It’s raining again, but the boat is closer than ever to departure time…..even closer than we were three months ago before we figured out how much was wrong with the boat. A little piece of advice to anyone thinking about buying an old boat…..get a survey. No matter what anyone says about the condition of the boat……get a survey. Sure they’ll miss things, might over react to some others but unless you’ve gone down the old boat route before and know the types of things to look for….get a survey, lest you end up in a boatyard in January and February during one of the coldest winters in recent memory.
Now that that rant is out of the way….Happy Birthday Dad!
Captain Morris....the original
Despite the picture, my dad is neither a giant nor in the business of towing miniature barges around Lilliput. He did however help take care of a friend’s replica mini tugboat last summer. The scale model tug had a small Yanmar that needed starting every few weeks (hmmm…..), small tires on the side and most importantly an air whistle. I went down to Hilton Head one day last summer and we took “Little Toot” on an all day voyage exploring the creeks and marshes around the island. She did a smooth 4 knots and put putted deep up the rivers around the island — it’s amazing how quickly you can get away from it all on a boat, even a slow one……In between the mouths of two creeks was some shoaling that at low tide made a little beach, we came upon a pack of 6 or so young dolphins strand feeding in the mud. It’s something I’ve only seen a few times, it’s a learned behavior for dolphins on the SC/Georgia coastline. They work as a group and round up a school of fish then beach them on the shore, much like Orcas with seal. Nothing beats a day on the water and out in nature.
My dad has been extremely helpful with Illusion in terms of advice and encouragement. Recently, he came up to the boatyard to help me out for the day with his friend Will. They re-terminated the ends on the VHF antenna up the mast — a huge help to me since I’ve been tied up with structural stuff. I tested the VHF the other day and she’s clear as could be.
Dad and Will work while Boomer watches on
Over the last few years, he’s been sailing more offshore with friends — including one passage from the Beaufort/Oriental area this year to Hilton Head non-stop offshore in 30+ knot winds. I’m not sure if he’s crazier than I am or just worse at reading the weather, but either way that’s a tough sail regardless of the boat. There were just two of them sailing 24 hours a day in high seas and difficult conditions — I was impressed.
So here’s to a good ol’ sailor, good friend and all around great guy — Morris Young! Happy Birthday Dad — may the winds always be off the beam (sailors would rather reach….. it’s faster). Thanks for all the help, we’ll be down there soon!