A great distraction to remove ourselves from being glued to the weather channel the last week was meeting Mike and Nicole. we got to meet with Mike and Nicole of the “Wanderer” which is the sister ship to DreamChaser. It also happens to be one of the boats used in the Captain Ron movie. They stopped by and we got to spend time with them which was wonderful !!
Years ago, Deb and put an offer in on the Wanderer. It was for sale in the Kemah Boardwalk Marina and we were smitten, to say the least. Deb and I have always loved Bill Garden designed boats but we werenowhere close to having the money for the asking price. So we pitched out a low offer thinking if they accepted it, we would figure something out. They didn’t and as Garth Brooks says in his song, “Thank God for unanswered prayers.” Not because she isn’t a great boat with a super history, but because it was beyond my skill set at that time in 2009.
To show how serious we were, I recalled having posted pictures on Facebook back then so sure enough, I found the photo album dated September 27, 2009. Here is a link to the pictures we took when on the boat checking it out and preparing an offer.
Fast forward a while, we end up buying the 
Gulfstar and doing a refit. Our skills and confidence in boat work increased and we kept an eye out for Wanderer or others like her. We then saw it in a local yard, then at a Marina. You could tell someone was doing work on her and making slow progress as a large project like requires.
When Deb found DreamChaser, I reached back out to Mike (The owner of Wanderer) for some advice, guidance and gotcha’s to look out for. He was so helpful, sharing details of what we should watch out for and some of the work he had to do on his. Armed with knowledge, we made an offer for DreamChaser that was accepted. And you know most of the rest, we have been actively (well sometimes actively) refitting her, creating blog articles detailing the work and youtube videos on the type of work we are doing and how we are going about it.
Then this weekend in the midst of 24/7 Hurricane Irma zombie eyed addiction, I got a text that said it was from Mike. He said that He and Nicole would be coming right through my area and wanted to know if they could stop by and see the sister ship to Wanderer and talk for a little while. I was so pleased. I have been wanting to meet Mike now for 4+ years and timing, schedules and locations were about to work out.
They stopped by and we spent about an hour and a half swapping stories, repair woes, repair wins and the entirety of the unknown still ahead for each of us. They were not able to stay long as they were on their way to Kemah to check on Wanderer after Hurricane Harvey. Before their visit, I was explaining to Chazzy and Swab that “Captain Mike” was coming over and he had the boat that was in “Captain Ron.” Like good little sailor kids, they know the movie and recognize that our boat is the same as the one in the movie. What Swab was not able to comprehend is why Mike was not “Captain Ron.” She was so excited to see him and called him Captain Ron before everything she said to him. “Captain Ron, Captain Ron, Guess what, this is my room…” “Captain Ron, Captain Ron, guess what, I have my life jacket on.”
We had a great time and I can’t wait to go see Wanderer now and take a similar selfie to this one of all 4 of us in front of their boat as well.
Mike & Nicole – Thank you for reaching out and making the effort to come by for a visit. It was great to finally meet you as well as get to swap and share stories.