I've been a patient man, putting off until the time is right, the stars are in alignment and all the omens are correct the buying of a solid, ocean-capable boat. The recent past has reinforced for me some hard life-lessons, previously learned but conveniently sublimated. There are no guarantees in this life. Death awaits us all, some much sooner than others, and the delay of a dream by so much as a single day risks all.

It was with a heady mixture of dread and relief that I took the enormous step of purchasing the vehicle of my future, SV/Mandisa. She is a beautiful thing, a 1984 Baba 30, tenderly cared for by her previous owners, and I hope to be worthy of her custodianship. (Like all the really good Robert Perry designs, (heh heh) she is a double-ender with a modified full keel, and I'm actually considering pulling her diesel engine to allow her to more comfortably rest in her native salt water. A worthy topic of debate, but outside the scope of this writing.)

We none of us have any real clue what our futures hold. We can plan, we can anticipate, we can take prudent measures to insure favorable outcomes should disaster fail to befall us, but in the end our time here is fleeting and should not be wasted.