Once Mike S. knew I’d be open to sailing and boating, the great boat search started. We went out a few times with Rich on his sailboat, going to Catalina island a few times, I getting a new pair of “sea legs”. The sailboat design wasn’t ideal for Mike and not having the use of his legs, but he loved being at the helm, heeling and tacking with the wind. However getting up and down into the boat was a feat, as well as boarding the vessel. He really wanted the sailing romance with sea, the sound of the sheets filling with wind, the waves against the hull, and so on. We looked around San Diego, and the more sailboats we looked at, the more I realized that he would be at the helm, and I’d be running around the deck doing all the work. It took a little while but I finally convinced him, #1 I am meant to be a bow bunny, and #2 a sailboat design really isn’t ideal. We began looking at power boats. We went from one coast to another, boat show after boat show, Boat Sales, Yacht sales and everywhere in-between. I must have gone on over 1,000 boats trying to find “the right” boat that offered accessibility, layout, and design. Although each boat I went on had an amenity or another that I liked. For instance, a master bed that you could walk around, meaning not up against a wall.
Finding “Michelle”…
Finally, on Shelter Island in San Diego, we found a 40′ 1980 Hershine twin-engine trawler. At 22 years old, the boat was in decent shape, Mike could easily transition from his wheelchair on the dock to the side and get in, it really only had two levels. The main salon and down into the master, or forward down into the galley and V-berth. The master cabin had a (essentially) a queen size bed you could walk around, and the master head also had a little tub with a step, which would mean transition for Mike S. We found the boat! After a lot of negotiating and a survey, we bought “Sinbad”. Who knows what that name meant to the previous owner’s, but we knew we had to change the name and christen her as our own. Boat names are hard to come up with, there are many “Cute” play on words names, but mainly when deciding on a name, you have to choose something, or in this case, someone that means something to you. Mike quickly threw-out “Michelle” but in all honesty, it embarrassed me a little, and I tried to find other names, words, even phrases that would be better. He convinced me, and was very romantic when he said, “I want that name, because you are the most important thing to me, and it wouldn’t be possible without you.” So…with that we named the boat Michelle. We had a few friends join us as we went through the ritual of christening the new name with a bottle of Chateau St. Michelle.
And so, the Adventures onboard “The Michelle” begin…