Senior Stories

The Senior Membership thread made me think of some stories with some of my older yachtsmen. I'm sure there are others with good stories. Please post.

1. Mr. B, a distinguished and wealthy gentleman in his nineties, had a Cheoy Lee 66 that he cruised in the Great Lakes in the summer and Florida in the winter. As he was at the helm one Spring and starting up the Mighty Miss, his captain said, "Mr. B., I think I should take the helm." Mr. B responded with, "the day I give up driving my own boat is the day I no longer want to be a boater. Make sure of what you're saying." The captain repeated his request. They did a 180 and brought the boat back to FLL and put her up for sale. The day after we closed, Mr. B passed away.

2. B & D had a 65' yacht designed by Krogen. This spry couple couple in their nineties called me one day and asked me to come see their boat about listing it. After looking it over and excited about the listing, I took pictures, wrote it up and at the end of the day, I handed them a Central Listing Agreement to sign. After signing it, I said I would have her posted on the MLS in a few days. They said, "oh no, we don't want you to sell her yet." Not being able to withhold my look of astonishment, I asked what this was all about. They said their kids didn't want the boat but they were finalizing their estate and wanted the listing agreement to be part of their will so all their kids had to do after their demise was pick up the phone and call me.

3, Same B & D called me called me a year later. They were back in Ft. Lauderdale and wanted to see me. After leaving Annapolis, they stayed at a few marinas on their trip south and had a minor mishap at one of them while docking. They knew their inability to handle a 65' steel trawler in tight docking conditions was too challenging for them. After living aboard for 15 years and having crossed the Atlantic twice, they couldn't tolerate the idea of a captain, so they knew it was time to sell. When I went aboard, they had already started moving their personal belongings ashore. I asked where they were planning to move. They said they bought a unit at an assisted living facility. They said they decided to skip the intermediary step of buying a condo. Even tho their new condo was in a 5 star resort, when I visited them 3 months later, they had suddenly aged. They should have hired a captain.

I have more stories, but someone else's turn. This is a good reminder that behind every helm are people with a story and many of them with long lives.

Judy