I know, I know, been a while. For all you local scribble readers, I have a story for you. And no, it’s not where I have been for the last two or three months, although there is a story to that too, but I’ll leave it for another day! In life, we have all heard that all good things come to an end. Well, I want to share with you all the close of a special time in mine.
This story is about a special lady. She’s gorgeous, with curves and character that turned many heads wherever we went! That made people smile, and stop and stare as we cruised on past them. I’m talkin’ about my boat.
Now, for those who know me, you know I have a 45-foot trawler, Miss Yankee Pride. I have owned her for 13 years, for 10 of which I summered on her from April to October, down at Schooner Landing in Damariscotta.
But now the time has come for me to say goodbye. One might wonder, how does a truck driver with limited means come to own such a gorgeous “lady?” Did he win the lottery? Well, kind of. Let me fill in some blanks here.
See, in 2005, on Fourth of July weekend, I was having an adult beverage one afternoon down at Schooner Landing when a friend invited me to a lobstah bake down in South Bristol. Being a single fellow always on the lookout for a new adventure, I readily accepted and off I went.
Well, the bake was great. About 7 that night, things started winding down and it was time for a new adventure. I decided, being in South Bristol and never having been to Coveside Marina, that maybe it was time to check this place out.
I had heard earlier that my buddy Paul Mellyn was pickin’ some guitar there that night, and I was a big fan of his music. I walked in to find my man Paulie just tuning up and, as it was early still, it was just he and I there. So I bellied up to the bar for another adult beverage and sat back to enjoy.
About that time, a couple of lovely ladies came in and sat down next to me. Me being me, I struck up a conversation with them. One of the gals, a Miss Bunny her name was, really caught this old trucker’s eye, and those who know me know I never saw a dance floor I didn’t like, so I got Paul to play a little boogie music and soon we were on this one!
As the night flowed on, I found out that she had, in the past year, very suddenly become a widow, and was summering in Maine on her boat. Well, as luck would have it, she invited me to come over to Gamage Shipyard, where the boat was docked, the next day for an afternoon adult beverage.
Now, not being all that reflective, I didn’t think to ask her what kind of a boat she had. So when I walked down the gangway at Gamage’s the next day hearing, “Yoo hoo, I’m over here,” I feasted my eyes on not only a lovely lady standing on the fly bridge, but 45 feet of stunning beauty. With loads of teak wood finish and lots of room to move around as well. A galley that was sufficient enough to fix any gourmet meal, and staterooms as nice as any bedroom I had been in. Also, she came equipped with a full head and shower, always a nicety!
I climbed up to the fly bridge for a bird’s-eye view of the surroundings. Now, unless you’ve been on a big vessel, you might not realize how different the view is when you’re 12 or 15 feet off the water when cruising. It’s really different, and great!
Now, I’m gonna leave you here until next week, when I’m gonna tell you some stories and adventures I had over the 10 years I lived aboard. They were great times and memories and I’m excited to share a few of them with you! See ya next week …
Larry Sidelinger
Damariscotta
