Today, I watched the Moody Blue pull away from the dock without me. I felt oddly out of place, not being aboard her as I always had in the past. As I watched 12 years (has it been that long!) of memories and adventures swing out of sight, I shed a few tears. While I know that memories are truly in my mind and not tied to physical things, it still tugs at my heartstrings to see something like that go.
During the past couple of months, we have made several trips to Sayward specifically to show the Moody Blue to potential buyers. A number of people have been very interested in her, but no one has yet come up with an offer. On May 11th, we showed her to a couple who were looking to replace their old wooden fish boat with a newer fiberglass boat. It had taken a while to get this meeting set up, between bad weather and poor cell phone connections. However, the couple had been remarkably patient and persistent, so I had a feeling that they were really serious about buying. On Friday, May 13th, they phoned us with a reasonable offer, and so the deal was struck.
On May 19th, we took our last trip aboard the Moody Blue, with the little Olive K. in tow. The Moody Blue behaved like the perfect lady – I guess she knew that she would have to make an impression.
We had a good chuckle when we sw the new owners. They had come prepared for any possible problems, with a spare skiff, outboard motor, and various and sundry repair and emergency gear. The Moody Blue was solidly complacent, just waiting to get on with another adventure. I think she will be happy going back to work fishing, which is where she really belongs, now that we don’t need her as a freighter.
So we are both happy and sad – happy that the Moody Blue has a new owner, happy that we now have some money to replace the Awen’s engine, but sad to say goodbye to a faithful old friend.
Image: The Awen and the Olivia K.