Zen Roots: or the story of an Iroquois that just wants to be loved…

Neither of us had done any sailing. We would learn. Alex had read loads of books on the subject in the last year! And seasickness? That was another reason to buy a catamaran as it would be more stable. It was the price which held us up. So we started looking at monohulls because of this and despite the seasickness issue. However, all the advantages of a multihull were very obvious to us. And it was then that a little bit of magic happened. Or at least the magic of social media. We happened upon a catamaran that was really not that expensive: a 1971 Iroquois. Small and in need of some TLC, but accessible to us.

It was a tall order: from the photos it really, really needed some serious attention. We decided to go and check it out anyway. The first word which comes to mind when I think of the first time that we saw it, is disappointment. Water in the bilges. Rotten wood and a musty smell. That was the challenge! Obviously Alex came back ecstatic after seeing the outside of the boat. It was his turn to be starry eyed. “A catamaran! We’ve finally found a catamaran at a more than reasonable price!”  

A few days later we officially became the owners… 

Boat:              Iroquois 30 MKII, 1971

Who :              Léo, Charlotte, Mélissa & Alex

Where :           Florida

Blog :              www.zenroots.com