I wasn´t able to publish this article yesterday, unfortunately, due to the stress of a full-ass workday but now, one day later, it is as up-to-date as it has been 24 hours ago. Yesterday wasn´t just my own birthday (Thanks for all the good wishes from you all, I sincerely appreciate this!) but the second of February was also the birthday of GEKKO. You may have read the article about my joy and excitement 365 days ago as my own new boat appeared in front of me as a real thing. Now, one year has passed and I wanted to do a special on her first birthday, as, early in the morning when I drove by our yard and workshop, another kind of “unexpected” delivery happened: The wondrous propagation of a First 27 SE …
Of course, I perfectly well knew that another brand new First 27 SE was due for delivery and it would have been a disappointment for me not to see the boat being parked just outside our facilities, but as always, the arrival of a brand new boat from the yard is a great occasion each time. I never get tired of being excited and happy. And here she was, another “newborn” 27, on the spot exactly one year after my boat came. But this story is even more wonderful.
We instructed the driver the kind of hindered and narrow access to our yard. Slowly, very slowly, the boat mastered 90-degree-turns, turnarounds, tight corners and low passages (in fact, I really hate to drive to and from our workshop with a boat behind my car!) We opened the big door and prepared the crane. Our supplier had delivered the fitting custom made trailer a few weeks earlier and as such we were determined to unload and store the new boat quickly to relief the tired driver and make him free to drive home to Slovenia again. Now, where´s the “wonderful” story here?
Well, as the new boat was hanging in her own lifting straps, the driver already sent home and door being closed to let the heating do its work, I thought back to the day last summer when two men arrived at my home marina in Northern Germany. The guys had booked me for a sea trial on GEKKO. They said, they wanted to check if the boat “was something” for themselves. And their wives, which did not accompany them. We went out for a quick dash. It was perfect weather: Sunny, warm temperatures but just a puff of wind.
Perfect conditions for a demonstration ride since in strong winds, even a bathtub with a broomstick will start to sail. But it’s the low winds and calmy conditions which prove that a boat is light, maneuverable and nimble on the helm. We´ve had a great day out: Full canvas, nice speed. Of course, the wind was too low to make her planning (GEKKO starts to fly over 7.5 knots SOG), but the guys were amazed by the feeling on her rudders and – which was the best for me personally – absolutely loved the design-concept with all the colors, the green, the orange, the Geckos. As I had the boat tied up properly on the jetty, they said: “Please send an offer for this boat. We want one – exactly like yours!” Said – and done.
A few days later I received an email with a PDF attached, containing my offer. Signed. Now, just a few months after ordering their 27, she arrives. And, miraculously, at the same day my boat came. I don´t know if Seascape had been planning this all along (well, certainly they have much more important things to do than this), but somehow I like the idea that boats are entities, wandering in mysterious ways, containing personalities and in this, “strange”, wonderful and enigmatic. I like the idea that my own boat received a sister on her birthday. I somehow like this idea.
We let her fly on the crane all across our workshop and carefully placed her accurately on the trailer. Then we pushed back the trailer so that GEKKO and this new boat (of which I now her name to be but as I am a kind of superstitious guy I of course won´t disclose the name before she received a proper christening) would be parked next to each other perfectly in line. Primarily we did this as our workshop currently is full of brandnew Seascapes waiting to be delivered and handed over and we simply have a lack of space to deal with. I opened the boat to climb inside: Even her interior is a 100 per cent copy of my beloved GEKKO.
So, in the coming weeks and months we will start commissioning of this new boat: Quality check of the yard´s work, a professional antifouling and the fitting of her electric engine will follow soon. The owners signaled their elation about my solar-power upgrade of GEKKO and also loved the idea to spice up their boat´s appearance by playing around with EVA-foam both inside and outside. I know that a wonderful journey lies ahead of GEKKOs sister ship and I am happy that she will be sailing out from the same marina as I do. Another wonderful co-incidence. Now, tell me: Isn´t that a great birthday to have?
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GEKKO delivered: What a day!