The Favorites Game
Another boat show season. It comes and goes every year, a string of events that gets me out to talk with trawler folk and introduce myself to people ready to join this lifestyle. It is a lot of fun, and a rewarding time.
At every event, I am asked common questions. It happens all the time, many times a day. What is my favorite boat? My favorite trawler design? My favorite engine? My favorite
what have you…
I guess people who search for answers figure I’ll have the magic response for them. Frankly, though, what works for me is not necessarily the right answer or choice for anyone else. Everyone wants answers, and we try hard at PMM to give reasoned choices, but what is my favorite may not be yours.
The questions linger in my head long after the boat shows, and I find myself pondering what things in my life are so special as to be labeled “my favorite.”
Recently, I mentally walked through my life, selecting those elements that I consider my favorites, and examining what makes them so—a change of heart that defines a movie character, or a subtle flavor or cadence that stirs the soul.
I heartily recommend the experience of taking a personal and intimate look at what is most important to you, and what makes something so exceptional.
So I am going to ramble through my list of favorites. It is not a complete list, to be sure, but the reflections of an afternoon
of musing in a hammock. And I wonder if these perhaps define me a little.
- My favorite book: The Razor’s Edge, by Somerset Maugham. I have reread it every couple of years over the last 35 years, and it remains a classic.
- My favorite mechanical sound: a Ducati accelerating through the gears. Nothing sounds as marvelous as this Italian motorcycle’s lusty roar.
- My favorite search–the–sky sound: an approaching USCG HH 65A Dolphin helicopter.
- My favorite everyday sound that tells me life is great: my 5- year–old neighbor Claire laughing and screaming at the top of her lungs.
- My favorite yard/garden tool: a Stihl Magnum leaf blower. It offers more controllable power than most things in life.
- My favorite exercise: rowing. Yeah, I got a new boat.
- My favorite kitchen knife: a Victorinox 8–inch chef’s knife. I don’t need any other knife in my galley or kitchen.
- My favorite camera: Nikon D2X digital SLR. It gets the job done every time.
- My favorite sandwich: a Millburn (New Jersey) Deli sloppy joe. Simply awesome.
- My favorite movie comedy: Zoolander. Outrageous, brilliant, silly. Captain Ron is a close second.
- My favorite movie subject: Defining moments, such as those found in Miracle, Sea Biscuit, Billy Elliot, Dave, The American President, and The Natural.
- My favorite place to visit in the United States: Alaska.
- My favorite pepper grinder: Unicorn Magnum.
- My favorite binoculars: Zeiss 7X50.
- My favorite quote: “The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson.
- My favorite cheeses: Gruyére, Gorgonzola, Parmigiana Reggiano.
- My favorite pan: an All–Clad stainless 12–inch skillet. It defines versatility.
- My favorite places to visit in the world: New Zealand and Tuscany.
- My favorite nonessential boat accessory: night vision.
- My favorite pistols: Springfield Armory Tactical 1911 A1 and SigArms P226.
- My favorite cocktail: Bombay Sapphire martini, very dry, up with olives.
- My favorite car: Ford GT–40.
- My favorite turkey stuffing recipe: mine.
- My favorite pizza: pepperoni.
And, ultimately, we get back
to my favorite boat. Well, it is probably the one I’m going to build after my time at PMM eases. After so many years of being aboard every trawler out there, the boat I plan will be all of the best of them weaved into one.
What about you? Do you have any favorites?
Bill Parlatore
Editor-in-Chief