CalSailors, the next generation

[rcvesselstyn]

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A little bit ago I received this text from my son and JD.

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I had mentioned to him 2 days before that I happened to come across what looked like a good deal. A 1974 Cal 25. When I had first seen the listing they were asking $5,000. It had dropped to 3,500. The next time I saw the ad the price was $750.
My son mentioned it to JD and the next thing I knew I was receiving a text saying she was unable to reach the seller, but wait, the seller called back. He would be at the boat at 9:00 a.m. the next day to show interested parties.
The next morning at 8:30 I received a call from my son. He was asking for any advice about the boat's potential problems. I could hear JD in the background. She had a severe case of boat fever. We have all been there. I knew in her mind she had already bought that boat. I received the text just a little bit later.

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My son called and asked if we could come down the following weekend for the maiden voyage. By this time I had caught a bad case of boat fever also. It was so severe the mate was laughing at me. That weekend we arrived down in San Diego and had lunch in the cockpit. I did a short one hour review of the boat just to make sure there were no safety issues. I found a teak interior, a big plus. The thru hulls looked good with the two head thru hulls removed and glassed over. The main bulkhead mast support had been redone. A thick aluminum plate and extra teak supports port and starboard, and fore and aft had been added.

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The outboard mount had been redone with a stainless steel reinforcing plate. On the plate a near new 6 horse Yamaha 4 stroke.
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We headed out of the harbor.
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It seems like we always see dolphins when JD's aboard, just like the mate.
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I continued to check out the boat as we were sailing. The sails themselves were in great shape, just a little bit dirty. The 110 jib was so new the bronze snap hanks were still shiny. Also it had a 150 genoa, a 150 drifter, and a spinnaker with all the gear to fly it. There were a few frayed lines and a couple of blocks that needed replacing.

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We had a beautiful afternoon sail. The boat was lively and handled well. What a treat to have decent sails.
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We headed back in as the sun was setting. Made a perfect landing at the slip. It was a really wonderful day.
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But wait, there's more! They're going to have a baby!
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It was too much for me. The boat, the beautiful day, the Baby... tears were streaming down my face... in a good way.
Life's Adventure Continues.
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[pbnelson]

Wow! A grandchild on the way, and a son who sails. Congratulations, Dad, you won the game of life.

[Mary Mac]

Wow, what an amazing day! Life coming full circle. The looks on their faces say it all. Looks like boat fever runs in the family! Congrats!