Notes To My Siblings is now The Smattering on Substack! Visit moriahchastney.substack.com
With Memorial Day approaching I’m starting to have flashbacks... to... the sailboat. I think I can safely speak for my siblings when I say... we do not miss that boat. If you’re bored tonight, here’s a story for you. Once upon a time, my dad bought the largest sailboat you can legally trailer and haul yourself. And because we are Richetts, naturally, we trailered and hauled it ourselves. Because why pay someone who can do it faster and safer than you can when you can do it yourself, right? Right. Memorial Day! The start of summer! The best time to launch a 10,000lb sailboat for the first time ever with only the help of your children who know nothing about boats! For five hours following the Memorial Day parade in a tiny coastal town in Maine, we provided entertainment to nearby hotel guests, lobstermen, and tourists as we prepped and launched Three Stooges style. It is no exaggeration when I say that we backed the boat down the ramp, tried to get it off, got it off a little but got it