The SECRET behind how I bought my boat

Hauled out on the hard to secure her Formosa 51 ketch Houdini, Captain Aubrey O’Hare of Sailing Miss Lone Star faces an immediate water drainage problem on deck before walking through how an unexpected fan gift originally made buying the vessel possible. The boatyard blocked the hull slightly bow-down on the stands, allowing rainwater entering through the bulwarks to run forward and pool directly underneath the battery bank. Aubrey immediately approached the yard office to request that the stands be tipped back up to drain aft, though communication hurdles delayed the adjustment while she also managed wood worms previously discovered in the rudder.

Preparing Houdini for a temporary departure requires completing vital mechanical preservation chores. Aubrey prepares to pickle the Seawater Pro reverse-osmosis watermaker, first flushing the system with fresh water from a bucket before circulating preservative solution drawn from a green container. During the flush, the raw-water lift pump exhibits signs of strain, indicating that a replacement pump from Seawater Pro will be necessary. Forward in the vessel, Savannah’s cabin in the V-berth is taking on water because the fo’c’sle structure lacks watertight integrity, requiring Aubrey to plan a custom canvas cover to protect the interior during seasonal storage.

The summer of 2020 and lightning damage in Florida

The motivation to acquire a vessel as spacious as Houdini stems from the severe living constraints Aubrey experienced during the summer of 2020. At the time, she lived aboard Little Miss, a Cal 2-29 sailboat measuring under 200 square feet of total interior space, including the tops of the berths. Docked in West Palm Beach, the compact cabin housed Aubrey, her partner Sorl, her pre-teen children Blake and Bianca, and her 80-pound German Shepherd, Freya. Confined quarters during lockdown made daily life intensely crowded, prompting Aubrey to search for a 40- to 50-foot cruising boat that could provide separate cabins for the children.

Those plans accelerated unexpectedly during a passage toward Biscayne Bay when a severe storm struck Little Miss with lightning. The strike burned the sails, blew out the onboard marine electronics, and arced high-voltage electricity through the canned tuna stored in the galley lockers. The Cal 29 was effectively totaled. Aubrey collected a modest insurance payout, but the settlement funds fell far short of the capital needed to acquire a family-sized cruising ketch.

The Bigger Ride message and inspecting the Formosa in Washington

While reviewing online boat listings and contemplating owner-financing arrangements, Aubrey noticed an unread email in her inbox titled “A Bigger Ride.” A channel viewer recalled meeting her years earlier, stating: “Back in Connecticut when you were with Rob, you were really nice to me and I have this boat that I want to give you.” The viewer had run the Hunter sailboat aground in Florida, suffered a panic, and chose to leave sailing altogether. He offered the vessel to Aubrey entirely free of charge, with the marina slip fees already paid months in advance.

At the exact same time, Aubrey identified an unrigged Formosa 51 located in Washington. She traveled to the coast with her mother to survey the vessel in person. The Taiwan-built ketch was listed for $125,000, but lacked masts, standing rigging, and sails, representing an estimated $80,000 in required refit expenses to become seaworthy. Convinced the layout offered the private cabins necessary for Blake and Bianca, Aubrey resolved to secure it, declaring, “This is my boat. Mark my words, this is my boat.” Despite competing cash offers, the seller agreed to owner-finance the purchase because he wanted to follow the refit progress through Aubrey’s video documentation.

Rudder repairs in Florida and a $50,000 cash sale

Faced with managing three boats at once, Aubrey and Sorl flew to Florida to assess the gifted Hunter. The grounding had broken away a section of the foil, leaving only two-thirds of the rudder intact. Instead of abandoning the vessel, they motored it around from the west coast of Florida to the east coast, anchored near Pyet Island, and ordered a replacement fiberglass rudder from Foss Foam for approximately $2,000. Describing the extraordinary chain of events, Aubrey reflected: “Once upon a time, one of my fans gave me $50,000.”

After dropping and replacing the rudder in the water, Aubrey and Sorl sailed the Hunter to the Bahamas. The resulting cruising episodes generated substantial viewership, pushing The Daily Show beyond 100,000 subscribers. Following the island cruise, Aubrey listed the Hunter with a yacht broker to direct proceeds into the Formosa refit. As her departure flight lifted off the runway, the broker called with urgent news: “I’ve got a full price cash offer.” The full-price $50,000 cash sale closed on the spot, supplying the liquidity needed to fund Houdini‘s transformation.

Vessel comparison and acquisition summary

The transition from a cramped coastal sloop to an offshore voyager involved three distinct vessels, each presenting unique structural demands and financial terms:

| Vessel | Dimensions and living area | Financial details | Operational outcome | | – | – | – | – | | Little Miss (Cal 2-29) | Under 200 sq ft (29 ft) | $1 purchase price | Totaled by lightning in Biscayne Bay; small insurance payout | | Hunter sailboat | 2/3 intact rudder | $0 gift with prepaid slip fees | Repaired with $2,000 Foss Foam rudder; sold for $50,000 cash | | Houdini (Formosa 51) | 51 ft ketch | $125,000 price; $80,000 refit estimate | Acquired via owner financing to replace rigging, masts, and sails |

Lay-up priorities and refit tasks aboard Houdini

Back in the present boatyard aboard Houdini, Aubrey works through the mechanical and cosmetic tasks required to button up the ketch for the off-season. Masthead sheaves require replacement because they bind on the running rigging, leading Aubrey to evaluate installing an electric halyard winch. Other deck projects include fabricating new dinghy chocks, redesigning the stern davits, fitting a swivel stool at the navigation desk, and wiring cabin fans throughout the living quarters.

Below decks, inspection uncovers burnt electrical wiring and spilled hydraulic fluid requiring containment. Before departing, Aubrey focuses on resealing deck hardware to keep water out of the interior, noting the challenge of using subpar tools: “I need to go buy the nicest cocking gun that money can buy because I already have a hard time with cocking, but I really do think that it’s the tool that I’m using”. Between addressing bulwark drainage, watermaker preservation, and deck caulking, she continues the multi-year effort to refine the ketch for extended voyaging.

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