I took the boys to the New England Boat Show the other day.  We arrived at 12:45 to be there for the 1:00 opening and left at 6:45.  6 hours. Honestly, we could have stayed much longer (and gosh knows the boys wanted to), but we we were stopping for dinner on the way home and I was getting antsy to hit the road.

I have about 200 photos of a large variety of boats to weed through, that I’ll post later in the week, but for now….think Hinckley.  Sigh.

There are a million boats that I’d be happy with and there were several boat manufacturers that caught my eye the other day.  There are some boats that I like for one reason…like fishing….and then there are boats that I like for different reasons…like “cruising.”  There are even some boats that I would absolutely sell my home for the very second the boys go off to college and live upon happily for the rest of my life….like the Ranger Tug.

That having been said, there is one boat that I see in my dreams a bit more clearly than all others…and that is the one and only Hinckley.  Ummm…sigh, again.

HINCKLEY YACHTS   Worth taking a look.

If you were unfamiliar with Hinckley prior to last week, you may have quickly learned about them after having seen the images below go viral. The brand new 43-foot Talaria was making its way to the New England Boat Show when it lost its battle with snow banks at the intersection of Summer and Lincoln Street in Boston. The irony of the picnic-style boat, whose sleek design screams CAREFREE SUMMER DAYS, stuck in Boston’s dirty snowbanks in the midst of what could be a record breaking winter squeezed my heart just a bit.

So, I was delighted to see the Maggie Mae, gorgeous and unscathed, in all of her tremendous glory, in the Hinckley/Hunt Pavilion.

I was also delighted to learn a bit about the company, as well as, the boat owner who was eagerly anticipating the delivery of his purchase.  I was even more delighted to hear that he was understanding and realistic as to his boat’s little city adventure.  Kudos to you, sir.

The learning about the company part was somewhat accidental….and I have 5-year old, Finn, to thank for the lesson.

Upon stepping foot on the Maggie Mae, Finn immediately announced (and loudly I might add), “I don’t like this boat.”  After a quick exchanging of, “I’m sorry…are you my son?” eye contact, he quickly explained.   “These people are Philadelphia Flyers fans.”

Huh?

“Well, look, they have the Flyers logo all over the boat.”

Kudos to you also, Finn.

So, of course, we had to ask about their choice of logos.

And….here is the deal.

As an elementary school teacher I have spent a good amount of time teaching my students about Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses…and while I would recognize the sandals worn by Greek God, Hermes, and Roman God, Mercury….I’m not sure that I ever knew that those sandals were called Talaria. The Talaria, as it would be, is a very fitting choice to serve as the logo of Hinckley Yachts if you ask me. Swift, regal, noble, refined….special.

While enjoying my one and only visit on the Maggie Mae (sigh), I also learned that her new owner, Robert A. Vincent, sounds like a really nice guy!  Mr. Vincent, in fact, was due to arrive at the New England Boat Show later in the evening for a Christening Party for his gorgeous boat….with a catered party and all.  Had my iPhone not died, I would have stalked a bit for some photos of the ceremony. Had I trusted that Thatcher and Finn would not choose that exact moment to demonstrate how tired they were becoming…I would have at least snuck back to observe from afar.

I would like to add that, while Thatcher, Finn and I were certainly not in the market for purchasing a Hinckley, the boat company’s representatives were cordial, helpful, kind, and patient with the boys…and with me.  The only thing that could have made our visit nicer would have been a large, flat body of water, some sushi, and some champagne.  And maybe the keys and a captain.  Just saying.