Origins (Part 1)
I had been looking for a boat for years, even before meeting Beth. Back then, I was a bachelor working in finance and wanted a boat big enough to live on, possibly year-round. I'd come across a bigger Jeanneau Sun Odyssey (46' or 47') and had even put an offer down, but that deal fell through at the start of covid. It was frustrating at the time, but it has obviously turned out for the best.
Over the next few years, Beth and I refined and circulated our business plan, talking about boat-based weddings with all of her amazing contacts in Niagara. With my sailing history and love of boats, and Beth's incredible photography and marketing skills (and her impressive rolodex of names in the industry), we seemed well situated to at least take a shot at this thing. Wedding planners salivated at the idea, promising to book us up for years to come (where you at, Brit?!). Keep in mind that this was in the middle of covid and you couldn't book a venue or have a big party; everyone was having small weddings, and the idea of a unique experience, getting married with your pod on the bow of a boat, seemed perfect.
I tapered off my work in finance while ramping up our boat search. I'd spend hours a day boat shopping, researching models, talking to brokers and owners, doing more research, investigating travel and delivery expenses, mulling whether I'd be willing to travel 1,000 km to get a boat... 2,000 km? Across the Atlantic? ... Boat shopping is, frankly, usually a buyers' market, though covid had affected that (more in the small boat market than what we were shopping for, though it did change the standard dynamic). I knew what I wanted for the boat and Beth advised me on what we would need for the business. Finding that combination of qualities wasn't too much of a stretch - we just needed a big, strong boat with a good pedigree, and those aren't uncommon - the problem was budget. At first, our budget was medium high - I was making good money at the time ha - but that budget dwindled as our household income got tighter. Beth trusted me with most of that decision (the amount we'd be willing to spend) because it seemed like a black box to her. After all, the sticker price you see online is rarely what you'll end up paying for a boat, and then after you buy it, you're going to want to spend a lot more fixing it up.
I waffled hard, once, effectively cutting our budget in half. That basically invalidated all my previous research, changing the parameters of what we were searching for. We played around with the business model to see if a smaller boat (say, something in the 32'-36' range) would work. It kiiinnndddaaa did, but it started to look more like a hobby job than a real job - so why was I leaving finance? Anyway, that was a stressful month for both of us. Didn't help that it was either January or February, dark and cold and bleak and hard to get motivated by the romance and excitement of living and working our dream out on the water.