Peace IV will be sold next year.

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Ok.  This is the way it must be.  Neville has informed me that he needs to take life a little easier now that he is in his late 70s.  His new total replacement knees are doing ok, but the tall steps getting in and out of the hulls on Peace IV are just too much for him.   So we will be putting Peace on the market sometime in 2014.  

We are in the Bahamas right now.  So first we must sail to Rhode Island in the spring where we will be selling a house we inherited.  Likely we will move to Oriental, N. C. and when we get there, and are settled in a new place, Peace will be on the market.    

Talk about tears!  This is going to be really hard for us because Peace has been our home for 50,000 miles and ever since launch Britain in 2002.  I will make a listing of the equipment and price and all the rest when we are closer to the sale time.  But this boat is not a stranger in the Wharram community.  You can see pics on our page here.

So now you have a "head's up" about it.  We have toyed with the idea of selling Peace before but always decided against it in hopes Nev's knee operations would make more cruising years possible aboard our lovely boat.  But now we know we are at the end of the line here.  We are not desperate or anything.  He is just getting tired.  Now you know just how much I love my husband.  It is him or the boat and there is no hesitation at all.

It is going to be like selling a child.  We built this boat together.  Big tears.

In case anybody wants to see the boat as we sail up the US east coast, we will be happy to let you know where we are if you send us a message here.

Ann and Nev

[wakataitea]

this is sad but life must go on... you will do the right thing for your husband and your self... peas will find a new explorer and will keep sailing... that good too.

i have since 20 years very bad rheumatism in my arms and hands. often i think, that's it. gut i am only 45 years jet and will try to push it some years more. isabelle is my "right arm" for the most hard work on board. what would we be with out our strong partners....???

 all the best for you

hans

[kim whitmyre]

It will be different, but there will be friends to sail with. You two have done more than most in your voyaging times, and inspired many. I wish you all the best, Ann and Nev

[laurent]

i read a story of the five last owners or their descendent family meet together each year for a navigation on "their " classic beautifull Stephens sail boat . Each of them is still considered as the owner at the same title than the last one . They all have the same love and passion for they boat wich follow is own life through different "renters ?"

My 26' cabin are to narrow so Nev wont have to crawl inside but we know now that you are used to make love on the deck so welcome aboard anytime you want ! ( it is funny i was not sure my english, i just wrote " on the desk" )

[Ann and Neville Clement]

That is a lovely story, Laurent.  I loved my old boat that much and am still invited to sail on her.  She was a little Shannon 28 and very sweet and also strong.  But for two of us, she was too small.  So you see, I gave up that good boat also for Neville.  If you have not yet met my husband, he is quite a guy!  Worth a Shannon 28 being sold and also a Tiki 46 being sold.  X

[doug nisbet]

Hello from Avalon, Catalina Island!

I’m sitting here in my “50 catamaran” on the hill overlooking the harbor and I know stairs very well.  From my bedroom to the road and back there are 100 steps!  I wiped out my knee on the 35 Degree slope last spring and had it operated on.  I only bring this up to give you, Nev, some of my insight into the “Stair/Ladder” situation.  There is a section where the risers are only 6” and I at 6’2” have no problems going up those.  The ones in the house have 8” risers and are on a 45 degree angle . . .  My best friend, Marc gave me a 24 volt stair lift which I use every day.  If I don’t use the machine, it really hurts and makes for a very slow ascents and decents.

You have a year and a half before you sell Peace so here is the deal as I see it.  The ladder out of your boat is steep and 2 years ago I noticed that the top step was really awkward.  Here is an easy and cheap experiment:             

I’ve installed vertical ladders on fishing boats with rails that are only 8” wide; after all, you only need enough space to place one foot at a time and your knees go to the outside of the rails.  You’re securely in tight to the ladder and have no need to push out away from the ladder to accommodate your knees as on a regular ladder.   Considering your height, I would try 5” risers; that is, steps every 5”.  Lets see . . . 2 2x4s and one for the steps and some epoxy; I’d say this is a pretty cheap experiment.

Since I use to teach Handicap SCUBA to paraplegics and quadriplegics I don’t look at thing the same way as others:         It was taking a long time to get this quad in his dry-suit and he was apologizing for how long it was taking.  I asked him if I had gotten in my dry-suit by myself . . .  He said no; I said and say we’re all handicapped in some way or another.  80% of all those who become para or quad drop out of society; the other 20% just adapt and keep moving!

I’m now in consultation with Marc, who installs lifts in cars, buses, houses, and yes, BOATS.  The Kona Aggressor and the Fiji Aggressor dive boats are the largest boats to date.  Ann and Nev, we both just love it when somebody says you can’t do that!  If you can imagine it, we can make it happen as we are both just too stupid to know we can’t!

Eat more pork chops and have a sunny day in the Bahamas,

Cheers, Doug-more or less

 

 

   

 

 

   

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Hi Doug,  

    Sorry to hear you are recovering from a knee op.  They sure take time!  And thanks for the encouragement, but I think we cannot get away with just new ladders.  Nev has balace problems too and this boat is way too big for this old lady to single hand.  He has asked for me to go back to single handing as I was when we first met back in 1991 in my small boat.  He wants to do his sailing sitting down at the nav table and looking out the big windows of a motor sailor and letting me sail and drive and all that jazz.  He will install a great anchor windlass, tend things in harbor like engine (he loves engines) and the various systems so long as we simplify everthing to cruiser style.  I just gotta go with what that good man of mine wants.  We will have roller furler everything, and we will have his and hers chart plotters plus paper charts he will keep up with, and we will move south so the trip to Bahamas will only be half as long.  When we want to go north, we will have a camper.  

One thing you can be sure of.  He will be eating pork chops and bacon and all that every morning cholesterol restoring breakfast.  Sausage, real butter, etc.  You were his good pal in the galley.  Hope to see you up and at it soon.  

Love,  Ann and Nev

[dennis schneider]

wakataitea said:

this is sad but life must go on... you will do the right thing for your husband and your self... peas will find a new explorer and will keep sailing... that good too.

i have since 20 years very bad rheumatism in my arms and hands. often i think, that's it. gut i am only 45 years jet and will try to push it some years more. isabelle is my "right arm" for the most hard work on board. what would we be with out our strong partners....???

 all the best for you

hans