Jimmy Buffett, and the doors of summer slam shut.
It’s Labor Day weekend and it’s been chilly in the mornings, a clear message that fall is on the way.
I recall years ago, a friend Port (he was a sailor and yes, that really was his name) once remarked that on Labor Day, if you listened closely, you could hear the “doors” of summer slam shut.
For most this weekend marks the end of yet another summer season that went by way too fast. “What happened to summer? It seems like yesterday that it was Memorial day.”
Yes, summer is over in more ways than one with the passing of singer Jimmy Buffett, THE original summer guy, marking the end of decades of summers that he shared with millions around the world.
On Friday Jimmy Buffet died in his home in Sag Harbor at the age of 76. It has been reported that he died of lymphoma, a complication of melanoma, in itself a sad reminder of the dangers of living an “endless summer”. For a guy that embodied “summer” that was a particularly cruel end.
To be sure, Jimmy had a lot of fun over the years and inspired generations to kick back and enjoy life in a world where it seems that everyone is scrambling to climb to the top. I expect that there are thousands that have taken stock of their lives, in no small part, inspired by the words of his songs. Perhaps his passing will inspire more to head out for adventure before it is too late.
He wrote in his memoir “You know that Death will get you in the end. But if you are smart and have a sense of humor, you can thumb your nose at it for awhile.”
In a way, the timing of his passing, on Labor Day weekend, the official end of summer was sadly fitting.
Along with being a talented singer and song writer, he also wrote a number of books and when I turned 50, 18 years ago not to put too fine a point on it, a friend gave me copy of his book “A pirate looks at 50“. 
You can order a copy from Amazon for about five bucks. It is a touching and amusing book about his life and a trip that he took to mark his half century, seen through the eyes of someone who was crossing the threshold from young to “old” or at least into the second half…
When I remarked to the friend that shared a copy, the message of the book resonated with me but my friend was quick to point out that “your turning 50 is NOTHING like Jimmy Buffett turning 50”. Fair enough.
For me though, it was a timely read as we had sold our company and I knew that I’d be retiring within a few years, by my 55th birthday, my goal since I was in my early 20s. It turned out, compliments of the “great recession” that I had to work an extra year and retired six years later at 56. Not bad for a “newly sort of old guy” that I had become.
Like Jimmy, I too had no particular idea of where life would take me if I looked back when I was young. The idea of heading to the Bahamas was the extent of it and that was a stretch, never imagining that I would end up in the Caribbean, sailing thousands of blue water miles and would now be leading a group that runs rallies there every year, Salty Dawg. In many ways, my involvement in this group has come to define my “later years”.
I have been thinking of Buffett more lately as when I was in Sag Harbor a few weeks ago I saw Buffett’s boat. In spite of being worth an estimated one billion, he still owned a small boat, his 49′ Pacific Seacraft built “Drifter” and it was there. She is only a few feet longer than Pandora but probably cost 3x as much. 
Her accommodations are amazing. 
I’m guessing that a lot of Margaritas were served in her cockpit.
The coolest of his vehicles though, was his Grumman Albatross flying boat. An awesome plane that I believe he flew on and piloted during the trip that inspired his book “A pirate looks at 50”. 
This is a walk-thru of a sister ship of Buffett’s plane. It’s a remarkable “yacht” or “camper” as it’s described in the video. Enjoy.This link will take you to the sale listing for the plane at the broker. The listing is from 7 years ago and I doubt that it’s still on the market. However, at the time, the asking price was $375,000. For a machine of this complexity, I expect that the annual maintenance is plenty. What a plane. Land this baby on a lake somewhere and enjoy the moment. Makes me want a margarita.
And, speaking of margaritas, here’s the a video posted over the weekend by CNN, a short summary of “the man”, Margaritaville himself and all that flowed from his laid back island vibe.I guess he had plenty boats, planes etc, appropriate for a guy with a net worth of a billion.
When he built his sailboat, Drifter he had downsized from a Delta 125 which he sold ostensibly because he didn’t use it enough. 
His last boat, built in 2019 was also blue, appropriately names Last Mango. is blue as well, like his sailboat “Drifter:. Here’s Last Mango, Jimmy Buffett’s last boat.I have no idea if Pandora will be our last boat but this coming season, as have noted in past posts, takes me and Brenda into our second decade of winter cruising.
I have booked a slip in Hampton, VA for the month of October to allow me to run Pandora down to VA before the weather gets too cold. An easy trip might be wishful thinking as according to our weather router, Chris Parker, even late September may prove to be a bit challenging for southbound traffic as the weather windows for southbound runs are already getting shorter. Wish me luck on that as it’s only a few weeks until I begin to head south.
