Skip to main content

Dreaming towards Memorial Day


Good Morning Everyone. A new week begins here full of promise. Sunrise begins this week at 0612 and sunset is at 1735, almost 11 ½ hours of daylight. Though the sun’s warm rays shine down upon us winter is still here with wind chills forecasted to dip well below zero. Our efforts this week will be focused in the barn on the yawl boat. I have one plank to remove and replace. I want to check the shaft alignment and clean the fuel tank. And the varnish and paintwork will get a good rub and recoating. Crew will begin to arrive later this week. March is a awesome month for us. As the sap rises so does our energy for getting ready to go sailing. It is hard to believe our Memorial Day Weekend cruise is only a few short months away. So much to do and so little time to do it. But I am dreaming of visiting the islands, smelling the sweet spruce, tasting lobster on the very first day we sail, and feeling Mary Day heel to a full press of sail and carry us away.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Photo by Neal Parent.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...

A Golden Windjammer Anniversary

Happy Birthday Mary Day! 50 years ago today Mary Day slid out of the shed at the Harvey F. Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine marking the beginning of a whole new chapter in the history of the windjammer fleet. The Gamage yard had not launched a schooner since 1933 and Mary Day was the first commercial coasting schooner launched since 1938. That also makes her the first commercial coasting schooner launched in the second half of the 20th century and the first schooner ever launched for the windjammer passenger trade. There may be a few more firsts in there but that doesn't really matter. What is most important about this celebration is the fact that Mary Day was launched today and began her career touching the lives of thousands of people. This schooner was built by people, for people and has never done anything else but bring joy to peoples lives. She has become a legendary windjammer here along the Maine coast as part of the largest fleet of commercial coasting schooners...