Just after parading along the Seattle waterfront and while waiting for
scheduled starting times in the tugboat races, a group of 35 tugs was
drifting in a roughly assembled cluster. I was aboard "Clydesdale",
skippered by Capt. Rob Heay of Port Orchard. "Clydesdale" is a small
harbor tug, orginally built for assembling and towing log booms.
Compared to the class "A" and "unlimited" (tractor) tugs, "Clydesdale"
is a small boat.

Some of the Class "A" boats had 30-40 partiers aboard, with music
blaring and drinks a-pouring. One such party barge pulled up a few feet
from our beam and a liquored-up blonde woman looked at "Clydesdale" and
said, "Well, if that isn't just the cutest little thing!" Capt. Heay
replied, "You're cuter!" in a tone that embarassed her and sent her
staggering up the ladder to the Texas deck.

"You know," observed Capt. Rob, "I can think of two times when a man
doesn't want to hear a woman say, 'If that isn't just the cutest little
thing', and one of them is when she's talking about his tugboat!"