I could not
resist the urge to check this thing out personally.
So far, it still only existed electronically.
I
needed to see it in-the-flesh before I really believed it.
I gathered
up the Suspects during the first week of July and off we
went.
Since
Carnival was on at the same time, all LIAT flights into St. Vincent
were fully booked. We chartered a plane
from SVG Air (also owned by the Barefoot
group of companies). It was a real thrill to receive VIP treatment while en route
to sailing on my new boat for the first time.
The pilot, Doug Nichols, was aware of the purpose of our
trip and made sure we flew directly over the Blue Lagoon as we
approached St. Vincent.
I was in the co-pilot’s seat up front when he dipped
the right wing just to be sure I got a good view.
From five hundred feet, I could see my boat tied up to
Barefoot’s dock. She
glowed bright white in the late afternoon sun.
There are no words to describe the feeling of seeing it
for the first time, especially from the air.
A half-hour
later, I found myself aboard with an inaugural Rummer in hand.
I looked down and I’m pretty sure my feet were not
actually touching the floorboards.
It was as much a relief as a thrill to find that this
boat, which up until now only existed in cyberspace, was in fact
very real! It had been a long road to get to this point, and I was
grinning stupidly from ear to ear, as you might expect.
Preliminary
inspection revealed that the boat was in excellent condition!
It certainly exceeded my expectations, given that I was
prepared for considerable wear and tear from five years in
charter. Seth had done an
outstanding job as my agent, and certainly delivered an
outstanding boat.
We had a
little fun with the name Travel With Tin Tin. With
a little electrical tape, we let fellow cruisers know that
Master H'ors D'eourves Chef Tiny
was aboard. The boat name would later be
changed to The Usual Suspects, but that's another story.
Later that
week, while anchored on the Tobago Cays, we toasted the new boat
with a bottle of Mumm’s Champaign.
I assure you that bubbly went down smooth, given the
circumstances at hand.
Five years
earlier, purchasing the boat using the Internet would not have been
possible. It was instrumental in providing me vital information about
charter boats, the industry, and what was available. It
put me in touch with other people from all over the world who
had first-hand knowledge on the topic, where their opinions,
advice, and suggestions were all an integral part of my most
incredible journey. Boundaries and language barriers
disappeared. Ideas were shared. An understanding was
gained.
I never would have thought that
I would establish such a strong business relationship with a
small outfit located on a tiny island in a remote part of the
Caribbean, simply as a result of the exchange of Electronic Mail
messages. There is no question that Seth impressed me with
his vast knowledge of the business through his thorough and
accurate responses to the many annoying and tedious questions I
asked. I was impressed with the speed and efficiency he
demonstrated executing the various steps of the purchasing
process, all using the Internet. It showed me that we are
really emerging as one Global Village, and that this is the way
we can expect future business transactions to be conducted.
There simply is no going back
now.
Seth and I on board - mission accomplished!
* * *
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