Hi folks. Rick and Carolyn here. Yes, our Garcia Exploration 45 ‘Snow Gum’ is for sale. 🙂 We’ve enjoyed a wonderful adventure in learning with this magnificent sailing machine, ironing out the wrinkles and preparing it for a fantastic future. We sailed from Cherbourg, to Jersey, to England, Wales and Scotland. Summer in the Outer Hebrides was very special. On the trip back to Cherbourg it was fun to go to familiar places and see friends we’d made along the way. As mentioned, it’s the perfect time for us to keep this boat. And it’s the perfect time for us to sell this boat. It’s also the perfect time for someone to buy this boat. We know there’s lots of people out there who want it. Someone is going to be lucky.

We decided to let you know now that Snow Gum is for sale, rather than waiting until after the engine is sorted out. We didn’t want to delay the announcement; we know that people are making plans. Better to know earlier than later.

The engine has been a disappointment, but the problem is being fixed under warranty by Volvo. Garcia’s most excellent Warranty Manager and the Garcia design team here in Cherbourg are working with the local Volvo Service Agent, the agency that certified the original engine installation. We have the right people on the job. We’ve been impressed with the energy they have put into this and expect a good resolution very soon.

The problem has been difficult to diagnose. The coupling has been replaced. The gearbox has been replaced. The noise is getting worse. It must be the engine. That’s where we’ve all got to and the next step is to lift the engine out and, most probably, put a new one straight in. We’ll keep everyone updated. While this is a new experience for us as owners, it’s a matter of routine for the boating industry here in Cherbourg. Notwithstanding, we are all moving forward slowly and prudently (under my leadership because I care about it the most – Rick) to get the best result.

There’s around 100 videos on our Sailing Snow Gum channel showing what this wonderful boat is all about. If we’ve missed an important aspect that you as a prospective buyer would like more information on, please ask. We will add a list of the boat’s features to this description soon.

The sale will include the following equipment, all one year old or less, lightly or never used and well cared for:
tender – AB 10 UL
outboard – Tohatsu 9.8 4 stroke
liferaft – Viking RescYou Pro 4 person
EPIRB – McMurdo SmartFind G8 AIS
handheld radio – Icom IC-M37 VHF, with accessory handset and AAA battery pack
satcom – Iridium GO! with external antenna accessory kit and 4 x SIM cards
lifevests – 2 x Spinlock Deckvest 6D with Harness Release System and RescueME MOB1 man overboard transmitters. 2 x Spinlock Deckvest Vito (never worn)
safety lines – 2 x Spinlock deckware series 3 Clip Stretch DW-STR/03/C
folding bikes – 2 x Brompton Superlight titanium models, black and red
18V power tools – comprehensive, TOTL set of Metabo tools including drill, tapping drill, angle grinder, sabre saw, bit-driver, circular saw, vacuum cleaner, inspection lamp and torch, with seven 5.5 Ah batteries and two chargers
spare parts – lots of filters and fuses, anodes, toilet pump, lubricants, coolant, grease, Loktite, adhesives, tapes, etc
dehumidifier – MEACO DD8L Zambezi, with dust making ioniser that can be turned off!
Jerry cans – 2 x 25 litre for water. 1 x 5 litre for diesel for pre-filter changing
More stuff to be advised.