Acquisition
As one of the founding members and Governor of the Commander Club, it has been personally rewarding to watch this club grow from a mere 12-15 members to a whopping 500-member organization that spans the entire globe. Part of what makes this group so successful is the information shared on its email list (currently hosted through YahooGroups). As webmaster for this group, I keep a close watch on all the email traffic that flows in and out of this virtual clubhouse. One such message, dated March 17, 2004, read as follows:
"With summer approaching, I've been thinking hard about what makes sense for me. You all will recall that I have a 1968 Commander 42 DCMY. Structurally she's sound, mechanically she's turnkey, cosmetically she needs work. And when I am honest with myself, I must concede that (1) I don't have enough time to bring her back to where she belongs, and (2) she is too much boat for my occasional time on the water.
I'm not interested in wringing every last dollar out of her. I have two
ideas.
(1) SWAP: Is anyone on the list looking to move up to a 42 from a smaller
Commander? If yours is in good condition and needs little work, I'll swap
with you. I'm not worried about evening out the relative values with cash --
let's just shake hands and exchange boats.
(2) SALE: If somebody is in the market for a 42, make me an offer."
The message was signed by longtime CCCC member Sanders McNew. Sanders and I had met back in early 2002 very soon after my partner Jamie and I had purchased our 1968 31' Commander Express. McNew and his daughter, Maeve, paid me a visit down at the marina where I gave the grand tour of a completely gutted Commander recently purchased out of Pompano Beach, FLA, following the sale of my 1966 27' Commander.
McNew's March 17th email piqued my curiosity. I immediately wrote him back telling him I would love to consider a "swap", if he was serious. He wrote back and claimed sincerity, and asked if Jamie and I were serious. Once we both confirmed mutual sincerity in our responses to the original question, we began corresponding via email about the pro's and con's of our current vessels. My biggest hurdle at that point was convincing Jamie we needed to make this "swap" happen. I didn't think I would find a favorable response from my partner of ten years. Getting an affirmative response on moving forward with this deal from Jamie proved to be my easiest hurdle.
I asked Sanders for a few photos. He obliged, and sent along some photos he had taken when the boat was last on its mooring in 2002, in Stonington, Connecticut. She was indeed a beautiful vessel, and I immediately fell in love. Always fond of aft cabin cruisers, this boat was quickly becoming an obsession. Gathering information about the 42' Commander, getting details from Sanders, asking question after question; the excitement was growing and growing with each passing day.
Sanders, a busy New York attorney, was kind enough to oblige this obsession and was equally as intrigued over the 31' Commander Jamie and I were in the process of restoring/refurbishing. Having grown up in Portsmouth, Virginia (where Jamie and I live), Sanders decided to pay his mother (who still lives here) a visit on Easter weekend, and make a side visit to "kick the tires" on the 31'.
Jamie and I were a little nervous as we cleaned up the boat and got her "presentable", but figured we would show her pretty much "as is". Sanders met me on Saturday afternoon, and we had an incredibly enjoyable afternoon discussing our boats, the club, work, and all subjects in between. At the end of our meeting, Sanders concluded he felt the 31' would be the right boat for him, and we simply signed some legal documents to make the "swap" official. In the stroke of a pen, I was now the owner of a beautiful 42' Commander Double Cabin Motor Yacht, and he was the owner of a restored 31' Commander Express (both built in 1968).
I called my best friend, Lee Dahlen, to find out what method would work best in getting the 42' from Stonington, Connecticut to Norfolk, Virginia, and he began to work the numbers, with both of us mutually deciding that bringing the boat by water would ultimately be the least expensive method. So the work began on getting the 42', which had sat up on the hard for over 18 months, ready for not only her initial sea trial, but a sea trial that would last four days, and take us 550 nautical miles. Was she up for the task? Find out on the
"JOURNEY" page.