After more than a year of false starts in our quest to buy a Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42 sailing catamaran the opportunity to buy a new boat presented itself at the end of September.
The original buyer ordered the boat 2 years ago and worked with the broker through the painstaking and time consuming process of choosing the options to spec the boat out. Then a few weeks before final payment was due, they decided they no longer wanted it.
Both the broker and original buyer were highly incentivized to find a replacement buyer or loose their commission and deposit respectively. Their chance of finding someone who could make an offer, sign contracts and pay both the deposit and final balance within 3 weeks was slim but….along came us!
Our decision to move forward had to happen fast so that we could start transferring money from USD to Euros to meet the payment deadline. We talked ourselves round in circles for a day, had a sleepless night and then concluded that getting a brand new boat at a deep discount didn’t need too much more thought, we’d be mad not to grab the opportunity.
With the boat due out of the factory within a matter of weeks we knew we’d have a lot to deal with but we had no idea just how involved, mentally taxing and exhausting the process would be. It’s not as simple as signing a contract, paying the money and taking ownership, there is so much more to buying a new boat than that. I will elaborate on the hoops we had to jump through in a future post, but for now the news is, it’s official…we are boat owners and in a few days we will finally set eyes on our dream boat, Dreams of Infinity.
Hello from 2019 FP Astrea Aimee. We just passed you south of Poros. we are based in Porto Heli. Graham and Julia Bailey
Hi Graham and Julia, thanks for making contact. We looked for you on Navily and NFL but couldn’t find you. We’re heading over to the Cyclades and will be back in the Porto Heli area in October, so maybe our paths will cross then. We’ll look out for you. Enjoy the rest of the season.
This is wonderful Toni. Things happen for a reason!
Amazing!
Your long awaited dream has finally come true! Your patience paid off and you will appreciate your beautiful adventure more because of it! Congrats guys we are so very happy for you and really hope we can connect and be boat buddies on the Med in 2024!
Congratulations and happy new year sailing! I look forward to hearing all about your wonderful adventures.
Congratulations.
Getting a brand new boat at a deep discount is really special for you.
Looking forward to seeing some pictures.
Can’t think of a better way to start the new year than launching this new life. I can’t wait to see and hear about your travels and experiences.
Fantastic job, well done both and happy sailing. It looks fabulous⛵️⛵️😍