Anybody who has sailed even a little, frequently “gets the bug.” It may start with a very small boat, such as a sunfish. Then, we see a larger boat—perhaps a boat 40 feet long or more. We fantasize how it would be to sail that boat.
Along comes a sailboat show, and we attend. After all, it can’t be all that bad to dream. There are several “big” sailboat shows. My first was the one in Annapolis, Maryland.
Some of the boats were indoors, but the largest ones were in the water. Most of those boats allow show attendees to come aboard and see it up close and personal. That is great—especially if you are considering buying a larger boat.
Another fun aspect of the sailboat show in Annapolis is that many famous people are sailors. They tend to be very personable, as most sailors are with each other.
In that first sailboat show I ever attended, “I saw three famous sailors: Jacques Cousteau, Baron Bich, and CBS legend, Walter Cronkite.
Baron Bich (pronounced bick) was the owner of the BIC pens company. He wanted to name the pen after himself, but he knew for an American market how many people would pronounce it to rhyme with “stich.”
When I saw Walter Cronkite come in on his boat, I laughed. Many times, I had heard his temporary replacement on the evening news say, “Walter is away on assignment.” On the front of Cronkite’s boat as he docked was the name, Assignment. Apparently, he had heard the tale that his boat was named Assignment, and he had nameplates made just for the sailboat show. His boat was really named, Wynjje, the name of one of his Dutch ancestors, as were all of his boats. This boat was 64 feet long. He said the boat was not pretentious and that if you spilled wine on the deck, you wouldn’t be thrown overboard.
Many people come to sailing relatively late in life. Coming from the dry West, Cronkite did not sail a sailboat until he was in his 50’s, when he really got the bug. If you think sailing is just for young people, and you feel too old, think again. You will be in good company, and you will be glad you took the leap.
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I learned to sail in a Lido 14 back in the mid 60s and graduated to a Shields 19. Then, for various reasons, I stopped sailing and fifty years have passed. I have only been on a sailboat one time since the 60s but recently, at the age of 80, got the bug to find a local sailing club and do some local sailing. I think I need to go back to Basic Sailing 101 first but that has been added to the top of my bucket list.