This is our sailboat. It’s a MacGregor 26M hybrid sailboat to be exact. We recently docked it at the Mill Bay Marina for a month. My husband works on a Dive Support Vessel in the Gulf of Mexico and his schedule is conducive to play when he is home. We had planned to get some sailing done while he is home. He worked hard to remove the boat from its trailer and apply anti-fouling paint to the bottom. This took longer than is should have because the weather was uncooperative.
The first kink in our plan.
Eventually, the weather cooperated enough for this task to be completed. With the assistance of a neighbour, the boat was safely returned to the trailer, launched and docked. We are ready to go; or so we thought.
A couple of days later, my husband and the helpful neighbour trekked down to the marina to go for a quick test run.
Upon departing from the marina, they were flagged down by a man on the dock. He needed help. His boat had slipped its mooring and was drifting away. It was Breezy to the rescue.
Well, as the saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.” In the course of rescuing the wayward vessel, the rigging of both boats got tangled and our mast was damaged.
The final kink in our plan.
Our sailing plans have been dashed.
This is where Ezra comes in. I’ve never met Ezra. In fact, I haven’t spoken to him personally. Boat stuff is my husband’s domain. Ezra works for Blue Water Yachts in Seattle. The website is functional, at best, and lacks appeal. If you were to base your opinion of the company solely upon it, you would most likely search for a more “hip and up-to-date” company. Blue Water Yachts doesn’t have a “social” profile. Yet, if you ask where is the best place to get parts for your Mac26, people will consistently recommend Blue Water Yachts and emphatically recommend Ezra.
How do I know this? Partly because of past experience in purchasing parts for our boat and partly because I belong to a MacGregor Owners Facebook Page. Any time there is a question about where to find a MacGregor part, Blue Water Yachts and Ezra are highly recommended.
My long-winded prologue is this; Word-Of-Mouth works! We can have the best laid marketing plan on the planet, and marketing is important, but the way people tend find you is based on a good word from someone who has experienced great customer service.
Word-of-mouth has great value. Others share it, they are ready and willing to tell you about their experience. They will include it emails, articles, blogs, social media posts etc.
In this instance, it has become content.
P.S. After a day’s drive to Seattle, involving ferries and border crossings, a new mast was purchased. My husband did get to meet Ezra.