For as long as we have been married, my wife and I have always had the dream that some day we would buy the boat we would own and sail for the rest of our lives. Over the last twenty years we have owned a couple of small, old boats that were good for a day sail or an uncomfortable weekend but limiting in where and how far we would sail. In the last year, we have become empty-nesters and we decided to take the plunge and buy a boat we could cruise with more ambitiously. And it has taken a year to buy that boat. Over that time, we read a lot, researched extensively and were given great advice from various sailing friends and a few professionals whose advice we came to trust. For the benefit of anyone who is buying a boat, I thought I would share our...