On October 26th, a month later, I will head around to downtown Hampton to join in the rally departure festivities, leading up to the start of our run to Antigua on November 1st, weather permitting.
I wonder how many have “cast off the docklines” and headed out to cruise the world, or at least the Bahamas and Caribbean over the years, inspired by Jimmy Buffett.
In my own small way, I hope that I too have done the same for at least a few others that have decided, over the years, after listening to may many webcasts on the Bahamas, Cuba and the Caribbean, to head south to warmer climes,
When it begins to get cold up in the north, Labor Day arrives and the “iron doors slam shut” another opens as the warm tropical waters beckon for yet another season afloat.
Soon enough it will be winter and those who are not lucky enough to head south to the mythical Margaritaville will have to take solace in listening to the laid back summertime ballads of Jimmy Buffett.
And yes, after all those lazy summers, it seems that his passing makes the iron gates of summer slam just a bit louder than normal.
Perhaps a good place to end is with this live recording of the Margaritavill man himself from a concert way back in 1993, no less relevant 30 years later. This song always makes me smile as much as it did when I first heard it so long ago. Makes me feel old but I still like margaritas and they will always make me think about Jimmy Buffett.
We sailed the entire way to the mouth of Narraganset bay when the wind shifted to the north and on the nose as we made our way the last few miles to Newport harbor.
It is always a treat to see the grand hotels that overlook the Bay. 
With all the investments going on with wind power, this brand new service ship is evidence of all the jobs that this emerging sector is bringing to the area. And, in the background a house perched on a rock that’s been there since the early 1900s. It’s called “Clingstone” as someone once remarked that it was “a peach of a house”. This “cottage” is 10,000 square feet with 23 rooms. 
I love visiting Newport for all the wonderful boats and all it’s history. For decades Newport was the playground of the ultra rich in the days before income tax. Today, well, it’s still for the very well heeled. And, the center of all that is, arguably, Harbor Court, the Newport “clubhouse” for the New York Yacht Club, once the summer home of the Brown family, founders of Brown University.
In the evenings members line up on the bluff overlooking the bay for an “adult beverage”. A spectacular “bespoke” view, just like the clothing that they sport when they are “out to be seen”. It’s quite a spot. 
Here, a view of the back of the clubhouse from the formal gardens.
Imagine having a pond of lotus behind your home. It’s always hard for me to understand how something that looks so tropical is hardy in our winters. 
Each of these flowers is the size of a grapefruit. 
And beautiful architecture isn’t limited to the huge mansions. As you walk on side streets one home is more beautiful than the next. 
And what New England city is complete without a church with a white steeple.
Touristy of not, Ken and I enjoyed a lovely lunch overlooking the harbor in Bannister’s wharf, downtown. It was a busy place, even on a weekday.
And off to the side, Rumrunner II, built back in 1929 for some NJ mobsters to smuggle, well rum, among other illicit liquors. Now she is an elegant day boat that gives tours of the harbor. Your group is large? No problem,
Tennis anyone? If you follow the sport I am sure that you have visited the Tennis Hall of Fame. It’s an elegant place and a throwback to earlier times. 
Makes me want a mint julip, whatever that is. Nice gardens. 
Well, it’s nice to be home again but I have to admit that I am already thinking about when we can get back aboard Pandora. Still lots to do to prepare for her run to Antigua in November. 
If you squinted really hard you probably figured it out. Cuttyhunk…
To the west, quite a show. This sort of display makes one feel insignificant. A good reminder for so many that think that they are very significant. However, I expect that most of them would miss the symbolism anyway. You know the type…
Once snuggly anchored, we had a lovely evening and the stars were amazing. Alas, no shooting stars spotted in spite of the meteor shower that was predicted. Probably because I didn’t stay up much past “cruisers midnight”, That’s 9:00 for you landlubbers.
This morning we walked up the road to the highest point on the island. The road is impressive, the best on the island. It was built by someone years ago to provide easy access to a planned mansion that was never built. The road remains and was recently repaved.
The view of the harbor where Pandora sits, snug on a mooring. 
Just to prove that she’s there. A closeup. 
A short time later this charming Marshall Catboat showed up. I mention this as Brenda used to come here on our own boat of the same design. I can’t believe that we came all this way with two little guys on such a small boat. 
