Libby i think is one of the "mathematicians" or "Dr's" and crazy "savants" that where being held at the asylum on the infamous 3rd floor (basement) . the ones working on the valenzeti equation. the guy who gave Hurley the numbers was probably one to. she knew about the numbers . they probably went a little cuckoo working on the numbers. I wonder if she was following Hurley . Desmund receive that sailboat way before the plane crash. i wonder if she was made to do so. ? just a thought. :P

I do not think that it is coincidence that she said that her husband was called David and Hurley's imaginary friend was Dave

That is why it just being a setup to get des his boat and into that race on out of her daughters life.

But if libby is the wife of a widmore and desmond's girl was a widmore then they would be future inlaws.  since daddy widmore knew desmond, don't you think desmond would know penelope's brother (libby's husband), and therefore probably have known libby?  or in the very least, know ABOUT libby? 

People do crazy things in greif -- I don't think it is a huge stretch for her to give away a boat that her husband never got to use, and that she probably didn't know how to sail...  I could believe it. I am not sold that it is just a convenient coincidence, though -- what if Libby IS a widmore -- either by birth or marriage.  Marriage is probably the stronger choice, because the other Widmores appear to have British accents.  What if her dead husband is actually David Widmore, and Libby blamed his father for his death.  Therefore, Libby gives her boat (which was a Widmore asset) to Desmond not just to help him out, but to cause pain to the man she blames for her husband's death...  I think Libby reacted a little strangely to Desmond's motivation for the race, and the pic of Mr. Widmore.  This might be more of a theory-based entry.  Feel free to move if necessary.

David=Dave Dude?

THis has shown that libby is huge in getting people on the island. AND SHE MADE THE STORY UP ABOUT BEING MARRIED AND WIDOWED>

that scene, while seemingly innocent, makes libby a much more important character than she previously was... the producers noted that we had seen only the tip of the iceberg...now it seems like shes an "other" in a more vague sense of the tern

That whole idea of des just meets a girl in the coffee shop who has a boat to give away stretches the imagine way to much. It had to be a set up.

Just to play devils advocate, it is also possible Libby was in SRMHI BECAUSE her husband died. Although, I must admit, it is strange that she would just give a boat away to a stranger. Anybody want to give me a boat?

I think that the idea that libby was in the hospital because of the numbers man instead of hurley is a new thought and might be important. I have not read this idea before. She was in there to do or watch the number repeating man and noticed hurley talking to him all the time. Hurley gets out wins the lottery with those numbers and now they want to know what else Hurley was told. Send him to craphole island and he is not a threat anymore.

I don't believe she was married and she made up the whole story to get desmond the boat. She was paid off for this job or what I believe is that Libby worked for Widmore. She was also a fake patient at the mental hospital to get info on the guy who kept repeating the number. She then focused on Hurley because he won the lottery using the numberd from the guy she was after in the hospital.

hmmm seems to convient for libby to just show up and happen to have a boat... gotta be connected to widmore-- his master plan, put this man on an island where no one in the world can find him