The Finest of Lives

August 19, 2020

To desire nothing beyond what you have is surely happiness. Aboard a boat, it is frequently possible to achieve just that. That is why sailing is a way of life, one of the finest of lives.
~Carleton Mitchell

This Carleton Mitchell quote has resonated with me for more than 20 years. I've previously noted that I was drawn to the water from a very young age. It wasn't until I was in college that I was drawn to sailing. I was working on the excursion boats that ply the Duluth Harbor. 14-16 hours / day out there on a boat. It was heaven. I still remember some of the narration spiel we did... To the right of us now, the Duluth arena Auditorium. The main auditorium seats 8,000 people while the recently added annex seats 2,500 people for smaller, more intimate events...

A Captain and two deck hands sat in a cramped steel pilot house, while every other trip the deck hands swapped out doing the spiel. Recently, I've been on a few excursion boats in other ports and the spiel was recorded... sigh Really? No interaction with the narrator? Seriously lame. The Vista King and Queen (at that time, the boats have changed in the 40 yrs since) could carry 256 passengers. And always, always, there would be someone who could come interact with us. Tease us, ask questions or just mess with us.

And sometimes, we'd mess with them. Just a fun, fantastic job. My favorite week in 3 yrs of working the boats was the time when the Shriners came to town for a national convention. Every trip (and there were 4 or 6 trips a day, depending on your schedule) was half filled with Shriners. They were having so much fun, I started teasing them. (most of them were quite toasted, when they came aboard) Wondered aloud, how they ever did any good with that Children's hospital and such... 💥

Apparently, they reached a tipping point and a dozen or so crowded into the bow of the boat in front of the pilot house and sang Tim Fuhrmann won't you go home, to the tune of Bill Bailey.

But, it was the sailboats that captured my attention. All day, we motored back and forth across that harbor, two hours for every trip cycle (it is a big ass harbor) Big twin Diesels screaming below us to propel us through the water. I'd see those sailboats and the quiet elegance of them was mesmerizing to me. The captains hated the sailboats, because they used to sail across in front of us, not realizing from our size, that we were moving at 26 kts. So, there were some tense moments.

But, I was falling in love. In the summer of 1978 the Trans Superior race was run. And suddenly the wharf where we tied up was filled with sail boats. One of those boats was Golden Goose, Gordon Lightfoot's Custom wood boat. A friend and I were invited aboard for a tour.

As it happened, that day I had also been invited aboard the boat belonging to the new owner of the excursion company I worked for. The owner's yacht was a 65' Chris Craft Constellation or Connie. A nice enough boat. But, with its shag carpet and expansive interior, it really felt like a penthouse apartment on the water.

Golden Goose on the other hand, captured my imagination. First of all, the transom on this beauty was done in a mahogany parquet. Just stunning. I wasn't even a wood worker yet at that point and I was in awe. Stepping into the narrow dark insides of the coach, was magical. Surrounded by more deep, dark mahogany, the warmth of the interior enveloped me and soothed my soul. Its cramped narrow passageways became the fuel for my dreams for the next 19 years, when I would finally acquire my own sailboat, the Write Byte. My beautiful Bristol 40 full keel sloop.

Along the journey, I have met, sailed, played and worked with and loved and shared the lives of many sailors. And almost without exception, they have been magnificent human beings. My life is incredibly richer, for having been a sailor. Thank you, Doc and Bruce. for taking the time to teach me to sail.