Hope you don't mind Real Mountie, but I just had to relate your story over on this other Pilgrim thread I had started.
Trawler Forum - View Single Post - Redesigning the Pilgrim 40 Trawler / Canal Boat
No problem,
Here the original full text: My wife Lise and I had lived respectively a long and exciting careers.
We wanted a new way of living in seeking a pleasure craft that could provide us the ultimate retirement adventure, an alternative home and a memorable summer residence as a reward to our hard-working and successful life.
Current retirement alternatives do not offer much to those who have achieved something in their life and are just ready to be put out to pasture.
We had a need for a boat that could put a sense of freedom into our retirement adventure.
There is a camaraderie in a boating community that is non-existant in a cement high-rise cities and or suburb.
Our need was also to become more involved the heartbeat of life as we are more aware of Mother Nature and her ever-changing moods something you lose with big cities.
We needed more that a summer cottage so we bought a condominium for Skiing during the snow season and we wanted to buy a kind of a Canal Barge like a Boataminium for the rest of the year.
As a Sea Cadet I have sailed since the age of 14 then became a Sailing Instructor at Cornwallis Base in N.S. during the summer as a Navy Reserve Second-Lieutenant.
Since then I chartered sailboats until 1995 and around 2001 I was tired with the handling of huge headsails, getting soaked wet in an open cockpit and living in a expensive submarine, all this at a 15 degree heel.
After a 3 year of research, we made that eccentric choice : Buy a Boat with Confidence in order to find a liveaboard for that ultimate retirement experience in order to escape the jungle of traffic, jammed bridges, construction, concrete and asphalt of big cities like Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
We wanted a Boat that fits our needs and this is why we are so grateful to Doug and Brenda Dawson for all their publications that educated us in finding the appropriate boat.
Doug, Brenda thank you for helping us to make the appropriate choice in order to realize our dream!
NOTE: We had to refer to First Mate 101 in order to resolve issues that could turn the Dream into Nightmare...
With those publications we have interpreted our Research into Reality. We then established all the criteria for safety, economy, character, comfort, style and why not grace. We were attracted by a classic look Motor Yacht that did not look like a Clorox bottle or Wedding cake type of Motor Yacht (No offence to anyone who choose Low maintenance and Bigger budget Yacht).
We did not want high performance as we have worn out the thrill of rattling our kidneys and our dishes. We wanted to save our pocketbook in keeping our fuel tanks filled so we would spend it visiting area to discover.
Comfort was a personal choice. We wanted to equate comfort with pleasure and enjoyment. This is one of the area's that occupied most our our research and study. We don't enjoy weathering through a storm although we did encounter some bad weather and put up with Mother Nature during our trip from Fort Pierce to Lake Champlain and we were quite satisfied and impressed with her handling and performance during a tunderstorm.
Our Boat was to be our passport to civilized adventure in the nautical living environment. We did not want a boat to win races or cross the ocean, we just wanted to enjoy ourselves on the water as is it our belief that pleasure boating is for pleasure.
This Boat was to be our escape from the pressures of day-to-day existence. as a new, exiting alternative lifestyle for we wanted to taste more of life. We needed a chage of tempo as we needed to refresh our spririts like to put a smile on our face and in our heart. We are from the '' Stop and Smell the Roses'' School of Boating Generation!
We finally bought it from Jim and Joan Elliott, formaly named CHRISTINE. Thank you Jim and Joan!
« REAL MOUNTIE » is a Canadian icon for a Canadian made 1986 Pilgrim 40 Hull #28 (a.k.a. as P-40) that was developed by Ted Gozzard a talented designer, tool-maker and shipwright.
The first production boat of the Pilgrim 40 Project started in January 1983. The P-40 was designed by an Artist, Ted Gozzard who expressed his natural talent and made the proof of concept (without using a computer), envisioned it three-dimensionally, drafted it, made a model, tooled and builded it to the finest carpentry detail that would be cost prohibitived today. As inflation gained over during the late 80's, Ted did mentionned that he lost $50,000.00 Cdn when he sold his last Pilgrim 40 in 1989, he said : '' It is like tearing 10,000 five dollars bills...''
One may understand that you need the valuable input of a market specialist to provide practical business to a passionate Artist with Boat-Creating Talents.
Here is an example, on January 15 1987, in Annapolis, MD a Pilgrim 40 was sold for a delivery in May 1987, at that time one US dollar was $1.3615 CDN.
The standard cost of a Pilgrim 40 was $187,575.00 USD and additionnal equipment was $33,820.00 USD for a grand total of $221,395 USD.
If you use an inflation calculator on today's internet, calculate in USD the retail cost of a 1987 Pilgrim 40 @ $221,395 :
The Inflation Calculator
At the same time,Ted Gozzard primary design evolvement was Bayfield Sailboats. This alternative concept was more successful in marketing as he produced over 1,000 boats raging from 25' to 40' in the 80's.
What a great feeling for us to see the smiles on people who tell us : What a beautiful boat you have!
Every day, people make us realize that her striking looks is the centre of attention at our Marina or when we pull in to a harbour or an anchoring bay.
The covered screened after deck (veranda deck) is to be the best comfort place to sit and relax or have our meals. We have in addition two comfy chairs and we can accommodate half-dozen people for happy hour.
« REAL MOUNTIE » gives Lise and I, pleasure and pride of ownership in showing her classic, proven full displacement hull, with her plumb bow, fantail stern, gently arched windows, varnished mahogany trim, her sheer line, cosmetic details all combined to create an dream impression about herself and about her owners living their dreams that only one's own eyes and not our words can explain...
