A CRUISE TO MARBLEHEAD
The owner’s guest was gorgeous. She and her four-year old son were invited to a birthday party for the owner’s granddaughter on the owner’s Matthews cruiser, Clambo. (It’s odd name was derived from the owners earlier boat, The Bounding Clam, perhaps an even more whimsical name,) The hired skipper was smitten and obtained permission to take the two on a day cruise to Marblehead.
The weather was fair and the cruise uneventful until the boat entered the harbor at Marblehead. It was a race day and the harbor was full of sailboats of assorted sizes and classes, all manned by highly competitive young people. While the skipper picked his way through the sailboats, a puff of wind lifted the boy’s hat off. It was a beanie with a propeller on top.
Disregarding the cries of “Get that stinkpot out of the way!” from the sailors, the skipper saw his priorities: he turned the boat and maneuvered to catch the sinking beanie, caught it with a boathook and restored it to its owner. At that point Karma was satisfied and they lived happily ever after.
My name is Nicholas Baker, Jr. My grandfather and grandmother were Edward Holbrook Baker "Bumpa" and his wife Edith "Bumma". I was born in Boston 5 May 1947 and remember a story (probably just that) that my mother Arline (who passed away 29 Jan 2010 in Darien CT) was taken to the hospital from the Clambo. I remember the boat well, my uncle Ed (E. H. Baker, III) gave me an 8 X 10 "official" photo of the boat in her "war paint" CGR-820, it's on my wall to this day, My daughter Laura had it mounted along with the original drawing with the changes my grandfather wanted made and a note on it from the Matthews people to return it to Mr. Baker. I didn't know your name but I remember the family talking about you. We, my mother and 2 year younger brother Holbrook "Hoby" spent the summers of 1952, 53, 54 in Situate. We lived in the "Barn" to the back of our grandparents house on Tilden Rd. We were on the Clambo many days during those summers. I can remember taking naps in the life raft on topside (I can see it in the photo you posted). I would love to hear from you and about you time with the Clambo and the Baker family.
ReplyDelete