Canadian Yachting June 2019 - 62

C R O S S IN G T H E L IN E

B y J o h n M o rris

G e n t ly D o w n
th e S tre a m
S o m a n y e xc ite d C Y re a d e rs h a v e w ritte n to te ll m e h o w m u c h
th e y a d o re th e n e w B o a tflix stre a m in g se rv ic e th a t I h a d to try it
fo r m y se lf.
B e sid e s c o u n tle ss e p iso d e s o f L o v e B o a t a n d S u rfsid e 6 , ju st
lik e m o st c a b le c h a n n e ls, th e stre a m h a s a lo t o f re a lity sh o w s.
T w o so rts o f th e m c a u g h t m y e y e a n d e sp e c ia lly th a t o f C a p ta in
C a t - o n b o a rd b a k in g c o m p e titio n s a n d b o a t re n o v a tio n se rie s.
S h e c a n w a tc h th o se fo r d a y s a n d n o w th a t d e lig h t h a s c o m e
o n to th e b o a t.
T h e b a k in g sh o w s se e m e n d le ss - D o n u ts in th e L o c k e r is
g o o d , b u t sh e p re fe rs T h e G re a t C a n a d ia n P ro p a n e
c o o k in g G a s-o ff. In th a t, a m a te u r b o a tin g b a k e rs a tte m p t to c o m p le te th e ir m a ste rp ie c e s
w h ile th e b o a t is u n d u la tin g o n its
m o o rin g a n d b e fo re th e y ru n o u t o f
fu e l, h o u rs a w a y fro m a re -fillin g
fa c ility.
O n a re c e n t e p iso d e , a c o u p le fro m
F le e t 4 N a n a im o c o m p le te d a c a k e in
th e sh a p e o f a T h u n d e rb ird c la ss lo g o
u sin g o n ly in d ig e n o u s in g re d ie n ts:
S a sk a to o n b e rrie s, b irc h sy ru p a n d b iso n
p e m m ic a n . In th e tra d itio n o f th e fle e t,
th e y to p p e d th e ir c re a tio n w ith fla k e s o f
d a m p p ly w o o d th a t in th e w o rd s o f th e ju d g e s
g a v e it a d e lic io u s te xtu re w ith a se d u c tiv e h in t o f
tw o -p a rt e p o xy. "It's lik e e a tin g a slic e o f w e st c o a st b o a tin g tra d itio n o n ly a b it h a rd e r o n th e sy ste m ."
B y lo a d in g th e B o a tflix stre a m o n to a "sm a rt" sc re e n
R a y m a rin e F ish fin d e r, y o u c a n w a tc h T V w h ile y o u c o n tin u e to
n a v ig a te . T h a t c a n h a v e th e o d d a w k w a rd o u tc o m e in te rm s o f
g ro u n d in g s b u t th e e n te rta in m e n t v a lu e is w e ll w o rth th e in c o n v e n ie n c e o f c a llin g th e C o a st G u a rd fo r th e o c c a sio n a l e m e rg e n c y re sc u e .
T h e o th e r p o p u la r re a lity g e n re o n th e stre a m is b o a t re n o
sh o w s a n d th e re a re d o ze n s, a ll m o re o r le ss th e sa m e : th e o w n -

62

C a n a d ia n Y a c h t in g

e rs d o n 't lik e th e ir b o a t, th e g u ru s m a k e a g lo ssy p la n to re n e w
th e m , th e n tim e ru n s o u t a n d e v e ry o n e 's ru sh in g . In th e e n d ,
th e y lo v e th e ir b o a t m o re th a n e v e r, u n c o n c e rn e d a b o u t th e v a st
o v e rsp e n d in g a n d p e rso n a l tria ls in th e ir re la tio n sh ip . T h e h a n d y
b o a t re n o v a to rs b e a m k n o w in g th a t th e ir ra tin g s a re b o o m in g
a n d th e re re m a in s a n e n d le ss su p p ly o f b o a ts fo r th e m to fix u p .
O f th is g ro u p , p e rh a p s m y fa v o rite is L o v e it o r L ist it
G a n a n o n q u e . T h e b o a t in q u e stio n is u n liv a b le , th e c u sh io n s
d o n 't m a tc h , th e h e a d h a s p la stic flo w e rs in it a n d th e a ft c a b in
h a s m ism a tc h e d sh e e ts. T h e d e c o ra to rs c o m e in ; m e a n w h ile th e
sh a m e d o w n e rs a re w h isk e d to M o n a c o w h e re th e y
lo o k a t a se rie s o f stu n n in g y a c h ts th a t a re m illio n s o f d o lla rs o v e r th e ir b u d g e t. W h e n th e y
g e t b a c k to th e ir 2 6 -fo o t b o a t, it h a s th e
sp a c e o f a 4 0 , p o w e r v a c u u m h e a d fixtu re s a n d a ro tisse rie tu rk e y tu rn in g g lo rio u sly o n th e h u g e fo u r-b u rn e r ra n g e
in th e g a lle y.
I a lso n e v e r m iss B o te s o n B o a ts.
M ik e B o te s sto rm s a b o a rd , la u g h s a t
th e h o rro r h e fin d s in th e w irin g , sh a k y
b u lk h e a d s a n d m ism a tc h e d d a v its. H e
a n d h is te a m rip in to th e b o a t w e a rin g tsh irts th a t sa y, "D o it rig h t th e se c o n d tim e "
a c k n o w le d g in g b o a te rs in a b ility to d o a n y th in g
rig h t in itia lly.
T h e n th e re 's th e V e e B e rth B ro th e rs, id e n tic a l tw in s fro m
V a n c o u v e r w h o c h e e rfu lly sh o w u p a n d tu rn a fa irly o rd in a ry
b o a t in to a g o rg e o u s m a rin e sh o w p ie c e fo r $ 1 4 5 b y re c y c lin g o ld
fe n d e rs a n d lo ts o f c u sh io n s w ith n a u tic a l m o tif.
A s a re su lt o f h a v in g th is w o n d e rfu l p ro g ra m m in g a v a ila b le
rig h t o n b o a rd , w e ra re ly g e t o ff th e d o c k a n y m o re . B u t w o w ,
w h e n it c o m e s to b a k in g o r re d e c o ra tin g th e u p h o lste ry, w e 're
n a u tic a l m a ste rs.
C o m in g n e xt tim e : R e a l W a k e b o a rd in g H o u se w iv e s o f
K e lo w n a a n d S a y Y e s to th e C o c k p it C u sh io n s.

J U N E 2 0 19
Canadian Yachting June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting June 2019
