Serendipity

Serendipity

Thursday 20th May 2021

This morning Lynn and Lee’s boat “Serendipity” arrived on a trailer from Florida. It seems amazing that you can transport a 38-foot sailboat, that probably weighs close to 20,000 pounds, 750 miles by road. The trailer actually looked like it could handle a much bigger boat. I chatted to the driver and he said the trip went fine and the only difficulty was turning on to the Rappahannock Bridge because the angle was quite acute. It was impressive to see the boatyard staff here at Yankee Point Marina work to get “Serendipity” off the trailer, onto the boat-lift and then securely set down onto stands on the ground. When we mentioned how impressed we were the staff simply responded that they had done this process a few times before!

Lynn and Lee have a few more nights staying at their AirBnB and will then move aboard the boat whilst she is still on the hard. They will continue to work on the remaining boat jobs and once a marine survey has been completed, which might be the rate-limiting step, “Serendipity” will be re-launched and put on a dock. Lynn and Lee plan to stay here throughout the summer until October and then potentially sell the boat. It’s been seven years since “Serendipity” was last in the water and she suffered some water damage due to a combination of vandalism (theft of winches from the deck) and storms whilst she was at Green Cove Springs in Florida. However, Lynn and Lee have done a fantastic job restoring the boat and she now looks terrific. One of their final jobs is drive back to New York City and pick up all the cabinet doors for inside the boat that they previously took back to their apartment in Manhattan to be stripped re-varnished. If they do end up selling “Serendipity” someone is going to get a really beautiful boat. 

Yankee Point Marina itself seems very pleasant. It’s a beautiful setting and everyone that we have met has been super friendly. Whilst somewhat remote Lynn and Lee have their own car so they will be able to get around quite easily. Tomorrow we plan to have a day out in the aforementioned car!

Mike

37 41.581 N, 76 29.393 W

Serendipity on the trailer - using a backhoe to lift the mast. At some later date a crane will be needed to raise and fit the mast.

Serendipity in slings on the travel-lift and carried backwards off the trailer

Serendipity moving through the boatyard on the travel lift

Serendipity supported by stands and the slings being removed

Barn swallow - Yankee Point Marina

House Finch - Yankee Point Marina

Our neighbors on "Moonbeam" have blue lights up their mast which they put on briefly so they can se their way back on to the boat (Cotinga is on the left)