Chicken Soup

It's always good for the soul to visit Beaton's in the winter.  You

immediately don't feel so alone when lamenting about how much

longer it's gonna be until the boat goes in the water.  Everyone's

in the same spot.  It's funny; I look at the names on these boat-

covers and I know about half of them.  As much as things change,

they stay exactly the same, year after year.

This place is like the unspoken choice for winter storage among

the "haves" around these parts.  There's almost a feeling of a

God-given right to rest your catboat on the sacred cinder blocks

of David Beaton and Sons' boatyard.  Besides the Bay itself, I

may like to have some of my ashes accidently dropped along

the lanes of this venerable display of forgotten and not-so-much

forgotten vessels.  When you look at some of these boats and

see that the registration stickers are from last summer, you wonder

how the hell they were able to float!  Testament to the spirit of

the boats themselves, and the determination of the skippers too.  

Bat has been here on the hard for the last two years.  One of the

original A-Cats, every additional year she sits here signals to me

the end of her illustrious racing and,  frankly, sailing career.  The 

only way for her life to be re-kindled would be for someone with

deep pockets to take interest in her and again refurbish her to

her former status as one of the grand ladies of the Bay.  But no-

one around here has any money.

I always wonder who owned or owns this Finn.  It was never a

big class on the bay, but always a world class boat.  Could it have

been sailed by Carl Van Duyne?  Peter Commette? Muzzy Barton?

John Bertrand?  Paul Elvstrom?  This boat would be perfect for

my sized body.  Well at least more buoyant than the Laser. 

Beaton's garvey.  The on-water lifeblood of the boatyard.

First in the water in spring and the last out, probably in December.

I respect this boat so much, I needed to post two pictures of her.

The on-land version of the garvey, this Ford tractor moves boats

of all shapes and sizes, and has done so for untold decades.

The A-Cat "Ghost"'s freshly varnished mast.  You know it's starting

to get nice out when shit like this is lying around on sawhorses.

It looked so wet when I approached it.  How they avoid the

brushmarks is what I'd like to know.

Waterfront view of Beaton's and all 8 channels on TV!

One of the main reasons I come here these days: 

Russ Manheimer's "Sjogin".  He's sometimes hard

to meet up with;  he lives about 15 or 20 minutes away

and comes and goes like the wind itself.

Lines so nice, I had to show her twice.

Vast array of masts and a lot of frigging rigging.

The buoys would like a side of mushrooms.

An old surf boat, presumably from the Lavalette Beach Patrol.