The Geja ‘Torch’ is Passed Along

"I’m the lucky reader who purchased the Islander 36 Geja, currently in Italy, from San Franciscans Eli and Sara Bottrell," reports Andrew Vik, also of San Francisco. "I would have written about my purchase sooner, but I’ve been too busy scouring various online cruising logs of the Med and making the Google Earth view of the Med a permanent fixture on my computer monitor."

Many readers will remember Geja as being the Islander 36 that Dick and Shirley Sandys of Palo Alto cruised most of the way around the world over a 15-year period. When Dick passed away about 18 months ago, Shirley put the boat, then in Spain, up for sale on ‘Lectronic for just $10,000. The Bottrells were the lucky buyers, and enjoyed seven exciting and virtually trouble-free months of cruising the boat in the Med last summer, as was reported in Latitude. Having had their big adventure, the couple put the boat up for sale.

"Like the Bottrells," Vik reports, "I’m in my 30s. But unlike them, I’m not married and therefore won’t have the benefit of a permanent crew. I expect that many friends and family members will join me, but if there are any spots to fill, I’ll be looking for like-minded crew at the April 3 Crew List Party at the Golden Gate YC in San Francisco. To me, ‘like-minded’ means someone in their 20s or 30s, male or female, who is not opposed to mooring next to, and going into, those crazy Mediterranean discothèques. But some sailing skills would be nice, too."

This won’t be Vik’s first time sailing in the Med. "Back in ’02, I spent a few weeks sailing aboard the 42-ft yawl-rigged youth sailing hostel Clizia in the Med, and ever since have been dreaming of returning for an extended cruise. Now, thanks to Latitude 38 and the Bottrells, my dream will come true. But I’m pretty sure that after a summer or two it will be time for me to pass the Geja torch to yet another lucky Latitude reader."

Congratulations, Andrew! It’s too bad that the euro has climbed over the $1.50 mark but, with your boat, you’ll still be able to have a huge bang-for-the-buck sailing adventure in Europe — as long as you avoid the really expensive discos.