Return to the Sea

The boat arrived at the marina right after dawn on Sunday and the deckhands quickly handled the lines and the passerelle so that I could disembark. Surprisingly, when I was leaving Sabastian gave me a hug, a kiss on each cheek, and then a kiss on the lips. "Until next time, my love," was all he said before turning away.

"Until next time," I replied.

The time passed quickly enough and the flight was on time, arriving in Miami late afternoon. My father was kind enough to arrange a car to pick me up so I didn't have the hassle of dealing with baggage on my own and I got home around 7:00 pm, plenty of time for a shower before meeting my father at 8:00 pm for dinner at a restaurant near to my apartment.

I was seated and halfway finished with my first martini when my father arrived, fashionably late as was his habit. "Hello, Jeremy," he said as he reached out for my hand, then, pulling me to my feet gave me a hug and a kiss on each cheek. "It is great to see you again."

"I feel the same," I replied, "it has been too long."

We had the usual pleasantries and chatted about family and business, his mostly, and then he asked about my trip. I told him about the trek in the Dolomites, the lousy weather, my trip to the south of France, the quick stop in Corsica, and leaving from Rome this morning.

"Did you see Sabastian?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did," I replied. "He was kind enough to let me sail with him as he moved the boat from St. Tropez to Naples. It was great to be on the water again, particularly when I was not expected to be working."

"I imagine it was, but I am sure that he kept you busy enough," he said with a grin.

I laughed at his sly humor and then said, "He said that he met you in Geneva a while back and it surprised me because you never mentioned it."

"It must have slipped my mind. You know how forgetful you become as you get older," was the response he delivered with a smile.

"Were you checking up on me?" I asked, finding it difficult to hide the humorous tone in my voice.

"Well, you can't be too careful these days," he said. "There are so many strange people lurking about and you being so young at the time. Nasty old men look to grab young boys and make them do God knows what." He took a sip from his drink and almost choked when he started laughing.

"Okay, Dad, cut the crap. Why did you arrange the meeting with him?" I said lightheartedly.

"Ah, you caught me," he replied. "You seemed in reasonable spirits when you came home but just a little down in the dumps for a while. You didn't say much but I knew that something affected you emotionally. You handled it well but it nagged at me, you know how I get."

"Yes, I do," I said.

"I couldn't just leave it alone, and after a while, I had to know what happened and also why you remained in Italy after the cruising season ended, so when I was in Geneva I reached out to Sebastian. He was kind enough to meet me and we had a day and a half together with part of the discussion revolving around you," he continued. "Sebastian didn't find it easy to discuss but eventually he opened up and explained the situation to me." He stopped talking and finished his drink and signaled the waiter for two more.

"Were you shocked?" I asked.

"Honestly, not really," he said. "Sabastian is a good guy and very charming. We have been through a lot together and I know him very well. I also understand his preferences, so I am not surprised that you were attracted to him. What he saw in you I'll never understand but that's just me. I wanted to know if there was anything that might come up later on that could be a problem, if anyone hurt you, and if there was more to the story about remaining in Italy than the obvious."

"I appreciate your concern but if you were bothered by all this, why didn't you just talk to me?" I said. "I would have told you without hesitation. I have no problem discussing my life with you, you are the most understanding person I know."

"Thank you for the compliments, I appreciate them, and I promise to be more forthcoming in the future," he said. "So how is Sabastian? Did he get over his broken heart?"

"We both did," I replied.

"Life is complicated, isn't it?" he said.

"Yes, but I hear that it gets easier as you get older," I replied.

"I've heard that too," he joked.

Our drinks arrived and we ordered dinner before continuing. "So, what's the mystery that had me leave a beautiful yacht in the Mediterranean to return home?" I said.

"I was wondering when you would get around to that," he asked. "Well, I think that we have stumbled upon a treasure but I don't know if you agree with me on its value or even if it interests you."

"Please, go on. The suspense is killing me," I replied.

"Well, here it is in a nutshell," he said. "The firm is helping settle an estate after a wealthy speculator died about six months ago, leaving everything to his wife and young daughter. The wife is not interested in maintaining certain of the businesses and the daughter is too young to get directly involved so it has been decided to sell off the less-than-substantial, or underperforming holdings to focus on the core investments. One of the businesses that will be sold off is a yacht brokerage and management operation that the deceased acquired as collateral for a loan that fell into arrears and was used to settle the debt years ago. He became a silent partner and kept it as long as he received some income from it but lately it has not been performing well, mainly because of poor, or dismal, management on the part of an aging manager uninterested in running a business any longer. I saw an opportunity here since you seem to like the yacht business and, if you are interested in really working for a living, it could become a good asset. I spoke to the wife whom I have known for a while, and she said that if I were truly interested, we could discuss terms where she would sell a 50% stake to me and hold the note for five years with no money upfront. At that point, we could decide if it is worth maintaining the relationship or simply selling the business. Of course, there are a lot of details to be worked out, but I wanted to talk to you to see if you were interested in working for yourself. What do you think?"

"On the surface, it sounds good, but I have a couple of questions," I said. "First, what is the amount of the cash flow each year and would it be adequate to cover the note and pay all necessary operating expenses? Second, where is the business located? Is it in Miami" I asked.

"The business did very well for itself for quite a few years," he said, "but, as I mentioned, the manager lost interest and it has gone downhill. I believe that with fresh blood coming in, it could be brought back to where it should be and the income would be more than adequate to cover everything. As for the location, I think you will be happy to hear that it is in the heart of the luxury yacht market, Monaco. I know how fond you are of Miami but Monaco is not too shabby and there may even be some American restaurants for your delicate palate. As I said, I saw an opportunity here and if you are interested in some hard work you could do very well."

"It is very interesting but even with a note, I don't think that I have the funds to cover startup costs let alone operating expenses for the first year. This will not be an inexpensive proposition by any means," I replied.

"You're right but I have a solution to the problem," he said. "I cannot run another business but I want a future for you, so I am prepared to go over the figures with you and put together a business plan. I will fund the start-up and cover operating expenses for the first year up to a total of $1 million. This is not a gift but will be a loan at 1% per year for ten years, with a single balloon payment at the end of the term. If all goes well, and I believe that it will if you run it right, you will pay off the acquisition note in five years, and then have an additional five years to accumulate the funds to pay off the start-up loan. Bottom line, in ten years you could own your own business in one of the most beautiful places in the world and may even be able to afford one of those boats you sell."

"Dad, I don't know what to say," I replied, "this is so much to take in all at once. My initial reaction is to jump at the opportunity, but I don't want to be hasty and make a mistake that I will be sorry for later. I appreciate what you would be doing for me, but I don't want to risk your hard-earned money in a venture that could fail."

"Every opportunity comes with a certain amount of risk," he said. "I looked at the business and feel that the risk/reward ratio is sound. I also know you. The fact that you are concerned about risking my money shows me that you are the right person to invest in. If you give it your best effort and don't succeed, you will have learned lessons that will help you succeed next time. I will be around if you need help or advice so don't be timid. Dream big!"

"Okay, I understand," I replied. "Let me sleep on it and I will talk to you in the morning."

"Fine, but I promised an answer tomorrow and there are details to sort out if we go forward," he said before taking a long sip of his drink.

The rest of the dinner conversation was good-natured fun stuff and talk about my trek and the time on the boat before arriving in Rome. Since I had a long day, we had an early night and agreed to talk in the morning. Lying in bed my head spun as I thought about the future and the possibilities stirred the butterflies in my stomach just like the sound of Sebastian's voice.

(To Be Continued)