SailingFamily’s Weblog

This is the fabulous boat that we’ve owned 2 years now. Her name is Apogee - we keep meaning to change her name to Josefine, who was Jack’s girlfriend of 40 years and one of the reasons we own this boat. But we haven’t - there are so many more important things to do than change a name.

This is boat #3 since we were married 13 years ago. Number 1 was a 19 foot O’Day Mariner named Metanoia (from the Greek: a change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion). She had lovely lines; a pretty, classic sheer line. We rescued her from a driveway in Marion, MA, brushed off the pine needles, put her into the water at Wareham. We sailed her up to Portland ME a few weeks later. A sweet boat, but the cabin was a cuddy, and not really closeable, though the previous owners had made a cabin bulkhead out of 3/8 ply, then painted it in a lovely silver paint that peeled all summer in paper size flakes. It was a 3 day sail to Maine. We crossed Massachusetts Bay at night with no radar reflector, with unbelievably little shipping traffic. Reaching Cape Ann at dawn, Nat asleep, I decided to take the inside passage, which is wicked shallow. I am normally a night owl, but on a boat, the best time is dawn. We drifted through the rocks. Later that day we headed innocently up into the Merrimack River, not having read a thing about it. We were lucky and did well, despite the large standing waves, the wind against us, and the outboard whining and whirring each time she lifted out of the water. We crossed out of the middle of the channel and sailed over to the side, where it was very shallow, out of the fury of wind and tide. That O’Day draws 4 feet as I recall.

We’re going sailing soon, but not soon enough. While it’s snowing and sleeting here in New Hampshire, it’s warm, balmy and perfect in the Bahamas. Piper says, “It’s not perfect in the Bahamas!” but I think from the vantage point of New England in February, listening to the hard pellets of sleet hit the roof, it is perfect. I agree to disagree. Piper has now changed her mind. Ok, so it’s perfect.

The last time we went was a year ago. We sailed out of Nassau towards the Exumas. Crossed the Yellow Banks, those treacherous shallows of reef heads, to the incredible chain of islands called the Exumas. I don’t know where the name came from. I’ll research that.

Quick research. There’s: exhume, exalt, exuberant. The prefix -ex means out of.

Exhumare: Middle English, humus = from the earth.
Exaltare: ME, altus = high
Exuberare: ME, uber = fruitful

I like the last one best. Though, the Exumas are actually dry and rocky. I wouldn’t call them fertile. This is most likely an impression taken from always seeing these islands from the coastline. I read that they produce onions, tomatoes, mangoes, papayas, pigeon peas, and guavas. Some of those things I haven’t eaten. Guava. I remember a grown up jam that we weren’t allowed to use in the fridge. It was pale, yellowish, and we didn’t want it anyway. And pidgeon peas? I think they’re like a black eyed peas. Last year I got so excited about some fresh tomatoes, but I would have killed for some apples. Kiss that one goodbye. No apples, I mean, no reasonably priced apples that far south. I guess it’s like buying a mango in New Hampshire. Expensive, not for everyday, hide them well. I think in Highborne Cay, I saw and touched a 5 dollar cucumber. I’m such a yank. It’s just that having kids, I get used to finding the foods that they’ll eat. Cukes, apples, carrots, lettuce and don’t forget the ranch dressing. I miss that vegetable wealth when we sail. The food is generally heavier than we eat at home. I have to find a way around that.

We’re going to the Exumas again. Did I say that? It is still sleeting and blowing a gale here, 99 miles from the Atlantic.