ot That Sailboat

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

In the summertime, sailing on large Castle Lake was a very popular sport. If you were a tourist, you could rent a sailboat for several hours. If you needed instruction on how to sail, they were also available.

On any clear summer day with a slight breeze, it was common to see the colorful sailboats out and about on the lake. Sometimes the rental shops would rent out all their boats and you might have to wait your turn for several hours. But there was always one brown sailboat that remained because no on wanted to rent it. Not because it was brown, but because it just didn’t move. The sails were all in the proper position and the wind was fairly strong, but the brown sailboat just did not go anywhere; it just stayed in the middle of the lake near the dock where it was launched. There was nothing different or unusual about the boat.

Finally, the boat owner contacted the boat builder in Denmark to ask why this brown boat refused to sail. The builder assured the owner that it was a very popular model. In fact, one just like it was on display at a famous Amsterdam exhibit.

The Baron knew of the unique problem and discussed it with the Professor because it might appear insulting to tourists who asked to rent it, but were told that the brown boat just did not sail. Yet it looked like it was in perfect condition. The sails were fine, they felt fine, and looked brand new, which they were.

Then the Professor was asked to contact the boat builder again to inquire if the sails that were used on the exhibition boat were exactly the same as the boats they sold for actual use. The boat builder said, “No, the display models had cloth sails. A wind in the display area might catch the sail and blow the boat down off the display rack.”

Sure enough, the brown boats were mixed up and Lilliland received the brown boat with the display sails, not the real ones for sailing on the lake. The boat builder apologized for the shipping error and sent the right sails immediately.

Now all the boats, including the brown sailboat, move along Castle Lake with the grace and ease that make it a sight to behold.