One hand for the ship, one hand for yourself

The phrase, “sail training aboard the TABOR BOY” kindles so many memories. One that stands out is sailing through Woods Hole on the way to Nantucket, one late fall day. We sailed her through and found that the wind was blowing even stronger on the Nantucket side. So, Cap told us to reduce sail and Bob Glover and I climbed out on the bowsprit to gather, stop, and secure the outer jib as it came down. Cap pointed her up into the wind and the schooner started a progressive pitch. We worked quickly but it wasn’t long before the bow plunged so that our boots were dipped into the cold water. We continued stopping the sail and securing it to the jib boom as the bow dipped and we were waist deep in the spume. We kept working, and the bow dipped again; this time we were neck deep. Bob and I tied the last stop and scrambled back in before the bow sprit took one more dip into Nantucket Sound. Cap headed off the wind and we continued our way to Nantucket making about ten knots. Bob and I knew exactly what to do and how to do it safely from knowledge that was passed down to us from Cap and our senior shipmates.

It’s an extraordinary process how this knowledge propagates through the years. Sailing aboard her during my 25^th reunion, I was impressed with how the young men and women handled the TABOR BOY on that beautiful windy day in June. The captain was kind enough to let me take the helm to tack the vessel. As the bow swung across the horizon, I noticed each crew member taking their position and executing their task with utmost professionalism. I couldn’t help but indulge myself with the thought that my old shipmates and I were part of the educational succession. The young crewmen were continuing this chain that day with guidance that they were giving to the freshmen. Yes sir, the spirit of the TABOR BOY continues on.