SILVER LINING
Another factor that helped our decision was that keeping the boat outside of California for a year would save us the local sales tax. Even if we were unable to fly to Europe to enjoy the boat in the Mediterranean, the time wouldn’t be wasted. Furthermore, on its way to California, the boat would first be shipped to Florida, where we could enjoy it with the many relatives and friends that we have there.
We decided to purchase an F50 from Princess Yachts Italy in San Remo. We felt good about our interactions with them, the boat configuration was close to our needs, and they agreed to keep the boat in their marina at their expense until we were able to go get it. We also liked the boat’s location in the Mediterranean. We retained a local surveyor, who identified a couple of minor issues and took possession of the boat on our behalf. And while we waited for travel restrictions to ease, Princess Italy made some modifications and additions that we had asked for.
We named her Octavia in honour of our former SF home’s street name and waited patiently for the chance to go and see her in the flesh. Finally, in September we were able to fly to Italy and do a proper hand-over of the boat. We also performed the 12-mile exportation cruise needed for VAT purposes, as this was time sensitive. The bad news is that due to the COVID-19 situation, we were only able to stay in Italy for five days. So, how are we feeling now? In a word: great! The boat is exactly what we hoped it would be. And the team at Princess Yachts Italy did a fantastic job with the work we had asked for. They also helped us familiarise ourselves with the boat.
We are disappointed we weren’t able to enjoy the boat with our European friends but at least the two of us got to enjoy it for a few days near San Remo. And we hope we can still organise some adventures in the Mediterranean and Florida before reaches San Francisco next year.
Financially, and in other ways, the stars aligned for us as once lockdown started to ease, the demand for boats rose again and the availability of stock plummeted. But even without this slice of fortune in a world full of misfortune, we still feel great about our F50. Now we are looking forward to the next stage of this adventure: shipping and importing to the US…
So, how are we feeling now? In a word: great! The boat is exactly what we hoped for