Back in the mid 70's I would make a 90 mile trip from my hometown to The Sailboat Shoppe in Westfield Indiana several times each summer to view the latest offerings in trailerable sailboats. The Clippers always seemed to stand out because of their looks and price. I remember standing in the cockpit of a blue 26' flushdeck model in 1973 and trying to visualize manning the helm. I dreamed of owning such a fine looking vessel. But knowing that I would be making my mobile home payments of $133 a month for the next 10 years shot that dream all to hell. In 77 I boarded my first Clipper Marine 32 center cockpit model. Wow it was a long way up the boarding ladder to the cockpit while it sat on it's 3 axle trailer. The salesmen must have been busy that afternoon while I spent what seemed liked several hours exploring this blue beauty. I was so enamored with the affordability of the Clippers that in late 77 I was able to secure a floor plan loan to purchase a 21 and a 26. The Clipper people in Texas were good people to work with. Several weeks after placing my first order they called wanting to know when I was going to order the next two. We talked and mutually agreed that maybe I wouldn't want to risk borrowing more money for more boats. I was able to back out of the deal. In retrospect, I think they knew that interest rates were climbing, the market was saturated and I was probably in over my head. I did end up buying that 1973 blue flush deck clipper 26 15 years later. To go full circle in my fantasy, all I need to do is find that blue Clipper 32 abandoned is some storage facility waiting for someone like me to resurrect her.
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