See the article that inspired this .... here.

I am Nick's boat.

I am sleek, I am majestic and powerful.

I have been a source of pride for my owner for quite a while now. He gets so little free time in his busy, hectic world and I have become for him a haven; a retreat from everyday life. I cannot count the number of times he has boarded me alone, talking to my deck and engines as if they could answer him. I have heard his secrets; his dreams, his desires, his failures.

His friends know me by name and have also spent wondrous days basking in the sun as we steam through the ocean, my wake bobbing the channel markers, the dolphins playing amidst the waves.

Rarely, he has brought a female companion with him. These are special times for me, for I know he does not take love lightly. In spite of the noise of my engines, their voices are hushed, secretive. Never would I reveal the secrets I have heard, the lovemaking I have witnessed.

I have recently found a new home, a new slip to call my own. My owner has a new retreat, far from my former home in what they call *Tampa*. My new home is in ... well now, that would be giving away too much, wouldn't it? My decks would be trampled by the curious and our privacy would be sullied.

We have spent very little time getting to know our new waters, for my Nick is once again hard at work. We have only ventured out once ... just last week.

Yes, I am sleek, I am majestic and powerful. And as of last Tuesday, I am aground in the Florida Keys.

I am Nick's boat.

6-3-01

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