FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

Friends are those people with whom you can share your thoughts, ideas, aspirations, a good laugh and a ready pair of hands to help fix things. But what if that friend has a boat. We’ve all heard at the bar someone at sometime sharing the pearl of wisdom “The best boat is the one owned by your mate”. Ha, ha, good one. Boat owners generally don’t mind this unfortunate ignorance from mates because the owner has learnt that part of the pleasure of boat ownership is sharing the energising, life enriching experiences of being out on the water, racing, passage making or sitting there fishing. Then there’s the bloke who has owned a boat but doesn’t anymore. It might be a situation of being between boats, or changing circumstances, priorities needing to be considered. Well, that’s me now, the one without a boat. It’s not hard living without a boat, it’s just better having one. Frankly, it’s a lot better. This brings me back to my original musings.

While a 25 year badge-holding member of the CYCSA, the berth has been sold and a fourth boat unlikely unless a pending inheritance includes a sizable (and surprising) bundle of cash from under the mattress. But it’s OK; I’ve got friends with boats. The bloke seen occasionally wandering the marinas, checking a mooring line, turning off a dripping tap, lifting his face to the sky and sniffing the salty breeze, he’s not me. But he may be boatless. One friend I’ve sailed with for four decades, on his boat and mine. He’s generous by nature and shows empathy to this boatless friend. I like helping him with maintenance and enjoy the opportunities to share times out on the water. I’m another pair of hands and he’s a friend with benefits.