Beautiful read Charriot – “Swing low sweet chariot coming for to carry me home” And what a fine job you did in taking her home!! 
The delivery trip – it's a special thing!
The arduous work of finding the 'right' boat is over. It may have lasted anywhere from weeks to, heaven forbid, decades. Trawling the internet and, for those unfortunate souls whose quest spanned decades, countless issues of Trade A Boat (or Book of Dreams as it was affectionately known) until you could recite every boat for sale in Australia.
Perhaps it best not to think about the time and money outlaid travelling to only as far as your own personal limits would permit, to inspect possibilities, only to be dismissed upon arrival.
Yet another inspection...the quiver of excitement as you make the call to your mate and the long anticipated and delicious words roll off your tongue, “...I think I've found her. I think this may be the one”.
And then the survey comes back and you find she's not the boat you thought she was. Thank goodness someone had the sense to lose the rose-coloured glasses and have a good look at this beauty...survey, survey, survey! How hard can buying a boat be?
You know the funds to buy the boat, let alone gallivant around the countryside inspecting too many more, are dwindling. Perhaps more importantly, your mate's losing momentum in the boat buying quest and suggesting renovations or a caravan! Yikes! Time to make a concerted effort! Just when all hope seems lost, The True One is at last discovered; a survey is returned that you can live with; monies change hands; and the final step in the process is organised.
Relief, excitement and the promise of new beginnings and adventure spurs you on to push forward and claim your object of desire and take her home. You plan the voyage and attempt to see how everything works, but nothing compares to getting out there to learn her intimately.
Stuff will always happen on delivery trips. It has to be this way. But it is through this 'stuff' that you get to know your boat – how she moves, what stirs her, what you must do in order for her to look after you, and what downright displeases her and will cause you grief if you push her! If you like, the delivery trip is the (metaphorical of course) consummate act between boat and new mistress/master...maybe a little clumsy, but a prelude to a solid bond.
But of course, those who miss out on the delivery simply get to learn their boat's nuances in a less hurried manner with far less riding on the decisions made.
Selena...Mackay. Ex wasn't agreeable for me to take our 2 year old b/fed child along to bring Selena home with a crew, so ended up getting professional crew to bring her down to Brisbane. 
Bad Influence...purchased in Lake Macquarie.
Sorry to disappointing you, bud I was the one who prepare the boat for the trip and sold her. The trip is new owner not me, I wasn't part of it.
I am in Mel. sailing Aquarius.
Back to her. Swanson 32 "Sweet Chariot " 28HP Volvo Penta, 80 l fuel tank, sailing her in Spencer Gulf for 2 years, very economical, something like 2.5 l/h, don't known
any more details of the trip. Believe the crew had rough run and she was
recently sold again.
Not disappointed Charriot, just thought it was your story...didn't read the intro properly. Well done then, the new owners.
My spin on purchasing and delivery trips hold true I feel, though 
.
Fair winds
Trace
After a mail from a mate and Sands post, I think my long-winded post has confused everyone.
My post was intended as simply a light-hearted look at the purchase and delivery processes of boat ownership...riding on the back of a delivery tale.
Photos included were my own last two dear boats that I have bought.
Fair winds
Trace
When cruising necessity is the mother of invention. I reckon I can fix just about anything. Of course it has to be worth the time and effort to fix in the first place so no room for chinese junk in my life. Recently broke the Golden Rule and bought a cheap chinese chainsaw for one handed use on the theory that when it crapped out within a week of purchase and after I had finished the job that I needed it for I would bring it back to Mitre 10 for a cash refund. Trouble was that on the first day it fell off the back of the bobcat and was run over. Looked like only cosmetic damage (bent chain bar, completely bent and buckled handle, broken recoil handle, and numerous cracks and ripped off bits of plastic housing. Figured that I could straighten the chain bar, Unscew the aluminium handle and bend it back into an approximation of its original shape. Fabricate a recoil handle and self tap it to the stub of the broken one and stitch the cracked plastic housing back together with wire. After this investment of time (approx 1 hour or twice the value of the chainsaw at my hourly rate) I discovered that the little bracket on the engine casing that holds the magneto coil had cracked and the clearance was out so the bloody thing wouldn't start. I then had to make a couple of little steel plates that fitted between the fins on the casting that could be bolted on as a flange to affect a repair. As the space available for bolts was limited I used cap screws that I could tighten with an allen key. After assembling I noticed that the cap scew heads and 3mm plate had caused the magneto coil to be offset out from alignment with the rotor by about half the magnet width. It still started and ran for about 10 minutes before becoming extremely hard to start so I had to countersink and use countersunk head capscrews to correct the alignment. It was used heavily for a day until the choke button pulled off with a sheared plastic pin. Took it back to Mitre 10 and explained that I had bought it earlier in the week and inspite of its hard life it was defective and should be replaced. After much humming and Haaing from the Mitre 10 garden products manager who said that as it had been physically damaged they would have to ring the distributor to see about a warranty claim. I insisted that the broken choke had nothing to do with the damage but was a design defect. The distributor agreed with me and I was given a replacement. After two days use the choke on the replacement also broke so I took the otherwise undamaged unit in for a full cash refund. Then on the way home bought a Stihl chainsaw which is the same brand as my big one and is indestructible and worthy of repair if requtred.
I could have fixed the choke with a bit of wire but as I wasn't at a remote anchorage I didn't have to.
The feather on my wind instrument was made of an orange coloured plastic material that was subject to UV degradation. The feather broke off while we were holed up in Flinders Island so I had the rock climbers practice ascending the mast in 50 knots (at anchor) to retrieve the masthead transducer. Using the outside tube of a ballpoint pen and some plastic sheet from a tupperware container I was able to splice onto the remaining arrowshaft using thickened epoxy and stainless wire as rivets to fabricate a new feather. After setting I trimmed the feather area for balance and had one just like a bought one. More climbing practice and we once again had wind instruments.
What have you fixed?
