Tara's #2 The Summer of the Boat

Everyone knows a car, specifically a large car, is absolutely incongruous with NYC way of life (for practical reasons why see my post Why I Heart Dave). While a car is mainly unsuitable for city dwellers on a budget, a boat might be described as heretical (unless of course you are a multi-millionaire, which we aren't, ask our tax accountant—oops, that's Dave, since we can't afford a tax accountant). So how did these two items end up on our doorstep? Enter Dave, my unstoppable husband who had a dream. After spending too many summers in the humid NYC heat with no escape in sight, Dave had had enough. He started by spending countless office hours (thank you for your generosity of spirit NeighborhoodSpice) surfing every website imaginable for a boat. Not any run-of-the-mill boat, mind you, but a top-of-the-line wake board water skiing boat.

The search continued and at last, with Maurice's help (thank you for your generosity of spirit AIG) the perfect piece of equipment was found—a Mastercraft X30. How might you ask could we afford a boat and a truck to pull it if we can't even afford a tax accountant? Good question. I asked the same thing, several times. "Details, details" was about the best response I could get. Once the boat was located, Dave set out hard core to figure out how to work out the other "details". He went to deep and shallow pocket friends first and tried to sell the idea of "The Summer of the Boat". The idea was simple: purchase a time-share boat and truck at the beginning of the season and sell it at the end of the season. Unfortunately, this idea, although sold hard, did not take root.

On to plan B, get Sid (Dave's prosperous, but frugal father) to buy a new truck and a family boat and then let us keep it for the summer. This was going to be an up hill battle and Dave knew he would have to use every Thatcher salesmanship trick in the book to pitch this one to his dad. Salesmanship is akin to a form of art at the Thatcher household. I have literally heard several debates where the Thatcher clan argues over who is the best salesman in the house. And none is as legendary, or as gutsy, of a salesman as Sid himself (ask Dave to tell you the story of Sid's inspiring sales trip to Germany).

I won't get into the miraculous details, but after a week of persistent cold calling Sid, Dave had the go ahead to get the boat and a brand new black GMC crew cab HD2500 to pull it—financed exclusively by Sid. Still to this day, Dave and I marvel about the divine intervention it took to achieve this unbelievable coup. Truck and boat in hand, our summer was off to a brilliant start.

Rather than sweating it out in Central Park, we spent the weekends and many mornings before work in the Hudson River and in upstate NY lakes. The boat even accompanied us to Maine that summer for a glorious Fourth of July with our good friends, the Jensens. Anita, Brent, McClain, Maurice, Lillian, Ian, Laurel and even Cody (outfitted in her doggie life vest) were found sunning themselves or wake boarding, wake surfing or skiing with us on most weekends, but many others joined us too. Those of you who live in wide open spaces and have access to all the recreational devices God intended for man, will never understand the freedom of driving in the skyscraper canyons of NYC in a truck, pulling a 25 foot yellow boat, headed for the nearest body of water. By far, it was the BEST. SUMMER. EVER.