- Grenick / Bandicoot
Grenick came on the market shortly after Silver Dream did in 2006. I was very interested in her then but as we had already begun to go through the motions of buying Silver Dream I was talked out of pursuing any further with Grenick. It was a decision I came to regret.
Once we got hold of Silver Dream it became apparent that she was a seriously neglected boat and a lot of money was pumped into getting her up to scratch. By the time we sold her in 2008 she was almost unrecognisable as the floating heap we had bought and consequently when we finally drummed up the courage to put her on the market she sold quickly and fetched a good price in what was already a declining market.
Shortly after Easter 2008 we moved Silver Dream to a different marina. There, to my surprise, was Grenick, looking forlorn and slowly turning green through lack of care and use. Knowing what a good boat she was it was a sad sight and re-enforced my frustration that we had ignored her to our cost when boat hunting in 2006. As we started taking Silver Dream to sea more often that summer, and as her old engines continued to struggle with a full load, we eventually settled on the fact that she had to go. Decision made I immediately ask the marina to contact Grenick’s owners and set about making an offer for her. I never heard back. Subsequently we made an offer on a Sealine 285 in Cornwall called Gwandryas but the survey revealed that she needed a good deal of work and with Silver Dream not having a buyer at that stage we pulled out.
We then became interested in another Sealine 285, Rum Lady, which we got as far as trialling but she sold before we took any action. Finally, with other matters intervening we decided to sit out the 2009 season. But then, towards the end of the season we came across a Fairline Mirage in Nottinghamshire which appeared to tick the slightly amended boxes that we now had. We visited and trialled Memphis Blues, as she was called, but before we even got as far as attempting to do a deal with her owner I was given the nod that Grenick was on the market again and for a good deal less than I would have paid last year.
We trialled her to prove that she could perform as the broker’s stats suggested, offered, surveyed and finally, 3 years too late, she was ours. On the other hand, in the end we paid a substantial amount less for her than we would have done in 2006 and as it turned out we even paid somewhat less for her than we got for Silver Dream. Fate is a funny thing!
Of course by the time we bought Grenick in 2009 she had been abandoned for 3 years and so we are now going through much the same thing with her that we did initially with Silver Dream. However this time we’ve already managed something we never did with Silver Dream - we’ve actually changed the name and on her relaunch in 2010 she will be known as Bandicoot, not because I like computer games but because of the connection to The Daintree Rainforest in Australia which is a very special place for myself and my wife.
