It sounded like the bargain of the decade: Eine Contessa 32 for 14.000 Euro. The ship has always been one of my dream boats, since I 2007 together with the Australian Nick Jaffe auf dessen Contessa 26 m along the southern coast of Britain and sailed across to Belgium and Holland. Eventually I learned then, dass eine Contessa 32 the only boat of this size, the Fastnet Race from 1979 sailed harmless has finished and the Americans John Kretschmer with his later “Gigi” has sailed with two stops in New York around Cape Horn to San Francisco. During my studies I've encountered in shipbuilding copy shop on a script about stability calculations of yachts. It was a typical racing boat in the 70s (the “Grimalkin”) with a Contessa 32 compared. While the “Grimalkin” only one angle to capsize 110 Has degree (like most of today driving yachts), wurde der Contessa 32 a capsizing angle of phenomenal 155 Degree certified. These are 45 Degrees more, A sea area than are necessary. Short: It is one of the most stable and seetüchtigesten ships of their size. These boats are rare in England for less than 25.000 € to have. Even, if they are really lousy state. 14.000 Euro is really a bargain.
The disadvantage: The ship is located in Alicante. But it should really not be a problem, it to sail with my remaining vacation to France and from there either lead to channels or by truck through the home. After a few email Jump to the Spanish owners, had taken over the ship two years ago by a British (So all the papers in English), So I booked a flight to Alicante.
Because there is currently winter down there, there is little direct flights. Since the cash of course - is just - as always, I had chosen the cheapest. On Friday at 15 Clock, it went from Hamburg to Amsterdam. There I 15 Hours and 50 Minutes sitting around, started up the next morning the plane to Spain. The long wait was not very exciting, of course,, However, an alternative flight with only 6 Hours of waiting time should be equal to about 100 Euro cost more.
The winter season in Spain, apart from the complicated flight connections but also some good: My Car, a small Kia Piccanto, should be for two days only 17 € cost, a hotel room in a 3-star Hotel in Villajoyosa just tennis 25 Euro. Perfectly.
Just landed on Spanish soil, I am then also gehechtet to rent a car and shortly thereafter with the thoroughly battered car (must come from somewhere so the low price …) North geknattert. I had arranged with the owner of Contessa, that we have to 14 Clock hit the boat. As early as 13 Clock I was in the small fishing village of Moraira and still had enough time, me to indulge in a café con leche. Suddenly the phone rang. “Hello, where are you”, asked the owner in English difficult to understanding. “I'm in Moraira, Sitting in a Cafe”. “Okay, Then we meet the same, I'll be there in five minutes.”
So get paid for the coffee and off to the harbor. As the owner of half an hour after the appointed date is still not there, I pushed it to the southern serenity. Another half hour later I started to expire all webs. The boat has a wooden pole, unusually, – and stuff like that is already visible from far away. When I passed another half an hour later, all webs, but the boat was not found, I was skeptical and called again: “Ich bin im Club Nautico Moraira, but can not find the boat.” – “And, We are at sea, but are almost there.”
Was? Why is the sea, if we are to 14 Have clock on the boat at the port agreed? So I climbed onto the pier and could see two boats. A small Delanta and another, dunkel lackierte Yacht am Horizont. The Contessa will be red and have a bimini. Dark and Bimini, like. That's it. 20 Minutes later the boat was then already close to the harbor, But suddenly rode a turn and turned out to be Beneteau. Keine Contessa. That, There Is not. Meanwhile, there was 16.30 Clock and slowly I was fed up with. Fast 24 Hours journey lay behind me, 36 Spent hours on your feet and the boat is not easy to see. So back into the Kia and the mountain höchten. With this wonderful weather, I could loose ten miles from up there look in any direction - but saw not a single boat.
This could be the red Contessa. But she isn't 🙁
View from the Mountain. To see no ships.
Kia mietwagen Piccanto - für 17 Euro / 2 Days
Meanwhile, I was suspicious. In my pocket I had - for safety's sake, if there should be another buyer - a down payment on the boat. In my luggage and camera equipment computer. The owner had told on the phone, that he take me on board in port, and then quickly go back out was. Meanwhile, it also dawned, The sun was low in the sky. I was uneasy. Not, I still get a stick over his head and landing in the sea. Perhaps it has never given the ship? But what was going on then? The owners had volunteered for two hours and not my cell phone battery was after the long journey, almost all. So I painted the sails and headed back to hotel.
In the evening I told him then wrote a mail, in demand, what should the whole thing now, and whether we would meet the next day on the boat. The next day the Spaniards did not hear anything from the. So instead I watched the Costa Blanca, each port of Benidorm to Alicante scoured. In the latter port was just a few weeks ago started the Volvo Ocean Race, and still has two VO70 boats were there. I found that although not nearly as exciting as the fact, Wilfried Erdmann that here in this port 1966 his first Kathena
The port of Alicante 2011
Tuesday evening I received a surprise then still a text message from the Spanish. “Oh, you were in the wrong port. The ship lies in Javea. Sorry.” In another email the next day he wrote then, that “Moraira” and “Javea” are for the resident of the same place - even if Javea 13 Km further north is. Similar, like when someone asks me, where I come and I with “Wolfsburg” answer, although I actually made the smaller neighboring city “Fallersleben” thousand.
Sobering, failed so just before the finish to be. 13 Kilometer. Promptly asked me today, the Spaniard now, because when I get there again - and at the same price to 2.000 Euro reduced. Whether I travel once again receiving? I do not know. What do you think?
John
Addendum, a few weeks later:
I have just learned of a German sailor, that Javea and Moraira have NOTHING to do with each other. The locations are 14 Kilometers apart, in between a mountain! Also was clear in the ad “Club Nautico Moraira”. It must therefore have acted really a scam. I'm glad, that I did not wait any longer at the port. Who knows, what would have happened … Meanwhile, the owner straightens the price back up, it now costs 18.000 Euro. All very mysterious ...
