The journey started a few weeks before Christmas 2017.
An ad for a Pearson 35 appeared on Craigslist. I had been watching the “Boats for Sale” section for the past two months and just about gave up trying to find any deals. After an exchange of e-mails with the owner we agreed on a date and time to view the boat.
The boat had some known problems: The sails were in bad shape, a few through-hull valves were seized (at least one in the “open” position), the bilge pump was non-functional, and the diesel engine would not start. I would not be hauling the boat out to inspect the hull so there was a possibility of additional unknown problems below the waterline.
The boat had more problems than I anticipated, but I decided to make an offer anyway. I made an offer below the already low asking price. To my surprise it was accepted without a counter offer. The weather had recently turned really cold and snowy and they were motivated to sell.
A condition of sale was the sellers had to move the boat to a nearby marina of my choosing. 
They had been living aboard at anchor in the waters of Liberty State Park just about in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. A few snowy days later on a chilly December day with the high temperature of just 22 F, a tired old 9.9 hp two-stroke outboard pushed the boat to a marina 11 miles away.
Merry Christmas to me!