Old Boats, New Generations: The Real Value of Our Cruising Life

A 40-year-old sailboat, three generations, and one unforgettable lesson: old boats aren't investments—they're legacies.

By
Bert Vermeer
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4
Author Bert Vermeer and his granddaughter Natasha, age 8, at the helm.
Author Bert Vermeer and his granddaughter Natasha, age 8, at the helm.

I often ask myself the point of all the effort and expense of owning a well-aged sailboat. This usually happens after I crack a knuckle breaking loose some frozen fitting or polishing some faded fiberglass while watching others head out for a day sail in their shiny new boat. With over 40 years of experience, I consider myself an old sailor. I am fortunate enough to be sailing the pristine cruising grounds of British Columbia in a boat I can still afford. My boat is nothing like a new boat with all the fancy options, rather it is just a 40-year-old Islander Bahama 30, lovingly restored with endless hours of effort and carefully doled out dollars—far too many hours and dollars to call this an investment.

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Bert Vermeer
As a coastal cruise (and occasional racer & ocean crosser), Bert Vermeer has sailed the coast of British Columbia for over 40 years. With his wife Carey & daughter Nicky (and eventually granddaughter Natasha) in tow, Bert has gained an appreciation for the fabulous cruising grounds of the Canadian west coast. Based on his experience as a hands-on boater, he established a marine based business after completing his police career. Bert stays busy during the winter months dabbling in You Tube sailing videos and writing tales of summer adventures, awaiting blue skies and warm winds.

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4 COMMENTS

    • Thanks for the comment David. Natasha still comes out sailing with me, we’re headed back to Barkley Sound again this summer. Look up Bert Vermeer Sailing on You Tube, you could see her grow up.

  2. What a beautiful article and I am so grateful for the memories it triggered – growing up sailing with my parents. My father could be best described as a West Point Colonel so communication wasn’t his first strength. However, on our sailboat, we found a common language and a way of relating. Even though his career was the army, his love of the sea was profound. There was something environmentally balanced to him about sailing, respecting the resource of water as well as the power of weather. He would use his engineering language to explain the principles of the boat and sailing itself. It’s strange to think of our sailboat as a “translator “between a father and his sons. But that seems to be the case with “North Cove “my dad‘s Hunter 30.