Life is Sailing

I used to be one to simply enjoy reading great stories, adventure stories with descriptive scenes, mysteries where I chased the main characters across continents and scaled heights to uncover clues. History fascinated me. Stories of people groups and individuals who shaped what is our modern world.

Next came engagement with historical stories from professor talks and discussions with students.  Learning these stories became more about learning them with other people around me, bringing to light even more the personalities of people from the past as I interacted with the personalities and heard from the perspectives of my fellow classmates and teachers, listening to how they interpreted these historical figures and events.

Now, I live immersed in the stories of others.  Whether I go to Michael’s or take a sailing course, listen on a tour of an academy, or sail on a historic Skipjack, history speaks everywhere.  At Michael’s I noticed the name of the cashier, commented on it, and learned about the cashier’s mother and her dream for her children to become a helper of people.  In a sailing course, I learned that my instructor loves sailing but is also a musician and desires to invest in a career that will allow more stability for a possible future wife and family.  Even as he taught my class the skill of sailing he knows very well, he shared his story with us as well.  Three times taking the guided walking tour of the academy nearby opened my eyes to many highlights of the campus and the rich history that lies within its walls, men and women who have graduated from its teaching to become heroes and grand contributors to our country. 

Finally, sailing on the historic Wilma Lee took my breath away.  A sailboat with a draft of six feet when the centerboard was down and merely three feet when the crew pulled it up.  This boat was made for versatility in the Chesapeake Bay.  She was an oyster boat, a working boat in her early days.  At some point, a man bought her and added sleeping quarters and a modest but ample galley for cooking.  Unfortunately he ran out of money, so he could no longer hold onto her.  He gave her to the Maritime Museum of Annapolis (amaritime.org), where she sails today, offering tours to young and old. 

Tonight I had the opportunity to sail on this beautiful boat, Wilma Lee, with my husband.  This was a treat in itself.  The beautiful wooden planks adorning her deck, the thick mast ringed with the mainsail.  Her bow proudly protruding toward the sea.  She sailed magnificently when finally the engine was turned off.  We rode on a piece of Chesapeake history.  She sang her story as we splashed through the waves, diving into the water and rising with the swell, alongside the racing boats of Wednesday nights in Annapolis. Wilma Lee may not be as shiny new as the X-yachts out there (go Time Machine and Heart of Gold!), but she is a part of the Chesapeake Bay, proudly displaying the Maritime Museum of Annapolis emblem on her sail.  We politely stayed out of the wind and way of the competing boats but enjoyed watching from the sidelines as they crossed the start line and then rounded the upwind mark.  The commentary from Gary Jobson, world-renowned sailor (https://jobsonsailing.com/), was the icing on the cake.  He provided his Olympic-level descriptions of the scenes on the water.  As we trailed back to the museum, he shared a few life stories of his own, his history, drawing out the poignancy of tenacity in the face of challenge, the impact of uplifting words, and the ups and downs of life. 

What a night!  Immersed in the scenes of history.