For one blissful month, we believed we had found our sailboat. Our offer was accepted, the survey went fine, and Jack, the current owner, had started the woodworking punch list we requested be finished prior to closing.

We submitted an offer on the Morgan 382 in Milwaukee… and the seller accepted. My excitement is on a low simmer. The boat’s not ours…yet.

Last year, when our search for sailboats took us beyond our laptops and into boatyards and marinas, we did peek at the monohulls. They were tempting, their price tags half of that of catamarans sharing the same LOA.

Since we’ve given up our obsession with catamarans, our boat options have multiplied, almost scarily. Monohulls are everywhere.

After coming to a quasi-agreement with Steven on a price for Nice Pair, Kirk and I felt pretty confident in our prospects of becoming future catamaran owners. We can make this deal work, we thought. We’re so close.

Three weeks after our trip to see Nice Pair, Kirk flew back to Seattle to help the owner take the boat out of the water. Since Nice Pair is trailerable, Kirk wanted to learn how the boat came apart so he’d understand how to put it back together after we towed it to the Midwest.

For months we’ve had our eye on a 38’ racing catamaran called Nice Pair. Besides the stellar name, Kirk was in love with its design and speed. I simply liked the existence of two hulls, which translates into a large outdoor living space, the ability to cook while under sail, and a bed that won’t pitch you onto the floor while you’re sleeping.