ARE WE REALLY ALL IN THE SAME BOAT?

Well, for the topic for this weeks article I have to thank my wife, Denise. We were out walking with our springer on Friday over Swinley Forest and I was talking about everyone being in the same boat with regards the worldwide pandemic we are all going through and Denise said we are all in the same ocean or same storm but not the same boat and it really got me thinking about which boat we are all in.

So lets set the scene – 3 owners decide to take their boats out to sea. The weather when they set out was fine and the forecast looked good. It had been good all summer. Then an unexpected storm came in. So how did these 3 boats fair in this storm?

Boat number 1 – This boat has been worked on tirelessly by the owners every year. They made sure it was in tip top condition. They updated it with the latest and best technology to ensure its seaworthiness and would keep them safe in the worst of storms. The boat was comfortable, safe and fitted with the best buoyancy aids. The owners always liked to spend their time on the boat but were always prepared for the worst and wanted to make sure their family and friends were safe when on board.

Boat Number 2 – This boat got worked on now and again, when the owners could be bothered. The technology on board wasn’t the best and was probably 5 years out of date, but they kept telling themselves that at least they had some. It would break down from time to time but they just kept patching it and kept saying it will do us one more year. The buoyancy aids on the boat were ok but they weren’t the best and it wasn’t the most comfortable boat. These owners obviously cared about their family and friends, but their attitude was that it was just them on board most of the time, and everything would be fine.

Boat number 3 – well this was in really poor condition. It was never worked on. The owners never took it out of the sea to make sure the hull was in good condition. As regards the technology on board – well they might as well not bothered. It never worked. They only took the boat out in good weather. Buoyancy aids – well they were pretty much non-existent. These owners never prepared for anything. As far as they were concerned the weather looked ok, so what could go wrong. They were on board on their own as no one wanted to be on their boat.

Well – when this unexpected storm hit, the owners and passengers on Boat number 1 didn’t panic. The boat was comfortable, they were able to reach the coastguard through the onboard technology and they managed to get back to the harbour without too many issues, and no injuries to any passengers and no damage to the boat. They were well prepared for any eventuality

The owners and passengers on Boat number 2 were in a bit of trouble. They had to ride the worst of the storm and were thrown from side to side and all received a few injuries due to the buoyancy of the boat. They never reached the coastguard. They just managed to get back to harbour but were very shaken and the boat sustained some very serious damage which would cost the owners thousands of pounds to put right. Also the relationship between the owners and their passengers was affected and the passengers were not sure they could trust the boat owners again. These owners were not sure they had enough money to repair their boat and might have to buy a new one.

Boat number 3 never made it back to shore. The radio didn’t work. They had no way to contact the coastguard, The boat was close to sinking before the owners were luckily rescued by Boat number 1 just before the boat sank. The boat was never seen again. The owners were never in a good enough position to be able to afford another boat. And all they would say is “If only we had spent more time looking after our boat, this wouldn’t have happened”. They never listened or asked for help and always thought they knew best.

If you want to make sure you are in the right boat, then give me a call or drop me a message on Linkedin – Richard “LIONHEART” Knight

WHICH BOAT ARE YOU IN?

Published 5 July 2020 – start of week 16 of the COVID pandemic

This article was first published on LinkedIn by Richard Knight on 05/07/2020