Headed home to Southport last week, driving around Mill Cove, I noticed a very substantial motor yacht parked at Donny Wotton's old pier. I was reminded of my boat.
Admittedly, my boat is far less sophisticated and remains securely attached to the trailer it came with. I am pretty sure it floats.
Comparatively, my boat has some distinct advantages. It is much faster than the boat photographed above. My boat reached and sustained speeds above 45 knots on Route 1 in Nobleboro. Imagine my speed had there been a tailwind.
My boat is aluminum and was probably used for worming or clamming. I say this because there is quite a lot of rubber caulk along the bottom seams and covering the through hull fastenings. A hopeful sign is how well it holds rain water though. If it keeps water out as well as it holds water in, we're good!
My boat was built in America; it's a 16-foot Starcraft with a scorching 6 HP Johnson, well broken in.
The big yacht is named Podium.
Please pay attention! You are about to be dazzled by my nautical knowledge.
Podium, formerly Linda Lou, is a 197-foot vessel launched in 2006 by the famous German Lurssen shipyard and refitted at Feadship (Dutch) in 2015. My boat fits its trailer perfectly — no refit necessary.
Podium's top speed is about 16 knots (2 big Caterpillar diesel engines) with a crew of 16 — one knot per person! I'm not sure how fast my boat goes in the water, but I hope to find out before snow flies.
Podium was gone the next day. My Starcraft remains moored to the bumper of our '87 Chevy pick up in the dooryard. A refit is anticipated, but I will need to drain the water first.