the Scuffy - 35. Chapter 35

Driving to work, “You said a possibility of a new boat, what did you mean?”

“I talked to Tony from the ship yard, he said he just got a boat in that the owner wants to sell. I said I’d look at it this afternoon. I’ll take the boys to strip the boat and to say goodbye.”

My heart wasn’t in my work, Marge noticed something as soon as we stopped for coffee and breakfast. “What’s wrong boys?”

Glen told her about the boat.

“Don’t worry, it’ll work out.”

“Glen, I’m going to need to work through lunch. Missing yesterday will cause a back log.”

“Okay, I’ll bring lunch.”

Instead of leaving at three, I left at four. I need to come up with a better way of logging the activity of the day.

Glen drove home, “Stella said not to worry about the fish, you can double the amount when you resume fishing.” I laughed.

Pulling into the drive way, all of the boys were waiting on the porch. For the first time today, I smiled. “Hey, ready to go and say goodbye to our boat?”

There wasn’t a smile, I saw a few tears.

“Boys, this isn't the end, it may be a new beginning . You’ll see before long we’ll be back catching fish,”

Glen and I went and changed into our sweats. Nicky was backing the truck out of the garage. “Glen, we need to put the chests in the garage. Just take the two small ice chests for any food left on the boat.”

Jamie was backing the car out of the garage, Scott, Charles and Johnny were sitting in the car. I got in and told Jamie where to drive. Looking out the back, I could see Nicky following us.

Approaching the ship yard, I saw our boat on wooden supports sitting in the yard. I heard a few sighs from the back seat. I saw Tony coming and walked to meet him.

“Kev, the man who destroyed your motor may have done you a favor. Look here” Tony moved to the starboard side, he grabbed a board and pulled, it broke in pieces. “From what I can tell the whole undercarriage is rotten.”

“I need to get the boys stripping her.”

I saw the boys looking, Charles and Peter had tears as they touched her.

“Boys, we need to get all of the sheets and pillow cases. Nicky you need to get the charts. This is the key to the safe, you need to get the petty cash box. Check the fridge and freezer for any food, also the cabinets.”

“You don’t need to worry about the food, the boys cleaned the fridge and freezer. Now come with me, I think you need cheering up.”

I followed Tony to a building, he opened the sliding door, “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful”

“It could be yours. The man who owns this bought it so he could get away from his wife, she heard him telling that to a neighbor, now he has to sell it. He wants 110,000 for it. What do you say?”

“Can I look?”

“Sure” Tony rolled over a ladder.

I walked into the cabin, it was like walking into a fancy dining room, leather seats around a mahogany table. The galley had all of the equipment plus a four burner propane stove. “This is beautiful”

“Wait” Tony opened a door which led down a flight of steps. At the base he turned right and opened a door. “This is the bottom of the holding tanks, there are two which I’ll show you when we go back up. What I want to show you are the winches.” As he pointed out the secured fastenings, “These fastenings are repeated at the base as well. Look, you could pick up your old boat with these winches.”

I followed Tony, as we left that room we continued along a corridor till he came almost to the center of the boat. He flipped a switch, I looked and counted eight cabins.

“There’s a Captain’s cabin and seven cabins equipped with bunk beds. At the far end are two heads equipped with showers and the door in the middle leads to the engine room. On either side of the engine room are holding tanks for shrimp and lobster. Those winches are mounted the same way as in the bow.”

Tony opened the door to the engine room, I almost cried, there were two of the most beautiful engines I ever saw. “These units will give you two hundred fifty hp, each.”

“Where’s the fuel storage and water storage?”

“In the keel, water is stored in a thousand gallon stainless steel tank and the fuel is stored in a similar stainless steel tank. Both are filled from the top.”

“Let’s go up top, I’d like to check the holding tanks.”

The holding tanks were more than what I had, they were almost double. I looked up and the bridge was over the dining area.

“What do you think?”

“I’ll have a check for you Monday. I need you to paint the name on it. The Peter Charles”

Tony laughed, “Come and sign the papers”

“Glen, come and sign the papers, I bought a boat.”

“Don’t I get to see it first?”

“No, trust me”

Once the papers were signed, “Glen, have the boys finish stripping the boat?”

“Yes”

“Get them and ask them to follow me. Tony, I didn’t get a chance to check the cabins, mind if I do that?”

“It’s your boat”