A captain scrubbed his modest boat docked in the harbor. Cyclists and pedestrians on a nearby coastal trail passed him by as he toiled under the sun. Two gentleman out for a stroll saw the captain and paused to admire him working.
They walked closer and one of the gentlemen asked the captain if he enjoyed working on the boat. He replied enthusiastically that he did. They engaged in conversation for a while, and then the gentleman asked the captain if he could build any boat, what would it be?
The captain responded with passion and detail about the amazing catamaran that he would build. The gentleman listened intently.
When the captain finished, the gentleman simply said, “Build it.”
The captain laughed and said his dream would cost a lot more money than he had.
The gentleman said, “I’ll pay for it.”
The captain’s bewilderment was soon interrupted by the voice of the second gentleman who had up to this point remained silent.
“Let me introduce my friend, Charlie Munger,” he said. He continued that his name was Warren Buffett, that they ran a company called Berkshire Hathaway, and that Charlie’s offer was legitimate.
Over the next three years, Charlie collaborated with the captain to design and construct the 85 foot catamaran. The project employed many people, and when they were finished, they had built the largest catamaran in the world at that time.
Charlie and the captain made a deal that the catamaran would be available for occasional use by the Munger family. When the family would not be using it, the captain could charter it out. Also the agreement required the boat to be regularly available for charitable use.
The Channel Cat is docked in Santa Barbara Harbor, California where a boat captain and two gentleman out for a stroll had a nice conversation many years ago.
Who will you talk with? Who will bless you? Who will you bless?
With Love,
P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present