FAMILY EMBARKS ON NEW ADVENTURE
July 09 2014
Luke Brown Yachts (LBY) recently completed a transaction for the purchase of a powerboat for the Wells Family, from Tennessee.
Let us introduce you to the Wells family. The Well’s family has nine children, with four still living at home. All these children have been home schooled and I have never seen more, well mannered, polite and fun bunch of kids.
Luke Brown Yachts (LBY) recently completed a transaction for the purchase of a powerboat for the Wells Family, from Tennessee. Let us introduce you to the Wells family. The Well’s family has nine children, with four still living at home. All these children have been home schooled and I have never seen more, well mannered, polite and fun bunch of kids.
The father called us in the summer of 2013, and told us of his family’s dream to embark on a new adventure. They had previously bought a RV and did extensive traveling around N. America. Now they wanted to buy a boat and live on board for several years and do some traveling. They had no prior knowledge of the sea. They were selling their home and their wish was to purchase & move on board.
Keep in mind that they did not know the proper way to cleat a line; wash down a boat; change fluids in an engine room; navigate; dock a boat ; maintain a boat or its systems; nor work within the confines of a vessel while having 6 people live in much tighter quarters than ever experienced.
After discussing many model options in boats, they received an offer on their home, sold it and the game was on.
In the late winter of 2014, the search for the right boat had begun. Of course they had some ideas, but no real knowledge of the yacht market. The Mom called and said she would be in Florida and wanted to get on board a boat or two and get “a feel” for the layouts of various kinds of boats. They had a solid idea of what they wanted and it was a realistic plan because it depicted “how they would use and live on the boat”. (Always the most important identification of how to choose the right boat).
The boat market was not kind to them. After several inspections and offers, it became apparent that, within their budget, the sellers of the older boats that they liked, were not willing to negotiate, although the offers were quite complementary.
Therefore, we switched gears and decided to go after a different design and newer generation of boats.
We chose a Novatec 55 Sundeck motoryacht with cockpit. (Cockpits are a must for family usage and having kids that love the water). They did purchase a good boat and the Closing went well.
Within days, they traveled to the boat on the east coast of Florida, where we hired a captain to begin the training, working on the punch list provided from the survey, and got them acclimated to their new boat and dockside lifestyle. They attacked this goal with a deliberate aggressiveness. The Mom, who is superbly adept at organization, home schooling, discipline and keeping an even-keel on both responsibility and having fun, took hold and created an environment of crew cooperation. The Father simply said, “ she’s got it under control, so just go with the flow”.
The Wells have now learned in a few months what every insurance company wants their customers to know. They have moved the boat, with a Captain, to the west coast of Florida. Lived in a marina for several weeks, participated in full crew-like living activities, and then crossed the Gulf, went inland and took the ride up the rivers and inland waterways, to Tennessee.
A new Captain did the trip inland and was a great mentor to all on board. All members shared duties and responsibilities and they are now berthed in their home port, enjoying their new lifestyle and eager to embark on more distant horizons.
The Wells have learned to read the tides, communicate with bridges and locks, have learned their engine room better than most, how to provision their boat (home) without cramming it with unnecessary stuff. They have learned to use their boat in a ship-like manner and whenever visited, I am impressed with their organization and tidiness. The father has gotten a grip on docking and his wife has become an excellent back-up captain.
Today, the home schooling goes on and their boat is shiny and standing tall. Their knowledge has grown at a rapid rate and all in all, this is a complete success story.
Their youngest son, with his infectious smile, has learned to hoist and lower the ensign according to proper flag etiquette. He has also learned from accommodating dock neighbors, how to catch fish and is therefore supplying his family with local sustenance. He recently told me, “I love my boat”.
The American dream is being lived by the Wells. Furthermore, their ability and drive to practice good seamanship in all endeavors are a classic example of why we all do what we do. They are mastering the Inland Rules of the Road and aspire to continuing to learn the International Rules, as they plan for their trips across the Gulfstream and to the Bahamas, next winter. May the seas be kind and the winds be fair as they continue on their journey.
Alan Bernard
Luke Brown Yachts
