Monday, August 18, 2008

Boat Characters

The boating world, you will find, is unusually rich with unusual characters.

One such character is Bill. We have hired him to help us with some of the more technical tasks of getting the boat ready for cruising. He has been a God-send.

I was introduced to him through the guy we bought our Monitor windvane from. But proving that the sailing world is indeed very small, I already knew him (sort of).

It turns out I had met him, very briefly, five years ago in Cabo when I crewed during the 2003 Baja haha.

Bill wasn't actually part of the race; instead, he single-handedly sailed a small plastic classic boat, shadowing some friends who were doing the rally. Afterwards, he sailed on to Hawaii, then back to the US, and then went down the coast again to South America.

Having sailed that entire route solo, he had to be uber-prepared for all emergencies. He therefore has a keen eye for those systems and structures that might give trouble while at sea.

Did I mention that on his last sail, while in Peru, he found himself an Incan wife? They now have a baby and are living on a friend's boat in Berkeley, which he sails over to Richardson's Bay. Together, they anchor out while he works on our boat.

He is....a true "boat character!"

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