Hooray! Today, Woodwind landed in her slip at the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel Dock on Spa Creek! All the while, I had the Talking Heads song “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” running through my head 🙂 Securing lines at the mouth of Ego Alley gave me a sense of restoration and content. The boat and her sister Woodwind II, spent the past 5 months hauled out at the Bert Jabin Yacht Yard up Back Creek. In the boatyard, our winter crew renounced hibernation and invested thought, strength, and love into our vessels. Our efforts in the yard were focused on the performance, longevity, and aesthetics of the schooners. I think you’ll appreciate the results. Many thanks to the Jabin folks, we had some fun and enjoyed our time there. Still, we feel we’re home when we’re on the water. It feels good to float!!
With the completion of the spring commissioning activity, the past few weeks have been marked with the return of our sailing crew. I’m thrilled to report that we have many great crewmates returning! While our schooners are fantastic, the Woodwind family is what makes them truly special.
Over the winter, our crewmate Don Avery passed on. If you’ve sailed with us in the past several years, you may have had the pleasure of meeting him. I found Don to be a true renaissance man: a naturalist, cryptologist, buddhist, meteorologist, therapeutic equestrian, torture expert, birder, park volunteer, electrical engineer, hiker, head technician, impressionist, musician, and pun master. Whew! Don lived present in the moment and made sincere personal connections with people. Several of our crew think he has started his new life as an osprey:) I continue to hear stories about Don and see a culture that he has positively affected. I am happy to know he will not be forgotten. Personally, to celebrate life, I’ve decided to dedicate my work on the Woodwind to my friend’s spirit.
Wow! What a powerful post, Mike. Keep on spreading this good energy! 🙂
Hey Mike! Thanks for the nice words and thinking of my Dad! I need to get out there for a sail soon!!!
Coolman, let me know when you can make it. It would be good to hang out and enjoy the boat with you. I think about Don quite a bit, especially underway; he was a really cool dude. Just yesterday, my crewmate Chris walked past me with a armful of koozies, and politely said “Exkoozme.” I was amazed at the mastery of this pun- Chris said it was one that Don gave him 🙂