Our Boat is in the Water!!! The Shakedown
Maybe it is hard to imagine unless you are living it, but being in a marina yard on “the hard” isn’t much fun. It is very dirty, loud, not very private and you have to climb up and down … Continued
Boat Projects and Back to Puerto Rico!
I have been reading blogs from live-aboard’s for years. Even before I ever set this dream into motion, or had children, I wanted to know if the lifestyle could be done with small kids. I was surprised to find … Continued
We Bought A BIG ASS BOAT!….FINALLY!
For Tomas and I this 41′ vessel is a big ass boat! It is all relative though. It is the biggest boat we have ever owned and catamarans are so wide and spacious in comparison with monohulls she feels … Continued
Waiting On The Bank!
There is a quote that I love about when you set out to build something big, it can be overwhelming and difficult to take the first step when looking at how big the task is. But if you just … Continued
Negotiations & Obstacles Buying A Sailboat (the not so perfect- perfect catamaran)
The Negotiations After the survey and sea trial on our prospective 2006 Lagoon 410 sailing catamaran, we made a spreadsheet to help determine our best course of action. We listed all the needed repairs from the survey report, the cost … Continued
Buying A Sailing Catamaran – Survey/ Sea Trial and Haul-out
The survey and sea trial are the equivalent of a house inspection done on a property prior to finalizing the deal for purchase. The buyer is responsible for hiring the surveyor and the costs associated with it. The seller … Continued
Waiting On The Bank – Tick Tock…
We are still waiting anxiously to hear back from the bank about the SBA guaranteed portion of our loan. To be fair, the bank is actually waiting to hear back from the SBA. Once this fundamental piece of the puzzle … Continued
The Spirit of The Cat & The Mermaid
The name of our blog has a double meaning. The first is for both of our nicknames; Tomas, “el gato” (the cat), and myself, “the mermaid”. Tomas’s Titi (Aunt) Valen, in childhood gave him the nickname “gato mañoso”, (best translated … Continued
Small Business Administration (SBA) Guaranteed Loan Program
Start-up businesses are a risky business. According to SCORE at least 25% of all start-up businesses fail within the first year, 36% by year 2 and 50% by year 4. To help minimize the risk to banks, the Small Business … Continued
Business Plan- SCORE
When we became serious about our nautical tourism business idea and had a clear mental image of the plan, writing a business plan became the important next step. Any serious business idea should be written out in a formal business … Continued