On the Water Again

Another really hot day at the cottage but with a lively breeze,  perfect for sailing and a great day to get the Flying Junior rigged and out onto the water again. 

There is a great family cottage story behind that little sailboat. In its former life it was lovingly owned by an elderly cottager who was no  longer able to sail it and he wanted to give it to someone who could. He had just dropped it off at a local cottage dump which also has a give-away shed where cottagers leave and pick up, at no charge, items that are being recycled, not thrown away.  By chance, my daughter and son-in-law stopped in an hour later to leave some items and could not believe their eyes!  A sailboat! With sails! Totally functional! Quick! Grab it! They immediately "adopted" it, towed it home, and it has been at our cottage ever since. The only changes my daughter and son-in-law have made to it have been a second set of sails (purchased used) and some new halyards. It was indeed a lucky and very inexpensive find! Their only regret is that they never met the man who gave it away. They thought he would like to know that it has a good home, is treasured and has, so far, given us 10 years of joy.

The FJ has an interesting background too. As described in Wikipedia: 

"The International Flying Junior or FJ is a sailing dinghy which was originally designed in 1955 in the Netherlands by renowned boat designer Van Essen and Olympic-class sailor Conrad Gulcher. The FJ was built to serve as a training boat for the then Olympic -class Flying Dutchman." 

Today our little FJ went back out on the water where it belongs and is ready for another summer of fun.