A Break for a Change from a Change

We put Gerty to bed at the end of April. We undressed her, sail by sail. We bathed her, scrubbing the hard-to-reach places, and lovingly oiled her engines. We even sewed new hatch covers before tucking her into the boatyard for a long summer nap.

When it was time to say goodnight, Michael was as somber as I’ve ever seen him.

Our flight from Tahiti turned around just ten minutes after takeoff, and it felt as though Gerty was calling us back—like she had woken, frightened and alone, crying for us to return. Soon enough, the plane rose again, and eight hours later, our transition to long-term life on land began for the first time in five years

May flew by. We visited Joshua, who landed an awesome new job at Filoli, and celebrated Zachary’s graduation from medical school in New York.

After a few reunions with friends, family, and a memorable girls’ weekend in Vermont, BOOM, we found ourselves living in Belgrade Lakes, Maine.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s nowhere Michael would be happy off Gerty—except Belgrade Lakes. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true, but it feels true. This is the only place on land that comes close to the serenity and magnificence of the open ocean. The air is fresh. The colors are rich. The scents are strong. And the water? Glorious!

Maine also happens to be much closer to old friends and family than French Polynesia. So, there’s been no time like the present for us to take full advantage of geography.

I can’t tell you who’s been the best water-skier (that’s a lie. It was Leslie.), hiker, ice cream eater, or whoopie pie connoisseur—but we haven’t had a visitor we didn’t love.

Plus, the locals seem to fully grasp the concept that we don’t like to cook, but we’re happy to host a sailboat-style potluck sundowner event that spills over into dinner.

Last but not least, being a water ski instructor and speedboat driver for 130 campers at Camp Runoia is just about the most fun job we’ve ever had. On day one, when the counselors named the water start position, “meatball,” I knew we were bound to have a great time!

Last Remarks

• Okay, okay, John was technically the best waterskier, but seeing the look of shock on Michael’s face when Leslie hit her slalom stride was priceless.
• Thank you to Elaine for making a beautiful home with John and sharing your house with us.
• Thank you to everyone who welcomed us so warmly back to the United States.
• Thank you to Zachary, Leslie, Jack, John, Stacey, Hutch, Rich, Amy & Lesley for making the trip to Maine!
• And thank you to our cruising friends for staying in touch across the seas. We miss you!