It would be Nice to have a Boat

"It would be nice to have a boat." These fatal words led to years of boat ownership commencing with the purchase of a rotten 25 foot plywood sloop called 'True Colours' and concluded with an aborted plan to sail the seven seas in a 42 foot steel cutter-rigged sloop 'Tania'.
The author's miseries and joys are described in the many incidents which occurred from the time he and his wife set off from the boat sales marina in Tasmania in their newly acquired rotten boat - which was to spend eighteen months on a cradle at their house while they fixed up all the rot.
The tale is interwoven with other incidents in the author's life, involving his skills or lack of them, some of which were major disasters and some of which were victories of a sort. It describes some of the trials and tribulations of boat ownership, that will be recognised by those who have owned one, and may amuse those that have managed to avoid having a boat.