Inside Out

Norman 23 'Henry', originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

I like boats.
I happen to like my Ipod, red wine, Subarus, Jennifer Aniston, Norfolk, photography, Border Terriers and the Foo Fighters as well. But more than any of them (except you Jennifer in case you're reading this), I like boats.
There's just something about them, the way they bob around in the water, the shape of them, the reflections they make, the feeling of well being they create by being on board them... Boats are just great.
Even at this time of year, when they can turn into a complete liability in the time it takes for Isobel Lang to say 'a deep depression is moving in from the Irish Sea...', a boat is still a source of pleasure and an emotional asset. I disappear off to the boat in my mind about five times a minute on average. More frequently in meetings, a little less when I am obliged to listen, like when I am actually chairing them.
Liking the Foo Fighters is all well and good, but humming along to my own mental rendition of Long Road to Ruin is a poor second to thinking about whether I can justify having Navtex on a canal cruiser (actually, I can and I have) or what colour I should paint the waterline next year.
All of which is why, despite the expense, the hard work, the fact that using TBT antifouling paint in the 1970's has shortened my life by ten years and the vagaries of the BSC test, I still like boats. Lots.