Denny, Archie & Jack

It’s Christmas time, so excuse me if I get a bit sentimental. Archie’s big adventure onboard Betty Ann would not have been possible the last ten years without his friends.

Margie and Church

Fortunately, Archie and his late wife Betty Ann always had a talent for friendship. As children, our parents were never at home on weekend nights. And we still can’t keep up with Dad socially.

I’m not sure his friends imagined that they would spend their later years crewing on a sailboat. But crewed they have. And partied in Newport, Nantucket, Block Island, Manhattan, Charleston, Miami and Key West. Archie has never been all about work. You gotta have fun.

Bill, Rob, Mike, Archie, Rick & Alison

Each trip south to Sarasota or north back to Point Judith typically requires ten or so crew (3 or 4 crew for each of 3 weeklong legs). Archie has been joined by friends from all stages of his life. He and Bob G. hunted as teenage boys and nearly 70 years later sailed through a storm off New Jersey. Long time friends Ron, Jack O., Church and Margie, Jack H. and Larry have all spent time aboard. Lots of new friends have become regular crew aboard Betty Ann.

A frequent name on the log of Betty Ann is Denny. Characteristically, Denny was also the first friend to contribute a story to this blog. He described Betty Ann’s maiden voyage ten years ago:

I think we set sail the end of March 2004. We left Bradenton heading for Key West and only made it to the north end of Longboat Key and Moore’s Stone Crab for dinner.

The problem was with the auto pilot. The maintenance crew from Island Packet company came down and repaired it (moved satellite receiver from deck to railing).

Interesting note, that night, anchored in Sarasota Bay, we heard a ticking noise in the bilge or the bottom of the boat. Not knowing what it was the next morning we asked the Island Packet guys and they said it was the shrimp eating the algae off the bottom of the Betty Ann. One of many mysteries solved.

The joy in adventure and discovery (e.g., Denny’s bottom-feeding shrimp) is less in the doing and more in the sharing with others. As the adventure writer Tim Cahill said best,

A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.

In which case, Betty Ann has sailed very far indeed.