Finding Your Dream 

Finding Your (Finding That You) Dream or The Origin of The Sailboat "Change of Heart"

Settle in because this story takes a little while to tell, but it is a story that I need to tell and hope you take the time to enjoy.

Where to begin ?
Well I guess to set the stage or some remote basis for this tale I’ll tell you how a couple of my weeks every summer were spent as a child – say from early grade school up through high school. My parents attended the Unitarian Church in Lexington MA and every summer we attended a “Family Week” at Star Island, which is one of the Isle of Shoals, located 10 miles off the Portsmouth New Hampshire coast. The week consisted of daily talks for the adults around a topic for the week while us kids got to roam the small island, learn tales about Blackbeard the pirate, play in tidal pools and in general never have anything but the Atlantic Ocean and waves crashing into the rocks surrounding us to look at. As I entered High School I became very active in Unitarian youth groups and continued to attend teenage weeks with the church at Star Island each year, eventually becoming part of the planning committee for this retreat.
So you see, I at least have been to the ocean.

I’m not sure where the next fact belongs but let’s put it here: Gerald is really, really poor at dreaming. I went years and years before I could ever remember having dreams even at night as an adult and during my waking hours, dreaming just hasn’t been something that I do. I mean, I’m a second-generation immigrant of working class heritage – it’s all about work and not dreaming - right? Margaret has tried to train me for years in the ‘art of dreaming’ without much effect for over 30 years now.

We now fast forward (or slow forward if you will), 40 years, to Margaret and I moving here to Yorktown VA, right on the York River below and emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. We are less than a five-minute walk from the water and daily commutes around here always include a view of the water in some form. During the first week we were here my errands to get us squared away took me by our local Post office, actually in Grafton VA just down the street from Yorktown. As I was leaving the post office I noticed a bulletin board reserved for local ‘for sale’ items. On this board was an advertisement for a sailboat. To be exact a Bristol 24, a 24’ sailing boat with classic lines. Don’t ask me why it caught my eye, or why there was just a glimmer of a thought that said “ hey, what if I had a sailboat and learned to sail and just did that instead of working?”
But there it was – and it happened just that quickly – and was gone.
Well, I didn’t take any note of the phone number or anything but went on my way. In the next couple of days I went online to see what a Bristol 24 was because I do remember hearing that Bristol was indeed a fine craft, made in Bristol Rhode Island and many of models were designed by the America’s Cup designer Ted Hood.

In my prayer journal for Monday August 16, 2004 I write that I confess that I do not dream. The reading for the day makes me wonder, is it because unlike Isaiah 40:31 “I am NOT waiting on the Lord to renew my strength” ? Do I not trust the Lord enough to dream for fear that I will be discouraged ?? Is that it??
Well a week goes by and my travels once again take me to the Grafton Post office but THIS time as I’m coming out I happen to take down the name, phone number and location of where the boat is moored, thinking at that point just to use it as another destination for exploring and getting to know the area. Several days later I’m working my way down the list of local businesses that I’m approaching for job prospects and I come to Winter Sound and Electronics, which is over in Gloucester Point VA. Gloucester Point is right across the York River from Yorktown, separated by a big bridge with cool rotating sections to let the BIG ships including carriers, in and out of the river. While I’m looking over the map the night before to find Winter Sound I notice the various bays labeled and lo and behold east of Gloucester Point, over there past Bena VA and right near Achilles VA is Cooks Landing – location of the advertised Bristol 24 !
Well, I thinks to myself, why not try to find this place and to find Cooks Marina and try to find Pier #1 and Slip #6 and see what a Bristol 24 looks like or even if it is still there?

The next day dawned and over the bridge I went looking for Winter Sound. Before I knew it I was looking at numbers higher than the address I was looking for so I just figured I keep on going and try to find Cooks Landing and get to Winter Sound on the way back. One turn then another turn and the marsh grass is getting taller and it becomes difficult to even see the buried sign for Cooks Marina, but after a couple of turn a rounds I’ve arrived at a small, family run, fairly old marina. I get out and begin scouting the Pier numbers which all have letter like “A” but no Pier 1. I reason that maybe the ad really meant Pier A, Slip #6 but there is no sailboat in that location so I figure that maybe the boat is no more. About that time I notice that just around the corner are some more piers so I drive out of the marina and take the next little unmarked road around to more piers. Maybe these piers are numbered I think to myself, but no, these are more letters like the letter “G” and the letter “H” but then I go HEY ! What if it is really Pier I as in the letter “I” so around I go and park and find what indeed is pier I.

