[Rhodes22-list] Kids and Sailing

[Steve Alm]

Chris,  that's a great story.  Thanks.

Slim

On 11/2/03 12:17 AM, "NAPOLI51950 at aol.com" <NAPOLI51950 at aol.com> wrote:

> I enjoyed the whole exchange about kids and sailing and it put me in a
> reflexive mood also.  I bought my 1st Rhodes in '76 and our son was born in
> '82.  He 
> went out sailing with me starting at the age of 9 mo.  Naked as a jaybird he
> would insist on taking the tiller.  By the time he was 6 he was my regular
> crew while we sailed the Chesapeake from Va. beach to the C&D canal.  Those
> were 
> wonderful times.  Shortly before having to sell the boat in '94 I took it down
> (via trailer) to Ft. Lauderdale and sailed it across to Bimini and then to
> Nassau where his Mom and he joined me.  After a week he was put in charge of
> navigation (all DR) and planning the routes.  How he grew in those few months
> we 
> were down in the Bahamas!  With much regret I sold our boat and moved to
> Oregon.
> 
> When Nick was a senior in High school he announced that he didn't want a car
> for graduation (fat chance anyway) but help in buying a boat in Greece.  He
> saved and made money with several ceramic shows.  We looked for an available
> Rhodes to ship over to Greece, but none were available in his price range.  (a
> Rhodes in Rhodes would have been way cool)!  As it was we went over and
> located 
> a 22' British built boat and spent a month restoring it.  After a too short 2
> weeks sailing from near Athens to Turkey I left my son on his 18th birthday on
> the Greek Island of Simi.  He spent the next 5 months sailing the boar around
> the islands and Turkish coast.  Almost every year since he has managed to
> scrape together enough money (with a bit from us) and return to more sailing
> over 
> in the Med.  
> 
> This fall when I had purchased another Rhodes and brought it out here, Nick
> climbed in and sat down in the cockpit.  Silent for several minutes with a
> faraway look, he reached over gave me a hug and said "With this boat you
> taught me 
> sailing and a whole world opened up for me, sailing made me who and what I
> am".  Geez, can you ask for anything more from your kid?  What went unsaid is
> what the Rhodes did for his folks too.
> 
> Chris
> SV Trepa (for now)
> 
> 
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