Those you meet along the way

One of the things I enjoy the most about sailing are the people I meet along the way - cruisers, voyagers, boat bums, sailors, and dock rats.

People are people, no matter where you might meet them - but some of them you meet out on the water, in the harbors, the boatyards, and dockside taverns of the world are truly exceptional individuals. Why this seems to be more the case for boat people than for others, I do not know - but I would guess that it has something to do with the dream, the wanderlust, the call of the sea.

Our recent trip to Florida illustrates this well. Laura, the boys, and I were there for a month or so this winter to assist and supervise the sandblasting and painting of our floating home-to-be, the schooner Free Spirit.

Among those that we encountered while at the boatyard were Kim and Scott, a young couple just starting out on their sea adventure. We met them as they prepared their newly acquired aluminum cutter Tin Lizzie for sea. We shared many wonderful conversations , and it was fantastic to get to share ideas and experiences with others in the process of casting off the lines of shoreside life. Good Luck, Scott and Kim - we'll see you out there!!!

Also there was Laura Zolo, the world famous Italian yachtswoman and her two year old son Nicky. Laura has a truly extraordinary story, and was very kind to us - giving us lots of info about cruising Europe, inspecting our boat and giving suggestions, and generally just being a most welcome and accommodating friend. Thank you, Laura - you have contributed more to our dream than you know. Our boys had a blast playing with Nicky - they spent many hours with games on the grass and in the yard - I hope that we will see them again once we get over to the Med.

Then there was a couple barely into their Caribbean cruise that had come down from Maine on their 40' fiberglass sloop, whose two boys made fast friends with ours. The played and visited with great intensity over the couple of days before they left, and our boys remarked "mom, they are just like us!!" it was a great experience for the young ones to meet another family pursuing such a similar dream.

Then there was "Crazy" Lynden, the brother of the guy who started the Outlaws Motorcycle club. I've heard my share of b.s. and posers, but this guy was for real. Sometimes you just know when you are presented with the genuine article, and this fellow had seen some sh%t in his day. He spent some time in years past sailing in the Bahamas on a Herreshof (ketch, I think?) and had plenty of yarns and experiences to relate. He seems to have done well enough for himself, and has an attitude and outlook on life that I hope I can muster when I get to be his age. He's pretty well tied to land now, but I can certainly imagine seeing him out there - jolly roger flying high. Colorful does not begin to describe this character - I hope he writes a book or two!

There were of course many others as well, too numerous to mention. Amazed by the coincidence, we encountered two other boats in our boatyard whose hailing port was our hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska. Among them were some folks we have known professionally for some twenty years. It occurs to me that one might never find out someone was a sailor in the landlocked town of Fairbanks - perhaps we should found the Noyes Slough yacht club.

Small world, indeed!