Dec 02 2006
Not Feeling the Magic
Jason’s constant monitoring of Yacht World and Alexis’ dilligence results in another find, a 1996 Norseman-Voyage 43 named Magic, also in St. Martin. She’s lovely, she’s got pretty much everything we’re looking for. Jason had fallen in love with the Norseman floorplan (as had I; galley-up and nav up are hard to find in most Cat plans, they tend to have one or the other down, in order to create more salon space.) Alexis, to his eternal credit, practically kills himself putting together the offer for this boat. He’s on the phone to the owner constantly, he’s coordinating faxes, keeping us informed… all while also working the Salon Nautique de Paris. So this is a deal across quite a few timezones. I am in awe of his endurance, and also his ability to improvise on the fly. Phil later tells me that negotiating email, phone, and fax access from within the show was pretty problematic, but Alexis was committed enough to this sale that he kept at it.
…only to have the owner, at the last possible moment, sell the boat out from under us, despite having a signed, valid offer from us in hand.
Alexis, bless his heart, called and emailed us, his shock at this turn of events clear. We weren’t very happy; this tale was beginning to sound more like Pirates of the Caribbean all the time. But for all our work, and hopes, the boat was gone.
Alexis later told us that he’d never heard such streams of opprobrium out of Phil. I only wish I’d had a tape…
So, another option crashes and burns. This boatbuying gig is sure not for the faint of heart.