A Beautiful Pea Green Boat

Happily bumbling along through life supporting two teenage dependents on a threadbare income, buying a boat was the furthest thing on my mind.  But as I wistfully scrolled through the boats for sale column I was struck dumb by the sight of a beautiful pea- green boat. Clinker hulled with golden varnished topsides and small in size, she could be my ideal next boat.  But,  clearly I could not afford her.  I clicked the love heart symbol to enter my symbolises wishlist,  and tried to forget about her.  

She sat on a rusty trailer in my favorite riverside village. I could just go and have a look,  my reckless water baby voice beckoned.  My serious,  struggling farther of two with onerous financial responsibilities scolded loudly: "No way you soft headed twit.  There is no way you can afford another boat.  Grow up! What would your ex-wife think!". Little did my Serious Voice realise,  but that last quip came off as more of a challenge.  I had to buy that boat,  I could launch and sail her alone,  have no expensive slipping fees,  and I could sail and smile my way into my senior decades.  Besides,  I could be diagnosed with something terminal and might regret not buying it.  My Romantic Sailor Voice knows my weaknesses.  

It came with a rusty unregistered trailer and a pretty good outboard.  May be,  I could ask to buy without the outboard and ham up the significance of  rust in the trailer in order to cut the cost to half the asking price?  

In short,  it worked! I encouraged Seller Denyse to advertise the engine separately as I poked at the rusty carriage tut tutting. Amazingly she agreed to my offer, not so much because of my tactics,  but  because she loved Jacaranda and could see I did too. "I know she'll go to a good home where somebody loved her", she asserted with a motherly coo.  

Well, noise I was very happy and noting the endnot so poorly off,. The quick sale of a pushbike went a long way to covering Jacaranda's sale price. 

Little did I realise that the initial joy at the time of purchase would deepen to something more intangible over time. Now,  barely a month later, as a joyous refit of trailer and boat proceed, that I sense that Jacaranda is the greatest material gift I have ever been awarded. As I approach retirement and reel to recover financially from divorce proceedings,  I never anticipated a wealthy future. But,  then again,  I never aspired to takes urban variety route to senility.  I want to embrace belt and braces adventure on my own terms, simply and squarely with nature. I desire to slowly cruise waterways less traveled,  to embrace some arduous passages and seek refugee in secluded anchorages where I might choose to quietly reflect, book in hand.  Or go ashore to cook over a campfire or hike to a hilltop,  beach or swimming hole. Jacaranda, a small and modest sail boat will become somewhat of a  magic carpet, tiny home,  mate and companion. 


    "I submit to certain of my friends who are devoted to as arduous and not so healthy hobbies as my own, and yet point contemptuously at the mote in my eye, quite heedless of their own beam. "
E.F.Knight  "The Falcon on the Baltic", (1886).

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