A new home for the Comets!

Remember the Comet sailboats "Have" and "Have Not"? Ah, such sweet memories!
- John taking a friend to Maryland with him to tow home "Have"... (Patty wouldn't go because her crystal ball foresaw pieces of "Have" flying off as they trailed it back to NY - how true that turned out to be!)
- Terry took a look at "Have" and, good friend that he is, acquired "Have Not" for John to work on instead because he thought "Have" a hopeless cause. (It is amazing how a few dollars instead of the word "free" can add so much solid wood to a boat...)
- The trip made (or attempted to be made) to the St. Lawrence in early spring to acquire "boat bottom" wood. (For some reason Terry's pickup just had to "kiss" that car ahead even if no one was going more than 10 mph - one example of Mother Nature's lake effect on highways...)
- Hours/years? spent by John in his workshop (Patty has grown to love his time consuming boat projects!)
- The memorable initial launching of "Have Not" (as Terry pumping vigorously from inside the boat asks John if he's sure it isn't pumping water in rather than out... did it really "sink" that day even if it was in only 3 feet of water?)
- A week later, the "real" launching after "Have Not" had time to "swell" (No sinking that weekend!)
- The initial launching of "Have" (no leaks in the seams but there was that cute little fountain caused by an errant drill bit hole - promptly fixed by John with a twig...) From there it sailed like a dream!
- One summer, two boats, one set of sails... (how does that work? it doesn't!)
- The big regatta at last - two boats, two sets of sails, wind, crew (a wee bit of bailing but no sinking!)

And then the BIG decision... what to do with two lovely boats that, in spite of the fun had, are just not quite right for Terry's camp? The solution... donate them to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY. When John & Terry first approached the museum they thought the museum would sell them at their fundraising boat auction. However, when Dan Miller (shown in the photo with the boats at the museum) took a look at them, the museum decided instead to use them initially to demonstrate and teach boat restoration and to educate visitors about the Comet class. Then they'll be added to their in-water fleet for sailing instruction. The boats were perfect because they were both originally built in NYS, are wooden and antique (1939), and they're a "size larger" than the other boats in their sailing instruction fleet.

If you've never been to the Antique Boat Museum it's well worth a trip www.abm.org/ ! They have absolutely beautiful boats on display. And, who knows, if you go next year you may actually see "Have" and "Have Not" being sailed in the waters in the photo. Needless to say, John & Terry, the Museum (and me) couldn't be happier!!!