Lovestruck we met with the owner that afternoon and shook hands on a deal. What was to say she couldn’t be that again? On top of that, Alexis had always dreamt of owning a wooden catamaran, a dream that had also become my own. It was clear that beneath the mess she had once been a beautiful and much-loved ship. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the fact that we had just spent ten days confined to a small cabin at sea egging each other on, but all we could see was potential. As we peered closer, our reflections distorted on the surface of the stagnant water filling the bilge, it was as if our faces were screaming “Don’t do it!”. On close inspection, we found a hole in the starboard hull. A thick layer of dirt baked into her seams and the sharp smell of guano lingered in the air, burning our noses. Her cabins and berths were ransacked and port holes smashed. Six years left abandoned on the beach at the mercy of countless storms had not been kind to her. Taking a deep breath, we began to inspect the extent of the damage and looked deep into her hulls for all those reasons why this was a bad idea, and of those, there were plenty. Before we arrived the owner had warned us the boat was in need of a serious refit, but neither of us had quite imagined this. It didn’t take long for the feeling of excitement which had brought us here on a ten-day voyage from the Azores to fade. Incredibly confused by two humans climbing on deck they swiftly took flight, leaving behind the spoils and leftovers of their raids littered on every surface. On deck, we could see she had become the favourite perch for a gang of gulls who now stood watch like pirates eyeing our approach. Snails, sponges, sea squirts and other beasties sprawled densely across her length. Her hulls had become home to cities of barnacles. As we approached, we could see the ware of time left abandoned to the elements etched across her frame.
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