In addition to being my auto mechanic, Allen Darr runs an RV and boat storage operation on the side. He took this boat in for storage almost two years ago. Long story short, the owner paid for one month, then vanished. After countless phone calls, a certified letter and a public auction, I took ownership of "MoonTan II", as she's now called, with a high bid of $430. My wife, Suzy, has suggested that since my cost of acquiring the boat was "virtually nothing", we ought to re-christen it "Free Boat". After nearly 25 years of marriage, I know better than to argue.

I also know that every day I own the boat, its actual cost will gradually increase from "virtually nothing" to an amount even I can't imagine, and I'm not about to spoil the fun by bringing that up. So, "Free Boat" she shall be... but not until she's ship-shape and ready for launch. That's our bargain.

Also, there's the matter of a plaque that was mysteriously left on board which reads:

The opinions expressed
by the "Captain" of this
vessel are not necessarily
those of the "Management".

It seems to be some sort of ominous message from the mates of owners past, confirming the wisdom of my decision to accede to the re-christening, while at the same time informing me of the proper way to handle all such matters in the future.

As for my sailing credentials, I've never owned a boat before, not even a raft, although in my youth, my kid brother and I once set sail on the Erie Canal in a wooden shipping crate, which promptly sank. I've since had better luck with rented and borrowed vessels, up to and including a 19-foot MacGregor. I used to work with the Feds, and one year they sent me to Balboa Island near Newport Beach, California, to attend a three-day seminar on a subject about which I already knew everything I needed to know. Although I felt obliged to attend the sessions, no one had instructed me to pay attention, so I secured a seat as far from the presenters and as close to the floor-to-ceiling windows as possible and spent three glorious days in this fabulous hotel staring out at the sparkling expanse of Balboa Harbor below, absolutely hypnotized by the comings and goings of literally hundreds of colorful, graceful sailing craft.

Two careers later, I celebrate my freedom by reminding myself that at one time I had to please everyone except myself, and now after 22 years of being happily self-employed, it's just me, Suzy and our creditors, and it seems we all have learned to live with each others' peculiarities.

The search also yielded a number of very informative (and surprisingly responsive) discussion groups, or bulletin boards, with their primary topics of discussion being all things having to do with sailing. The Wooden Boat Forum seems to be a place where designers hang out - very high-brow stuff - and even though primarily geared toward boats made of wood (duh!), my inquiries were not rebuffed. Not so much can be said for the Day Sailor Class discussion group. These folks eat, sleep and discuss only O'Days. Another informative site is the Pocket Cruisers Forum. Although the only feedback I received was negative, the site does seem to have several very knowledgeable regulars who aren't shy about sharing opinions and suggestions... or about trying to convince you to buy whatever they are trying to sell.

Two other discussion group sites I ran across that were devoted to sailing but seemed to be "low energy" sites with few daily visitors were one run by Tom McNaughton of The McNaughton Group, and a boating site out of New Zealand that also seemed to suffer from minimal use. Maybe Tom and the New Zealanders actually spend their time sailing rather than talking about it?

I did find one bulletin board, however, that met or exceeded all my expectations when I set out to find a place where knowledgeable sailors exchanged everything from tips and advice to salty tales of adventure on the high seas. Maybe it was because the discussions on the Trailer Sailor's Sea of Cortez forum center around an area that's not only near and dear to my heart, but also geographically near to my home in Strawberry, Arizona, or maybe it was simply because my inquiry on that board generated more meaningful responses than any other, both on-line and by private eMail. It was from a Cortez poster that I finally got a lead on the only web site I've found to date that contains information, images and references to the documentation I was looking for, a page apparently maintained by AMI Yatchs.

The AMI connection then lead to a number of people who actually own and sail Reinells. The kindness, the frank and open advice, and the general all-around supportive comments I received from these folks ultimately gave me the encouragement I needed to bite the bullet and buy the boat, figuring if I got in over my head and couldn't get the help I needed, at least I'd have someone to blame it on.

One of the most inspiring things I received was this picture of the "Betty J", a beautiful 22 berthed somewhere in sunny Florida. All things being equal, I see no reason at all why "Free Boat" and I shouldn't aspire to similar if not greater heights.