As I walk down the pier a friendly older guy introduces himself as Sailor Bob. I then notice that he is working on a boat next to Slip #6 and Bristol 24. I ask, and Bob tells me that he is the owner of the Bristol 24 and the boat next to it is his recently acquired Bristol 27 –the reason for selling the Bristol 24 ! Bob is 74, has been sailing since he was 6 years old including some racing off of Long Island NY and we immediately start finding so many mutual points of connection and spirit that I am at once at home and at peace. Several hours later, the afternoon ends in Bob giving me an autographed copy of a small book, which he illustrated and published on the basics of sailing. This was part in response to my question “how would I learn how to sail” and the other response from Bob was, “well, you would come up to me and just say, ‘Bob I want to learn to sail’, and I would show you!”

As I’m driving out of the marina, between the tall marsh grass I am glowing with the sun from the outside and the inside. But hey ! Get a grip ! You don’t even have a job no less know how to sail or whatever and this indeed is really just a DREAM.
It is indeed at this point that I, Gerald, realize that I am dreaming – yes me, dreaming !
That was Tuesday August 17, 2004.

Tuesday night, all day Wednesday and Wednesday night, all I can think about is the ocean and the Bristol 24. Margaret is saying wonderful things like, “isn’t that great”, “you ought to do it” and “this is just wonderful”.
Now let me ask you –does that make any sense?

My morning devotional reading for Thursday August 19, 2004 is from Psalm 84 and I quote from verse 11: “the Lord God is a sun and a shield, the Lord bestows favor and honor; No good thing does he withhold…”

I’ve gotten up really early and I’m really at ease with moving forward to actually purchasing the Bristol 24. Can this really happen? Has the boat been sold?
I head over the Bridge once again and take the route that now is getting really familiar. As I drive I’m still certain and comfortable with this crazy venture. Understand, I’ve had plenty of crazy ventures before but never been at ease and comfortable with the venture. I get to the Marina and the Bristol is still there and still has it’s for sale sign attached. I now really go over the Bristol 24 looking at and making a list of all the questions that I have from what I see ( and what little I know about sailboats). I now call SailorBobs’ phone number and he comes on the line. We talk and agree to meet there at the pier after lunch.

There is actually another whole work related story (boring and weird) going on simultaneously with this whole dream boat over in Gloucester, but it’s much less interesting and I’ll leave it for another day or until it resolves itself.

Bob and I meet up after a couple of hours and I begin to move down my long list of questions regarding registration, insurance, history of the boat, overall condition of what I’ve seen. While all this is going on we’re getting a quart of special antifouling paint ready to brush onto the lower portion of Bob’s outboard (good practice as it comes out for the second coat on my outboard motor). I offer to paint the motor which Bob takes me up on and in all it is sort of a Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn deja’ vu.
I explain to Bob my misgivings about this whole interest in something I don’t even know how to do but in my heart I know I’m in for the deal and still at peace with the decision. I make him and offer that we agree upon, I make it contingent on Bob supplying lessons for as long as it takes for me not to need his presence on the boat and Bob heartily agrees and let’s me know that lessons will take place both on the Bristol 24 and his Bristol 27. I tell Bob that he is the instructor and I’ll head to whichever boat he points to.
The painting is finished, the handshake and the deal is finished but even for that day the blessings are not over. Bob says he has one more thing for me as I clean up from painting and we head toward the parking lot. Bob goes to his car and pulls out a loose bound copy of the latest book of Haiku with illustrations that he has done. This edition is about 144 pages long and he inscribes in the front of the book for me:
“Gerald – start with p. 48 – Then you can go anywhere in this book and life”

On page 48 there is a sketch of a spider’s web, wet with dew in little droplets. The web is in the shape of an Indian mandala – like were being done with two crossed sticks and yarn in the hippie hey-days. The sun is rising in the upper corner of the web and the Haiku is titled “ A Pantheistic Awakening”

Dog days sun rising
Through a bejeweled
“Gods’ Eye” web.
Look – God’s everywhere.



…and all God’s children, including me, said “Amen” to that !

Stay tuned, more tales of sailing through life to come - Gerald, August 2004 in Yorktown VA

Dock Letter "I", Not Dock # 1 !!