Some of y’all might recall the Club 400, our water craft from circa 2012. I’d long forgotten about her, she who sat deflated in our shed lo these many, many moons.
And then earlier this week, LCB emerged from the shed with a giant lump of brightly colored floatation devices, two oars, and a pump. He dumped everything on the deck and gave the kids a charge that went something like this: “Here lie two inflatable boats, two plastic oars, and one dismal-looking pump. Pump up the boats and determine if they are seaworthy. If so, restore them to the glory they once knew. If not, dump them in the trash and content yourself with boogie boards and surf boards. And go with God, my kinfolk.â€
So the kids started with the Pacesetter, one of the two boats. I have no idea where or when we acquired the Pacesetter. I might have blogged about it; I really don’t know because senior moments.
The Pacesetter was great, if you discount the slow leak my eldest discovered early on in the restoration process. He announced its tragic flaw as he carried it down the steps to the beach, yelled “Quick!†to his siblings, and sent it Atlantic bound with siblings in tow.
As it turns out, the inanimate tragic hero had more than one tragic flaw; while things initially went as well as one can expect with a boat one knows will ultimately sink, the coup de grace came earlier than expected.
I heard it before I saw it. The kids’ laughter carried across the water as they realized what I soon would: the bottom fell out of the boat.
And thus, the Pacesetter was laid to rest in a garbage can grave just west of the Atlantic.
This paved the way for the Club 400, which my eldest quickly filled and brought down for further inflatable fun.
“It’s got a slow leak too,†he announced as he dragged it across the sand.
This was unexpected.
He brought the Club 400, circa 2012, to the ocean and the voyaging commenced again.
This time, he journeyed alone, as the younger two became engaged in other pursuits.
Oh, well. All was well in the end,
except, of course, for the Club 400.