So Long, Boots

An old friend died of cancer Saturday.  That’s him standing in the back, with all the hair.

Bob Boutilier was a large character when I was a scrawny shy kid hanging around Bedford Basin Yacht Club.  He raced a Farr 1/4 tonner ‘Scotiaplan’ in the mid 1970s, and took great pleasure in putting it to the big boats for a couple of years with a rock star crew from Bedford.  He was a bit of a model for me when I was seriously racing keelboats ten years later

In the early 1980s Boots and my dad hatched a plan to have a fake 19th birthday party for me so that I could drink in the club bar for the summer before my real birthday. They had the club manager convinced, but the whole thing got a little out of hand, and eventually one of my friends ratted me out. 

In 1984 and 1985 I worked with Boots.  He was selling Beneteau, I was selling Laser, and we were working with Charlie Gass, who was commissioning new boats.  Fun times.  He wasn’t sailing much, but he and I raced a Beneteau 305 ‘Carpetbagger’ in Chester Race Week 1985.  We had a few memorable road trips and boat shows.

Through the 80s I drove a series of Boots cars.  He’d get excited about a new $300 car, and pass on his old one to me. 

I left Nova Scotia in 1988, but we stayed in touch.  When I got into RC sailing around 2012 he had a fully prepped Soling 1m waiting for me in Stowe.  Later he lent me another boat for a regatta in Ontario. It was great to see him and reconnect at a few regattas.  Later still I picked up a set of RC boats in Alabama while traveling through on Escapade, and got them to Bedford, eventually. 

Boots followed my blog from the beginning, and I’d get occasional email responses to my travels. We always had enjoyable visits on his front porch and his basement boat shop when I was in town.  Last time I saw him was a year ago.

I’m sure that many people are grieving.  His lifetime friends in the community, his wife, children and grandchildren, and many in the RC sailing world who got to know him later in his life.  My condolences to Annie and the family.

There is one expression that I use regularly that I attribute to Boots.  ‘Reality rears its ugly head’.  It’s perhaps a good one now.  From my perspective he had a rich, full and fun life.  I’m only sorry that it had to end so soon.

So long, Boots.  I’ll miss you.

https://www.harboursidecremation.ca/obituaries/robert-boutilier/#!/Obituary