Tweet
While sifting through pictures recovered from the fire damaged remnants of my Mother's long-time home, and speaking with many friends and family leading up to her Memorial this coming weekend. I have pieced together a background involving old boats that I had little to no previous knowledge of.
My known history of boats started with the love of hydroplanes dating back to 1973 when I was 7, man and machine plus ingenuity= cool looking and sounding machines. Financial reality kept me out of a real boat until my sister started dating a guy that was restoring his family's vintage 1956 Hollywood Runabout. I was 11, our carport was the base of operations, with many a weekend spent gathering chemical burns from stray varnish remover. Irony #1: This Sunday's obituary netted an e-mail from my sister's long-ago "boat rebuilding" boyfriend within 10 minutes of finding a photo of him and I working on his mahogany 15 footer. See pic. 1
At 13, I built my first sailboat from plans found in an old "Popular Science" magazine...actually I built 2, my junior high shop teacher said that he would let me work nights and weekends and get great deals on wood, bronze screws, wood and help pay for my virginal experience with two-part flotation foam as long as I built him a copy.(Irony #2: the metal shop class next door, was being taught by a dude that 10 years later ended up marrying my sister and is still my brother-in-law.)
Last week, I received a call from my father asking about my Mother's passing. Keep in mind that I have had little contact with him since I was 3...a broad ranging conversation ensued. At one point I mentioned my old boat disease, listing some of the collection, and discussing renovations in progress. He soon added that before I was born, our family owned a 1956 Sande Ace with 40hp Merc power that they would launch at Kenmore to waterski. In relating this call to my older sister, she remembered riding in the Sande that they had re-varnished and dubbed "Slough Runner". (Irony #3: Since the club is again having the Slough Run and we are preparing a Stiletto for it, I called him and asked for more memories of the Sande Ace named "Slough Runner". He laughed at the great times he had back in the day-Racing the Slough. Recounting one incident without delay-While towing a waterskiing buddy they drifted around the turn under a bridge, only to see that a tree had fallen across the slough blocking further progress...his split second decision found the trio 50' up the back lawn of a nice home, smack dab in the middle of a family BBQ. He laughs again, and in trademark deep voice fashion: states that the host walks up naturally, "would you like a beer".) See pic 2-not our Sande but one of similar color scheme from www.sandeace.com
I sorted the final group of partially burned photos today, An antique album containing photos of my grandfather "took the cake". I barely knew him but recall that he worked on ships, the grainy photos show him with icebergs in the foreground and a de-masted shipwreck that they arrived at this unholy place:aboard. Wish that I could hear his stories today...see pic 3
Is it possible that the love of vintage boats can be part of ones DNA?
My known history of boats started with the love of hydroplanes dating back to 1973 when I was 7, man and machine plus ingenuity= cool looking and sounding machines. Financial reality kept me out of a real boat until my sister started dating a guy that was restoring his family's vintage 1956 Hollywood Runabout. I was 11, our carport was the base of operations, with many a weekend spent gathering chemical burns from stray varnish remover. Irony #1: This Sunday's obituary netted an e-mail from my sister's long-ago "boat rebuilding" boyfriend within 10 minutes of finding a photo of him and I working on his mahogany 15 footer. See pic. 1
At 13, I built my first sailboat from plans found in an old "Popular Science" magazine...actually I built 2, my junior high shop teacher said that he would let me work nights and weekends and get great deals on wood, bronze screws, wood and help pay for my virginal experience with two-part flotation foam as long as I built him a copy.(Irony #2: the metal shop class next door, was being taught by a dude that 10 years later ended up marrying my sister and is still my brother-in-law.)
Last week, I received a call from my father asking about my Mother's passing. Keep in mind that I have had little contact with him since I was 3...a broad ranging conversation ensued. At one point I mentioned my old boat disease, listing some of the collection, and discussing renovations in progress. He soon added that before I was born, our family owned a 1956 Sande Ace with 40hp Merc power that they would launch at Kenmore to waterski. In relating this call to my older sister, she remembered riding in the Sande that they had re-varnished and dubbed "Slough Runner". (Irony #3: Since the club is again having the Slough Run and we are preparing a Stiletto for it, I called him and asked for more memories of the Sande Ace named "Slough Runner". He laughed at the great times he had back in the day-Racing the Slough. Recounting one incident without delay-While towing a waterskiing buddy they drifted around the turn under a bridge, only to see that a tree had fallen across the slough blocking further progress...his split second decision found the trio 50' up the back lawn of a nice home, smack dab in the middle of a family BBQ. He laughs again, and in trademark deep voice fashion: states that the host walks up naturally, "would you like a beer".) See pic 2-not our Sande but one of similar color scheme from www.sandeace.com
I sorted the final group of partially burned photos today, An antique album containing photos of my grandfather "took the cake". I barely knew him but recall that he worked on ships, the grainy photos show him with icebergs in the foreground and a de-masted shipwreck that they arrived at this unholy place:aboard. Wish that I could hear his stories today...see pic 3
Is it possible that the love of vintage boats can be part of ones DNA?
Thanks again.
Comment