Does your boat have a sole? Of course it does. You couldn’t walk on it with that particular feature. It is an important part of the vessel’s construction. Now that that’s explained, I have one more question. Does your boat have soul?
I ask this sitting on my old girl. It’s been a challenging week with old amenities. Lack of space and storage. Thin mattress bunking accommodations. Cold showers unless we run the engine. The list can go on and on.
Have we thought about another boat? Of course. But as I sit on this sweet girl who is effortlessly swaying in the wind as the sun is waiting to rise, I have to put my sore back on the back burner because what hits me most in these tranquil moments are the memories.
We raised two kiddos on this girl. This was before Wi-Fi and access to everything on our phones. Days were spent fishing ( not catching), dinghy rides, and exploring anchorages up and down Long Island Sound.
Sleeping quarters were argued over. The head was monitored. Snacks in abundance. Whispered conversation in the cockpit when the boys finally fell asleep, and we wanted adult time we had to decompress from event-filled days.
My love would hook a rope and swing it out to spinnaker pole so the kids could go flying into the sea.
It was loud. It was crowded. It was stinky. Sometimes it was pure chaos stuffed into 36 feet. But most of all it was bliss. We were always aware that these moments were fleeting, as sports and spending time with their friends would overrule being stuck on the boat with the parents.
But every moment we had is forever carved into the vessel’s memory.
While I won’t expose her age, because a lady deserves discretion, she was well loved before us and will be loved after we move onto a boat more suitable to our growing-older bones and needs. She deserves to have her sails flown freely while doing a close-hauled reach. For Fritos to be crunched on the cockpit floor from a summer lunch eaten in exuberance because everyone just wants to get back into the water. Sunscreen and sand splashed around her from a day of adventure.
What will our next girl look like? I don’t know. I do know she will have amenities that this Squall Girl has earned. Believe me, the list is long. The main requirement is that she will be big enough to accommodate our growing family as my boys move on to their next chapters of life. One day we will have little feet on board again. Goldfish crackers aplenty crumble on the sole of the decks. Swimming noodles and the noise of laughter will once again imprint on the boat as new memories are made.
Until then, I will sit here and watch the sunrise and count my blessings that this beautiful boat and this beautiful life are all mine. My soul is happy and full.
