A TRUE STORY.... an old poem for my wife

My wife Rachel was going through her personal papers the other day. She handed me this poem I wrote to her back in the 90s.

A TRUE STORY

There once was a young sailor

Which at one time early in his career 

Lived ashore in a trailer,

A trailer said he, it's not for me

For it only sits in one spot, does not move up and down 

And around a lot

From this he decided he must seek out his adventures on the sea

His fortunes carried him here, there and bits of somewhere

But then one day he came along side a vessel so well fitted out,

Newly  built and ready for adventure

This vessel he could see, would be the one to seek his fortune and fame with, he

Now since that very day

That sailor and this Vessel, have cast about a lot 

Both north, south, east and west 

They've been up

They've been down

They surly have sailed around

Squalls, calms, short storms, additional crew

This vessel has not sprung her seams, nor hogged her back

She's as fair as the day she was first sighted

In this short tale, no matter how far apart, or long in time 

The one thing that is certain 

That the treasure this sailor found

In that one vessel of not long ago

Will always be stored, securely in this sailors heart

Bestowing advice to me in Martinique last year.

 Sailing under the Jewfish Creek bridge on our way to the Florida keys this month.

In Cape Town with a new friend this year

Watch out, she can handle the squalls of last summer

Looking and being fit at 55

Having fun working on Hogfish last May.

 Steering on our way down the coast of Antigua in 2016

At the Whale Boner Bar in Bequia in 2015. Hogfish is at anchor just down the shoreline over a shoal patch to stay away from the crowd.

Deck Winches.... Deck cleaning wench? This summer at our place in the Bahamas

Having fun in Sweden in 2014 

 Striking the pose in front of my sisters old place in Helsingborg. She owned the upstairs apt. Flat.

 

Hogfish the fish in front of Hogfish the boat. Exumas in 1993

Rachel Platt

A vessel that's been easy to maintain though at times she likes to dance about

A craft that has carried to term two very precious cargos

A solid ship that has weathered many a squall to get to a new beach

A beauty to me that I am very lucky to have traveled in company with

 As a Neil Young song says, "As long as we can sail away"