Four Winns 180 Freedom

The latest news is that I am now a Sea Captain. It runs in the family as my Norwegian great-grandfather was a sailor (who died when I was about 4 years old, but I surely remember his wooden leg very clearly!) Perhaps, I shall soon have one of those too (more on leg trouble later). Also, another great-grandfather was an Army Captain (is that close enough even w/o going to sea?). How do I garner such a title, you might ask? Well, I am now the owner of a sea-worthy vessel of course. Yes, my first boat!! There is nothing like having the Winns at your back whilst cruising the open sea!

The Wicks family has had a boat (used for skiing, fishing, tubing, and meandering) for over two decades, but she finally gave out (she was a fine ship), so a replacement was sought and discovered by Cheryl's brother, Scott, who recently drove across NY (with his fishin' son, Thor) to conduct an inspection and declared this 17 year-old to be a fine adoptee, so the new addition to the family is coming home soon. There will be a slight delay until she is proven to actually float (since the rivers, lakes, bathtubs, etc are frozen over till June).

Thor, who has recently visited China (and has learned many important skills in negotiating retail transactions) was assigned to get the optimum price. He did his best, but unfortunately for me, the dealer failed to understand Mandarin at all! Officially, I get to play the role of "Texas Financier" in this adventure, but the Sea Cptn (honorary) title comes w/ the $$. Scott gets to possess the boat, but has the responsibility for repairs, insurance, maintenance, and storage. I get to bash it upon the rocks once a year to break off the propeller... We each must apply our God-given talents where we can!

The first boat was purchased by C's parents (Dar & Hal) and was a fine craft, but was the sort of expense that eclipsed getting anything else that might be considered superfluous. Thus, she was christened as "Dar's Diamond". To mimic this romantic feeling and perpetuate the myth, our new vessel has a modern and appropo nom-de-fleuve...

I am a man of copious luck
As captain cruising 'mongst wind and duck
Aboard the yacht
That I have bought
Now christened as "Cheryl's Tummy Tuck"

Just to provide the details, she is 17'1" (every inch counts!) in length with a beam of 7'3", weighing 2280 lbs (that is more than 8 of us!) and sports a 175 HP V-6 engine. Enjoy the pictures of our darling new baby! Time for me to learn my port from my starboard and how to tie a bowline...