PIPER: THE SAILBOAT THAT CAME BACK

Well-loved. Sold. Ill-used. Sunk. Reclaimed. No, it's not a pony sized version of Black Beauty. It's about a sloop with heart. First Piper was built by a boy and his father. He had to be sold. He missed the boy badly and wistfully recalled their good times. His new owner had a rough hand on the tiller, but Piper kept going gamely. After much mishandling, Piper was rammed against a rock and sank. Years passed. Fish swam in and out of his hulk, but Piper clung to his memories of the boy. One storm washed him up on the shore. A young man with a son of his own discovers him. Guess who? Re-outfitting and reunion. The pleasant pictures of Leonard Shortall fail to dry out any of the waterlogged sentiment.