Sailing Takes Me Away

 

Our lives are but a series of moments.

Have any you would love to relive?

I sure do! 

You know, something that was so just basically good,

and makes you smile without even realizing you’re

smiling?

Sailing as a child is one of mine.

I saw this first photo this morning and just got
whisked away by it…

…whisked back to the wonderful tropical balmy
weekends we enjoyed cruising around Miami’s
Biscayne Bay as a family.

My Dad’s interest in sailing began with this model-
a 14 ft. Scorpion …

We would take our boat and put in at Matheson
Hammock Park.  Since there were six of us kids, we’d
take turns swimming and sailing, and Mom would
have a nice lunch waiting for us.  These little boats
are great fun.  Wish I had some pics of those adventures!

{Sidenote:  Believe me when I say that we didn’t have much money.  My Mom and Dad were masters at stretching every dollar,
and that is why they were able to get these boats.  They never
wasted money or food, and only bought us what we needed.
We lived in a 1200 sq ft. , 3 bedroom home with my 4 brothers
in one room, and me and my sis in another.}

Back to my story…

Eventually, the sailing bug really bit Dad.
He wanted a bigger boat, so we graduated to this
model; a 25 ft. Coronado.

As you can see, this boat has a cabin…one that was big enough
for us all to sleep in!  And that we did.

Spending the night out on the bay was wonderful!  Can’t you
just imagine it?  My sis and I would lay on the bow and get a tan.  I wasn’t very interested in learning the how-to’s of it all, so I just enjoyed! Sis and the boys all learned.  Kinda wish I had, too!

And let me tell you… FOOD has never tasted better
than it did out on the bay-except maybe when me and Maddy go
camping with my sis and her hubby!!


After a while, Dad wanted to start participating in races.  He had done some crewing for a friend, and got hooked.  So he needed a racing boat…

And he got one.  This is like the last model boat he owned.
A Bristol  racing boat.  He did some racing, but most
of his sailing was still for pleasure once the kids started to grow
up and move.

I can almost smell the interior of the cabin, feel the salt spray on my face,  taste my Mom’s yummy egg salad sandwiches, giggle at the silly jokes my brothers would tell, see my Father’s sense of pride and joy as he commanded the helm,

and get lost…

…in those moments.

fun memories…

Good times with family.  Does it get any better?

Thanks for daydreamin’ with me!
Becky