WANTED — AN OLD SAILBOAT WITH A STORY I'm looking for something a little different. I'm looking for an older sailboat that needs a new home, a lot of work, and someone willing to give her another chance. Ideally, I'm looking for a cruising sailboat somewhere around 35–55+ feet. I'm open to monohulls, ketches, cutters, catamarans, or trimarans. I don't need something beautiful. I don't need something turn-key. I'd actually prefer a boat that needs work. What I'm looking for is a boat with good bones and a reason to keep going. I've spent most of my life working with my hands and figuring things out. My background is in electrical systems, mechanical work, construction, communications, troubleshooting, fabrication, and restoration. I'm the kind of person who looks at something other people consider too far gone and starts wondering how to bring it back. That's what I want to do with a boat. But there is another reason I'm looking. I'm at a point in my life where I need to step away from the way I've been living and find a different direction. I want to learn to sail. I want to learn seamanship from people who have actually lived it. I want to spend more time outside, on the water, under the sun and stars, and away from the constant noise of everyday life. I want to challenge myself physically and mentally. I want to build something with my own hands. And, somewhere along the way, I want to figure out who I am when everything unnecessary gets stripped away. The dream is eventually to have a capable cruising boat, gather a few good people around me, and start exploring. Maybe Mexico. Maybe Central America. Maybe the Caribbean. Maybe farther. I'm not in a hurry to get there. First comes learning. Then restoration. Then coastal sailing. Then offshore experience. And eventually, if the boat, crew, and circumstances are right, we'll see where the ocean takes us. I understand what I'm asking for. A 40- or 50-foot boat isn't "free" just because someone gives it away. There are haul-outs, transportation, storage, insurance, rigging, engines, sails, systems, materials, and an enormous amount of labor. I'm prepared for that. I don't have the money to simply walk into a yacht brokerage and buy the boat I'm dreaming about. But I do have something else: I know how to work. I know how to troubleshoot. I know how to learn. I know how to build and repair things. And I'm willing to put in the time. So if you have an old sailboat sitting in a yard, marina, storage facility, or behind your property... Maybe you inherited her. Maybe you started restoring her and life got in the way. Maybe you've owned her for years but don't have the time anymore. Maybe she's been sitting long enough that you've started wondering what you're going to do with her. I'd like to hear about her. I'm not looking to flip a free boat. I'm looking for a boat I can restore and eventually learn to sail. I want to know her systems. I want to understand her strengths and weaknesses. I want to make her safe. And if she has enough life left in her, I want to put that life back into her. In return, I'm willing to put my own time, labor, skills, and determination into the project. I'm located in Oregon, but I'm willing to travel for the right boat. California, Washington, the Gulf Coast, Florida, the East Coast, and elsewhere are all possibilities. If you have a boat — or know someone who does — please reach out. Even if you aren't sure she's what I'm looking for, send me the information. I'd rather look at an unlikely possibility than miss the right one. Maybe somewhere out there is an old boat that needs someone. Maybe somewhere out there is the next chapter of my life. Fair winds.