have no complaints. My hope is that she boat will go to someone that will use it like. I spent the night aboard last night and found out that the AC works like a champ in this 94 plus heat. Since 'Mary Jo' has a 'fishing deck' she needed fishing chairs so I designed and built some. If I could figure how to post more than one photo at a time I'd put the photos up.

Vic

[Vic K]

The 'Mary Jo' sold today to a very nice and I might say, engertgtic , young couple. She will be hauled to the Chesapeake where I believe she will do quite well.
I want to express my appreciation to all the Albineers on this site that added valuable information and at times, sound guidance during the redo of
the 'Mary Jo'. I'll still be sticking my nose into this site in the future, so this is not a farewell but a simple change in status from a doer to an observer.
Vic

[Sprig1]

Hi Vic now you can come be a doer on my boat with all your free time. Keep in touch. Congratulations on the sale.

[Vic K]

Chris,
My wife suggested that I load up my tool bag in the old Nissan Frontier and make the rounds of all the Albin 27's being rebuilt. I can give a hand and suggestions until the owner runs me off then go to the next location. Or I can do what I did when I sold our motorsailer.

[Sprig1]

Did the sign work. I was once going across the George Washington bridge in NYC and the traffic was stopped. There was a guy with a sign that said homeless. I gave him some change and we got talking I said you make more money then me. He said park the car and join me I have an extra sign for you. Alway get a chuckle out of that when I think of it.
I think it's more like you run off then are run off

[rnummi]

I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that there is a call for an Albin Palladin. "Have wrench will travel". When you swing your pickup through Florida, let me know. There is an Alvin 27 FC picking on an owner in St. Petersburg and he needs your help to bring justice to the land.