Getting Jim & Ann's Tamure ready to move

November 8-9, 2015

On Sunday, November 8, Jim & Ann flew into the Charlotte County Airport in Punta Gorda, FL.  They picked up their rental car at the airport and then came to the marina to pick us up so that we could help them get their boat, Tamure, ready for the trip from Ft Lauderdale to Ft Myers.  Rob had been gathering items that he thought we might need on Jim’s boat since Jim & Ann had not had a chance to do much on it yet.  As is typical with most used boat purchases, the previous owner had not left much on the boat aside from some kitchenware.  There were also sheets for the beds and some towels, but we’re not sure if they were left on the boat or if the broker had provided them.  Jim had flown down for the survey and then again to make arrangements for some work to be done, but he had been busy at work so couldn’t take too much time off.  Tamure had been parked at the dock at the broker’s home since she had also been overseeing some work that Jim had wanted done before he moved the boat to Ft Myers.

Even though they had rented a small SUV, we didn’t have enough room for everything that Rob & I had set out to take.  Since we planned to come back to pick up the delivery captain, our new friend, Ray Newcomb of Second Noelle, on Tuesday morning, we took as much as we could, figuring we could get the rest then.  It’s only a 2.5 hr drive from Ft Myers to Ft Lauderdale, but since their flight had gotten in mid-afternoon, it was fairly late by the time we arrived at the broker’s house.  Thank goodness the air conditioning on the boat was working since it had been unseasonably hot for this time of year.

Captain Ray had given us a list of things that he always made sure were on boats he was hired to move, as well as a boat system checklist.  Rob & Jim went through some of the systems with Will, the broker’s employee who had been working on the boat, on Sunday night and Monday morning.  There were still a couple of things that needed to be done, but Will assured us that he would get them done before we left on Tuesday.

After they were done on Monday morning, we set out to provision the boat with essential items that we would need for the move.  The main things we needed were docking lines and fenders since there were only a couple of each already on Tamure. 

First, we went to Sailorman, a marine supply store which has both new and used parts and equipment.  Rob & Jim had gone there when they were in Ft Lauderdale for the survey, so Rob was excited to go back.  Previously he had found our sturdy boarding ladder and a backup Fortress anchor for good prices.  Since our boat is a 1965 model, some replacement parts are hard to find and going to a place like Sailorman can be like a treasure hunt.  We also wanted some big round fenders to help protect our ladder while docked as we currently had 6 fenders rigged up to do the job.  On our trip down the river system, we had seen from observing other boats that they were also handy when going through locks.  We found 2 used ones for $35 each; new ones of the same size would have been around $140 each!  Jim bought 2 fenders and 2 lines new, because he wanted a certain color and he wanted them to match.  Just remember that if you shop there, they will bargain with you, especially if you are buying multiple items.

A marine bargain-hunter's dream

Our rigged up fender system to protect our ladder from the dock

Next, we went to West Marine Ft Lauderdale, which has to be one of the largest stores of the chain.  Rob & Jim were almost salivating!  We looked at almost everything in the store, I think, and Jim bought a couple more lines.  Then we went back to the boat to drop off our purchases and Sasha.  She went with us because they bug-bombed the boat due to ants, and she could go in with us at Sailorman and West Marine.  We still had to go Walmart for groceries for the trip, so not only did we need to drop Sasha off since she couldn’t go in there, but we also had to make room in the car.

Ft Lauderdale West Marine

Sasha relaxing on the back deck of Tamure

Too soon it seemed, the day was almost over and it was time to Rob & I to go back to Ft Myers.  We had decided that it would be easier to go back Monday evening, stay on our boat, and then pick up Ray early the next morning rather to get up extremely early Tuesday morning and do all the driving at once.