Hadley Story Corner: #6 Dave and his boats (Kim)

 

Dave fell in love with sailing at a very young age. He lived on a street that ended at the shore of Lac St. Louis, in Quebec. He and his siblings spent many a day playing in and on those waters.

Kim tells a wonderful story about all the boats he captained over the years. I wish Dave knew about Kim living on her boat in Gibson. I think he would have gotten a kick out of knowing this. 

Here is the boat Dave and Gordon built. He told me once that it was one of the first “kits” that you could buy. Grandpa Hadley was a carpenter and engineer, so he probably did a lot of the work in building something that stayed afloat.

 

I love this photo for two reasons. The first is the relaxed no-care-in-the-world pose Dave has. It didn’t matter if this was a sunny Sunday afternoon sail or in the middle of a regatta… he was always in his element. Secondly, it looks as though someone told him to put on some sunscreen and instead of doing it properly, he just slathers on a generous amount around is forehead and cheeks.

 

Babs and Uncle Norris with Pat and Dave on their first Tiempo. Dave and Norris are obviously looking for something, but what can it be?

The Nestucca. It was owned by someone Dave knew (not sure how). Dave would go down to Seattle early summer and help the owner bring it up to Vancouver.

Their deal was that the owner and his family would have to boat for June and July. Dave and Pat would then go up to where the owner left the boat and take the boat for August and a bit of September. They were to return the boat to Vancouver and then the owner would take it back to Seattle for winter.

The owner and Dave shared the costs of the upkeep. Dave thought this was a great deal.

 

Dave teaching (maybe) David how to use one of his navigation devises.

 

Dave at the helm. Lia at the bow ready to drop the anchor. Not sure who is on the winch, might be Kim or Chris Mast. What a lovely lovely boat that was!

 

The wonderful Otter One. Dylan catching a fish. Notice the absence of life vest. Notice Dave’s foot resting on the door fame. He is obviously sleeping or reading, but not really overlooking what was going-on on deck.

Thank you, (cc) Andy Blackwood for your music.