–by Caitlin
In May, Jason and I loaded our Subaru with tools and gear, perched our dog Moby on top of a sail bag in the back seat, and set out from the Bay Area to drive across the country. This trip was a long time in the making.
More than a decade ago, as we were first preparing for our Pacific circumnavigation on DEBONAIR, my father realized that his voyaging years were coming to an end. My parents had sailed their boat ANASAZI for two decades, visiting ports as far flung as the Faroe Islands, the Gambia, and Labrador. This was the boat whose design and construction had been their passion, and which is the subject of my father’s book, The Architect’s Apprentice. ANASAZI was in Newfoundland. Did we want to take her on?
While Jason and I knew we didn’t want to let ANASAZI go, we were already overwhelmed outfitting our own boat, DEBONAIR. Eventually we settled on a less than perfect way forward: we hired friends to sail ANASAZI to Maine, then trucked her inland and had her covered. We didn’t know how a wooden boat left in a field would fare, but it would have to do. We crossed our fingers and returned to California, leaving the boat propped in a field like a fish on stilts.
Many of you followed our Pacific voyage which we completed in 2021. Since then, we spent portions of each summer sailing in the Pacific Northwest.
But we knew our time with DEBONAIR was coming to an end, and after several years on the market and many tears shed on her decks, DEBONAIR sold in March.
It was just a couple months later that Jason and Moby and I drove from California to Minnesota, where we visited Alma, who was finishing her sophomore year at Carleton College, then on to New York for Arlo’s graduation from Vassar. Somehow we fit Arlo and most of his stuff into the car, and we headed north to Maine.
Yep, that’s our boat driving down the road.
We’ve begun the work of refitting this new boat. We’ve removed the engine, reamed out the seams in the deck, stripped the old varnish off the mast and boom, and dismantled interior accommodations, among many, many other projects. Taking things apart has an emotional component–the boat was put together by my parents–but it also feels good to be taking care of her. And making her ours.
One of the first jobs we did when we got here was removing the name ANASAZI from the transom. We’re renaming the boat, and over the course of the next year, she’ll become ANCESTRAL.
Thank you all for following our adventures on DEBONAIR–and for your ongoing support as we move onto the next adventure. Special thanks to all our friends in Port Townsend, Washington who hosted us and helped us and kept us company over the last few years. We miss you! And many thanks to all the new friends we’ve already met on this next adventure.
Wow, what a great story. Good luck with the restoration. I would love to see it some time as I pass through up to Bar Harbor on one of my trips.
Thanks John! We’ll be in Rockland on & off in the coming year. It’d be great to see ya.
I love every bit of this. And Port Townsend! I’ve got a friend up there and another in Anacortes; I hope to visit both in September. Thank you for writing! 😘
Thanks, Arah! I’m glad you’ll get back to the PNW–we really fell in love with the whole area. PT & Anacortes are both wonderful places.
You’ve shared such a extraordinary story with us all!
The family legacy of sailing the seas of our world continues . With strong backs,
steady hands and ready curiosity and courage, we follow your journeys everywhere you go!
“love love “as Beth used to say!!
Aunt Joanie( Espe Cooper and Walker too)
Thanks for your decades of love and care, Joanie! I am lucky in family.
Lovely journey, thank you for sharing! So glad the ship with a beautiful such history will live on.
Thanks, Nakisha. I wasn’t sure I was going to keep posting, but it seemed right.
Glad that you are back with more boating adventures and posts.
Keep them coming.
Fred
Thanks, Fred. We’re having a great time back in New England!
Thanks for sharing this new part of your journey. The name is a wonderful tribute and I can’t wait to see Ancestral’s next voyage.
Anasazi/Ancestral has been a part of a lot of people’s lives 😉 Glad you like the name.
Ohmygawwwwd I can’t believe Arlo is done with college and Alma is a sophomore. Time and children is truly the strangest thing. Congrats on the new boat and thanks for sharing your story 🙂
Right!!?? The kids make time seem so unreal. Thanks Cara
Loved reading about what you’ve been up to!
More great adventures ahead, the name of the boat is perfect!
Hello from Kansas!
Thanks Tammy! Miss you guys.
Thank you for the update! Sounds like fantastic project, nice job.
Thanks, Andrew! Let us know when you’re near Alameda. We’d love to se eyou!
Great to see you all and know that adventures are coming to us out here (in written form)! Can’t wait to hear all about everything! Keep the posts coming, please. Love, C
Thank you, Carol! We’ll post again in the spring as she gets closer to ready!
Again thank you for sharing your adventures. So amazing you are refurbishing your parents boot, the new name is very appropriate. Wishing you all the best, and if you travels pass through this area, an extra bed is always available. Looking forward to reading your next update.
Thanks, Hetty, for the sentiments and the approval of the name change. I love hearing from people who knew Beth and Gary <3