The luckiest man I know

Hi Folks! Sorry for the delay in-between stories. I’ve been away dealing with a personal tragedy and I’ve taken a bit of time off to heal. Its good to be back and this week I have a rather unusual story for you.

Lets dive right into it:

I was at the yacht club recently with the rest of my crew waiting for the wind to fill in.

We could see a flurry of activity on the quayside below where a beautifully restored wooden classic was being re-launched.

It was a big deal with the majority of the club turning up in their blazers. After speeches and thanks, the boat was blessed. A bottle of fine champagne was then cracked on the bow to loud cheers and applause. There were great smiles all around and it almost felt as if we were attending a wedding. This moment is truly the happiest day of a boat owners life and we got to share  in his joy.

After admiring the boat’s classics lines and quality of the craftsmanship my skipper tuned to me and in a hushed tone told me the real story of how this young boat owner could afford such a fine boat.

This sailor happens to be an avid violinist and was hoping to upgrade his violin to something with a deeper and richer sound. His leaning was towards an older violin and after much searching settled upon one he found in the classifieds that he really liked. It was a bit above his budget and it was a pity that the owner didn’t now much about the history of the violin but he saved enough money to eventually buy it.

After playing the violin a few times he was stuck by the thought that there was something extraordinary about this violin and he set about trying to trace its history. He contacted specialists in the field to see what their opinion of the violin was. By studying the wood they could trace the violin to the era when it was first crafted. This particular instrument was over 300 years old. And by studying the grain of the wood they could even trace it back to the very tree it was cut from and then to the very craftsman that crafted it into a musical wonder-piece. (The process is called Dendrochronology.) It was unanimously agreed upon by the experts that this violin is actually a Stradivarius.

Well, what does one do when you win a lottery ticket? After enjoying the violin for a few seasons he was suddenly afraid to play it. After an internal struggle he felt it best to sell it to someone that could truly master and enjoy it.

After his windfall he felt obligated to do something good.

His love for beautiful craftsmanship and wood led him to have this classic boat we were standing in front of, rescued and restored to her former glory that will be enjoyed by many more generations to come.

If you have experienced an unlikely windfall , I’d love to hear about your story. Get in touch. Or drop me a comment.