Chapter 40

I will admit, there is something about sailing that feels economic. Sure, it’s not fast ... well, compared to the little runabouts anyway. And that reminds me ... the Sealion is a runabout. The Sea Lion is 38 feet of highly wasteful, exceptionally powerful Honduran Mahogany that is totally unsuited for ocean travel. But the damn thing sure is pretty. Built immediately after the war and powered by twin 41.8-litre, four-stroke, V12 Packard 4M-2500 engines developed before the war with a single application in mind ... Elco’s fifty ton hot rod, the Patrol Torpedo boat ... the PT. Kennedy drove one in the war. I wonder who would have been president if that incident had had a different outcome ... hmmm?

The 4M-2500 has a single overhead cam per bank, with four valves and two spark plugs per cylinder. It fires through a four-pole magneto ignition and the massive centrifugal supercharger sits in front of the engine, with inlet-charge cooling on later versions. It breathes through a Holley 1685F aviation carburetor that uses giant diaphragms to counteract different air pressures and inverted operation. At speed each 1650 hp engine drinks 100 gallons of 100+ octane aircraft gasoline an hour. Talk about conspicuous consumption! This on a hull that was more suited to the calm waters of inland lakes and rivers than boisterous seas and wild oceans. The little runabout was five feet longer and two feet wider than the Finnish built, 33 foot Avance.

As sailboats go, the Avance was bigger than the average trailer sailor and it’s 8 or 9 knot hull design speed was an idle compared to the Sea lion, still ... it feels fast, No headroom, the Avance is what some would call a racer with bunks. And it was fast ... but its biggest claim to fame? It was quiet. Even with it’s little 15 horsepower Yanmar diesel banging away in no wake zones it was nothing to wake the neighbors.

So ... we went out ... spring in the Atlantic waters of Florida is a period of calm. The Florida coast is singularly useless for surfing ... What we were doing was judging the usefulness of the Avance as a babe magnet. Whereas the Swan couldn’t cruise the coast closely enough for the crew to SEE the interest, the Avance was just off the sandbar and the girls ... and the men flocked to her. She drew ... with her extendable fin keel just two and a half feet of water ... she could get close enough for the duty lifeguards to become nervous.

The other advantage over the Swan? I could sail her ... today ... right NOW. Now turned the trick.

“I’ll take her,” I said. “When are you moving in?”

“What? Moving in?”

“Why not? I’m going to need somebody to live here when I’m gold mining in Wyoming. Come here after work and we’ll think about it.”

So, Tommy drove her back to work and picked up my change and the sports bag. And I do mean change. At a time when new boats were two grand a foot, the Avance was a tick over 89 thousand. The bells and whistles were 23 thousand.