"My stupid ex-boyfriend is a commitment-phobe. So I guess it's no surprise that he wasn't up to the commitment involved in owning a boat. Like every other good thing in his life, my stupid ex-boyfriend walked away from a beautiful sailboat and left me to pick up the pieces."
So begins an online ad on Kijiji posted by Rosalyn Stevens. She called it "Buy my stupid ex-boyfriend's boat. It's cheap, like his excuses.” Stevens and her ex are both sailors. When he set sail from her life, she ended up with one boat too many. It turns out a broken heart makes for one motivated seller
But is she a jilted lover, or clever marketer? It turns out to be a little bit of both. The story is true, but Stevens is also a publicist by trade. She's hoping her boyfriend bashing will help get the ad noticed. The ex is in on her plan. "He's actually one of my best friends. Um, he wasn't when I wrote the ad," says Stevens.
The ad has generated some interesting responses. "I've had some people say you go girl. Just take him down,” she says. "Other people saying well no wonder he dumped you. You're crazy."
Others say they don't want to see the boat. They want to see her. She's getting offers from across the country - for dates! It seems her new-found single status has not gone unnoticed. "So I replied with hey the boat's for sail but I'm not," laughs Stevens.
Stevens says the price she's asking for the Alberg 22 sailboat is a deal -- 18-hundred and fifty dollars. And for the lucky buyer, it comes with a one-of-a-kind story. She says "picture them sitting up there in the cockpit with their drinks and telling the story about how they got this boat from some stupid ex-boyfriend."