It was on one of those trips, and it was a rainy and nasty trip, that I left the three of them once we were anchored, all in various states of distress and suffering from severe cabin fever, and rowed up to a nearby 38′ yawl and said to the owner “would you be interested in selling your boat?” The answer, a curt “no” but I gave him my number anyway. The following spring she was ours. It proves that everything is for sale.
The same picnic table view today A bit sad, I’ll admit.
It was nice to show Ken around the island. We walked a long way to the western end of the island. There are many well groomed, well mostly well groomed trails to choose from. Interestingly, there are a number of gun emplacements and viewing platforms from WWII when they were used to keep an eye out for U Boats . 
In the distance is where the Cuttyhunk Oyster Company does their magic. In the distance you can also see the Bartholomew Gosnold monument, marking the first European settlement on the island, perhaps in all of New England. On that exposed point, the settlers didn’t stay long. 
If you looked very closely, you could see the floats for the cages that hold oysters. This shows it better. All those floats. 
While we were there, one of the locals was harvesting some of their stock. In the evenings, about in time for “sundowners” they tour the harbor selling their oysters, shucked to order. Can you say “fresh”? We are planning to check some out this evening. I’ll bet they will be good with a G&T.
The island is dotted with lovely ponds.
I particularly liked this one. A well planted garden in itself. 
Of course, what New England shoreside is complete without beach roses? Perhaps the last of the summer blooms.
One thing that has changed after all these years is the addition of a solar farm. This is one of 4 rows of panels in undulating rows, tucked in a low spot so as not to spoil the view. 
In spite of this impressive setup, their diesel generators were still humming away near the village. I guess all those cappuccino makers draw a lot of power.
And don’t forget the sort-of new Pandora but with the same timeless view from her bow. 
So, here I am, Back in Cuttyhunk and a bittersweet cruise down memory lane.
It was the first time I have left the River, and only the second time I’ve been off of the mooring since bringing Pandora back from the Caribbean in May.
The audience enjoyed the “show” and seemed to like the back and forth questions and shared experiences. 
The next day a number of boats headed up to Hamburg Cove for a raftup. Most cruisers never raft, or tie up together, as most harbors are just not settled enough so this was a novel experience. When we were young and new to boating, Brenda and I rafted with friends nearly every weekend. Because of the great width of the two cats, the raft was nearly 100′ from end to end and required two moorings to hold the group. 
Smile for the camera! 
So, back to Ken and our first stop on our week out.
And speaking of well preserved “old stuff”, and I don’t just mean women of a certain age. The homes are amazing. I’ll bet that a paintjob on this home cost more than our car, no make that all the cars we have ever owned, combined. 
In spite of all this, I do enjoy visiting here if for no other reason than people watching, each more put together than the last.
However, he’s not alone with boat that is a “severe” design. If Darth Vador went boat shopping, this one would surely catch his attention.
Well, at least before he looked 100′ back and saw another trailing in it’s wake. 
Or, perhaps if he wanted to change his image. Perhaps white…
Don’t like edgy design? Perhaps this classic John Alden schooner. 
Of this lovely Friendship sloop, the brand of that name made in New Zealand. 
Goldfinch is aptly named as you’d have to have a few gold coins to purchase such a lovely “gentleman’s daysailor.
And speaking of coin. This chart from the Wall Street Journal today. 
I’m thinkin that a measly $5M wouldn’t even keep someone out of the red for more than a week in these parts. Here the .1% is more like .001% and that might be understating things a lot.
And speaking of things spiraling out of control, how about this staircase in the Sag Harbor Whaling museum?
Ok, I mentioned Salty Dawg earlier in this post and one of the primary reasons that I decided to head over to Sag this weekend is because there is a benefit going on co-sponsored by the Antigua Tourist Bureau and I thought that it would be good to meet up with some of the folks visiting that I know from my time on the Island.
Including one from the Department of Tourism. 
Well, I guess that about covers it for now as I have to get ready and put on my Antigua Yacht Club shirt and head to the fun ashore.
I have also spent a lot of time helping Brenda with some of her weaving projects and doing chores to help her prepare for some teaching in the fall. 
If it looks complicated, that’s because it is. Over 1000 threads and that’s why Brenda was watching me to be certain that I didn’t mess things up. And, with that in mind, she wasn’t always smiling. 
And, of course, working hard to be sure that there is a way for her to bring meaningful projects aboard Pandora for the winter.
The new panels just came today and when installed will be oriented fore and aft. The total width of the three panels will be about 4″ wider and the length, just under 6″ longer. With the new panels the array is huge relative to the space available when compared to what was possible just a few years ago. And with the overall increase in capacity, plus the output of the wind generator, it’s an amazing upgrade.