My One and Only Tabor Boy Trip

As a senior in the spring of 1980, I did the Bermuda trip as a graduation present. I've been sailing since I was an infant with my family in Marion (I was a day student) on both small boats (Bullseyes and Lasers) and various friends' cruising boats. However, at this point I had neither done any real ocean trips nor had I ever set foot on the Tabor Boy, so I jumped at the opportunity.

Bottom line, everything about the trip was a ball. The "sailing" down and back was fun, the watch standing and working the boat, although the breeze was generally light so we pretty much motor sailed the whole way. For a day on the way back the breeze was in the high 20s and we were able to make about 10 knots under sail alone.

In Bermuda, well what can you say? What a place for an 18 year old... We had some responsibility for maintaining the boat in Hamilton, but for the most part, we had the run of the island! Mopeds, beaches, bars, scuba diving, friends, what more can you ask for?! The more I think about this as I write, the more memories start to come to the surface. I'll dig out some pictures to scan and post them and try and relate the stories I can remember.

The epilogue to my Bermuda story is that I have been back 8 times (between 1990-2007) since the Tabor Boy trip to sail Snipes at International Race Week. In 1992 I met my (future) wife during the regatta, were engaged there in 1993 and won the regatta together in 1997 when she was 5 month pregnant with our first child. I have always looked back fondly on the Tabor Boy trip and I really believe that this experience set the stage for my returning to Bermuda to sail Snipes. Had I not had such a ball that first time on the Tabor Boy, I might not have made the effort to go sail Snipes in 1990, since I was just out of graduate school and had very little money. The Tabor Boy experience was so positive, I made it happen financially. Thus the Tabor Boy trip was the catalyst for my meeting Lisa, the best thing that has every happened to me. Corney, but true!