Old man Took.......
2005-02-16

Well I got 10 more minutes of tanning in, the snow is mostly gone and my shoulders are ready to fall off. The filling and fairing of the keel is now finished and a second coat of the most toxic stuff known to man (Balt0plate bottom paint) has been applied.
I lost several brain cells to the above product for the modest cost of only $170 a gallon. Nice huh?. This paint is about 50% solvents and you can catch a buzz for 15 feet away if your not use to the stuff. Me? I just get a headache.
It's weird the things you think of doing no mind work like painting. For no reason the old guy at the previous boatyard popped his way in. I had just bought a new to me boat and it was the crown jewel in the crappy marina we called home at the time.
It was a shiny black and gold 36' racing sloop with the prettiest lines on the bay. It turned heads where ever we went and especially so at el crapo marina where most of the boats had see wayt better days. We docked at el crapo because A: it was cheap and B: well see A:
The boat was there for a few months and friends started telling me that some old guy was sitting on my boat every nice day. Us boat folks tend to be protective of each other and they were concerned. As far as I could see he never tried to get inside and never made a mess so I wasn't overly worried, curious yes, worred not so much.
One really nice fall day I bailed out of work early and headed to the boat to do a few chores. I had a sandwich and a six pack and wasn't even thinking about what my friends had said until I saw him as I walked down the dock.
He was maybe 70 and wore an old red sweater and a black greek fishermans hat that had seen better days. He was sitting in the cockpit propped up against the cabinhouse reading a book. Beside him were the remains of a sandwich and a thermos of something. I never did ask what. He looked to all the world like a proud yacht owner just kicking back and enjoying the sunshine.
He nodded as I walked up the dock and said nice day huh? I agreed and we chatted for a bit. Eventually we got around to the boat and I said something about how nice it was. He started to say yes, but I could see a look come to his eyes, the kind of look little kids get when you catch them tipping over the neighbors trash or shaving the cat. It was kind of sad to see that look in the old dude. It wasn't what I was after.
He said rather than asked, this is your boat huh? I said it was an motioned for him to sit back down. He started into a speil on how he only just sat there and never took anything or went below.
I told him I knew that and had known for a while that he had been having lunch here and that I didn't mind. I told him it was nice having somebody keeping any eye on things during the day and that he could continue doing what he had been with my permission. I even offered him a sail someday.
The thanked me, picked up his stuff and said he had to be going. I shook his had and watched as he slowly walked down the dock and out of sight. I knew dispite my offers that I'd never see him again. How can a place to have lunch compete with the dream of owing your boat and sailing away from lifes troubles? I had burst the the bubble and the boat was no longer his. It now had a face and a real person attached to it.
I wondered what ever happened to that old man... I hope he another place to sit, and dream and pretend he was king of the world. For a while he was... and life goes on.

Previous - Next