I bought my first boat 7 years ago in 2015, a green hulled Martin 242 named Pyrophoric. It was a one-third share with two other partners and now friend at the Sylvan Lake Sailing Club. It’s quite incredible to think that I’ve have this boat for so long and raced for that many years (recent COVID summers excluded).
It was an easy boat to look after, small enough that the boat projects weren’t too big to handle. It was forgiving, having ground the boat a couple times on the sandy bottom. But at the same time somewhat difficult to exact all necessary improvements because we’re in a landlocked province with a relatively small market for sailboat parts. Shannon was never sure what if anything would break, but she held up week after week at the races.
I primarily used Pyrophoric with the other owners for the Wednesday night, and occasional weekend races. I went out only a few times with family for a recreational sail. Despite attempts at getting Shannon to sail more, she never did so. There was too much going on and stress at the races, especially when she didn’t know what was happening. I remember first crewing in Vancouver races and yes there were intimidating. But I feel like I’ve come quite far. I know how to handle the boat, the wind, the sails, and I feel like this definitely translates to our next adventure on Happy SEES.
I am writing up a bill of sales to sell my share of the Pyrophoric, but I’m sure our paths will cross again in the future.
