Aboard the Tabor Boy in Annapolis

The Tabor Boy reunion in Annapolis on April 5, 2014 was a wonderful event.  It was great to meet "new" school head John Quirk, XO Holly Francis, XO Ryan England (Tabor '04, USNA '08, Columbia University School of Medicine '17!). It was also very nice to catch up with Capt Geil, and Charlie Ingersoll '78, and to meet Charlie's wife, Honor Ingersoll.

I had not been on the boat for quite a few years. Interesting changes above and below decks.  Besides the obvious rigging changes, I noticed: 2 generators, not 1; a hatch leading from the XO's/1st officer's cabin to the foredeck (so that each watertight compartment has its own exit path); main and fore halyards made of line, not cable; no more heavy cranks and brakes to raise/lower the main & foresail; no more running backstays; 4 additional fo'c's'l bunks; higher lip on entrance to the deckhouse; no more head by the engine room, but two heads forward of the galley; a partition in the main salon to create a more private cabin; new navigation electronics, and the 2 hand-wound chronometers on the starboard side of the navigator's shack are gone (too bad); no wind/spray shield at the helm; more netting under the jib boom; etc. Almost all of these changes improve the safety, stability, sailing qualities, and historical authenticity.