High Maintenance Boats

Meeting the newest member of the fleet

After our race the other night, rather than go straight back to the beach, Skipper took a detour through the mooring field.  The Scots and Day Sailers who didn't race were resting at their moorings.

Then Skipper pulled up to a lovely yellow Flying Scot who I had not seen before. She looked almost new. Her yellow and blue hull matched my yellow and blue sails, and her fresh paint glowed in the setting sun. Her sheets were all coiled neatly around her boom, and her lines were all in order. She introduced herself as Flying Scot 652, and said that she was pleased to meet me, and sorry to hear that I'd been sick, and asked how the racing went at Winter Camp.  How did she know all that about me?  how did she know I was at Winter Camp? How did she know I was sick? Only the boats at Winter Camp knew I was sick.  And they didn't get to Summer Camp until after I did so they couldn't have gossiped.

I was about to freak out. Is this some kind of magic boat? Did she stalk me at Winter Camp? Can she read minds?  Then Skipper let me in on the secret. He had told her everything. All about me, all about the Harlot, and all about Mrs. Skipper's plot. He told her everything because FS652 is the newest member of our fleet family!

FS652 told me about this Nice Man who takes old Flying Scots and fixes them up like new. She said that she sat alone and neglected for many years until the Nice Man took her and fixed her up. He gave her new fittings, patched dings, replaced rotted wood, faired her hull and put a new coat of paint on her. Then he and the Skipper traded boats. The Nice Man gave Skipper FS652 and took the Harlot away.

FS652 said that she doesn't want to take any time away from Skipper and me, and that she's just glad to be part of a loving fleet family again. She's going to race with him on Sundays, when Sunfish don't race, and I can race with him on Wednesdays, Saturdays and in traveling regattas. She's content to just stay home on the lake. As a matter of fact, when I raced this week, she was there, right in the front of the mooring field, cheering me on!

Skipper told me that he couldn't have two high maintenance boats on his hands, so he had to do something. That something was getting rid of the Harlot.  He turned Mrs Skipper's suggestion on its head. Instead of getting rid of me for a new Sunfish, he patched me up, got rid of the Harlot and got a friendly new Scot instead.

I don't know what "High Maintenance" means, but I think it's a compliment, so I'll just keep right on being Skipper's "High Maintenance" boat.