How It All Started

We ordered Elvin Ray, our 2021 Ranger Tug R-23, in June of 2020.  The COVID-19 pandemic was well underway.  We chose Edgewater Yacht Sales (ModernTugs.com) as the dealer we wanted to work with.  

To explain why, we have to go back to 2017.  I first saw a Ranger Tugs yacht on a show I watch every week called ShipShapeTV, which is focused on boat improvement and maintenance.  Andrew Custis was showing off the R-29S.  I called Lisa in from the other room to watch that segment again, and we knew we had to see it in person.  I checked the Ranger Tugs web site, and their next show was the 2017 FLIBS (the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show).  We bought tickets, booked flights/hotel, and off we went for a long weekend trip. 

FLIBS is a HUGE, in-water boat show - one of the largest.  We got to see the R-29, and several other models at the show; but, more importantly, we got to meet Emile Petro from Edgewater Yacht Sales.  We told him owning a yacht like this was a dream at that point, but he spent time with us on the different models - even on our return trips to their display.  Of course, we looked at other boats at the show.  But we kept coming back to Ranger Tugs.  Talk about love at first sight!  

Next, we went north - way north - to Boston every February in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to the New England Boat Show.  It was always held around Valentines Day. It is a large indoor boat show that allowed us to see Ranger Tugs in person.  We saw the introduction of the R-23, the new R-25, as well as a lot of other boats that would be considered in the same class over those three years.  We looked at a lot of other boats from Regal, Jeanneau, Beneteau, and others in an effort to find a reason to not buy a Ranger Tug.  Obviously, we couldn’t.  

We had decided that the R-23 was the right boat for us.  All boats are a compromise, and the R-23 fit what we wanted to use her for; to trailer her to coastal locations for weekend/week long cruising - just the two of us, most of the time. The last thing to do was ride one. Emile arranged for us to do a test ride of an R-23 in Pensacola and we placed the order that day.

So, that’s why in June 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, we decided to order our own Ranger Tug R-23 with an October 2020 delivery date.