Second Love... Boats

Some of my earliest memories are of our 1962 Owens (wood) cabin cruiser. Actually, they are of crabbing from the dock where we kept the boat. We kept the boat on Back Creek in the Essex area of Baltimore. I remember having to leave that area because they were building a sewage treatment plant on the river; I later married the woman whose father designed the plant. Sadly, the plant stank and killed the economy of that area. I don't know if it polluted the water, but, the area today looks like a wasteland.

8 Foot SportYak II

I always say that my fist sailing experience was in college on a friends Sunfish sailboat. That's not quite true. After my Dad sold the Owens, there were a few boatless years, and I think Dad bought an 18 foot trailerable Cobia. After that I think it was a 1968 34 foot wood Egg Harbor. We kept the boat at Bowley's Quarters also in the Essex area on Middle River. After some years of begging and pleading for a dinghy, Dad bought a SportYak II with sail rig. I don't think I was much older than 10 or 12. The only incedent I remember is that my brother, who is three years younger, and I hopped in the boat and I took off sailing into the middle of Middle River. I didn't know sailing from diddly. But, I think I had an aptitude for it. There was a freshening wind and we were moving along in this little 8 foot bathtub (unsinkable). There was a storm moving it, that's why we were moving along nicely. Dad came to the end of the pier (a 1000 foot pier, the first of it's kind), put his fingers between his teeth and whistled. DAD NEVER WHISTLED FOR US. W heard him yell, "there's a squall line coming", a line storm for you landlubber's that bring high winds and waves. We were only out about a quarter of a mile, maybe a half mile. I brought the boat about (turned it around) and brought it back to dock within minutes. I know we played on that boat for many years but that's the only instance I can truly remember.

13 Foot Boston Whaler

The next boat that was "Ours" was a 13 foot Boston Whaler. Again, I think it was a case of us nagging incessantly, because the other families had boats for the kids to fish and ski from.





My First Boat 14 Foot Sunfish


Second Boat Cal 21

Third Boat Catalina Pop Top 22

Fourth Boat 24 Foot "Bristol" Sailstar

Fifth Boat Columbia 27

Sixth Boat 40 Foot Marine Trading Bestway Labelle Motor Yacht Trawler

All these titles are to be continued