Spirit of Freedom...Pamela
and Cliff
1986 Sceptre 41
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Pamela: Wow...where to start? We bought
Spirit of Freedom in September 2002
signing the closing papers on my birthday, great present huh? I had been sailing
White Swan II (now owned by Jeremy); having purchased her from BJ
when I decided my Catalina 25...First Step... was too small and tender for the
sailing and gunkholing I wanted to do now that I had the time and wherewithal!
Cliff
was hesitant at first and not too eager to start sailing. He had sailed and gunkholed with BJ and Trish on Free and
Clear on two different occasions, in 1997 and 1998, enjoying it, but
deciding that it
wasn't
really what he wanted to do. So I took off on my own with girlfriends
and spent a couple of summers
sailing in the San Juan
Islands and Gulf Islands
in British Columbia, coming back home for a two or three days via Kenmore Air or
ferry once a month. There were also lots of day sails and weekend mini-cruises
during the Fall, Winter and
Spring with my crew; in between I flew to warmer climes to sail with friends and
did a charter or two.
Cliff
and Aaron joined me for a week in the summer of 2000 in the San Juan Islands.
Then Cliff was onboard for two weeks in the summer of
2001 and another two early in the summer of 2002 in the San Juan
and Gulf
Islands with another two weeks in September of 2002 in South Puget Sound. He was starting to enjoy himself, but said if he was going to be
sailing more he needed a bigger, more comfortable boat...especially one with a
bigger head! I had been looking at other boats, not really seriously, for about
a year and when BJ suggested I look at the Sceptre sailboats in August of 2002, I did.
Spirit arrived from Ketchikan on a Friday, the following day Cliff, BJ, Trish and I trooped over to Seattle to look at her. I liked her a lot, as did Cliff (the head is really comfortable!), and made an offer on the spot. On the drive home we were all thinking of a name for her...and Cliff came up with it, by adding "of Freedom"!
Cliff and I left for a final two
week cruise on White Swan II, into South Puget Sound. The picture at the
top of the page was taken
by me, from White Swan, off of the NW end of Blake Island. BJ, Trish, Mom
(Lorraine), Bob and Dianne were delivering her to her new home in Port Orchard
for me. It was a happy/sad moment. I was sailing my beloved White Swan (I am
still in love with her) and seeing my beautiful new boat overtaking us.
That evening I moved off of White Swan and onto Spirit of Freedom with the help of Mom and Dad. The following weekend Jeremy moved off of StormRunner (now Anthem) and onto White Swan. Aaron and Julie moved their gear from my J/24, Quicksilver, and took possession of StormRunner. It is nice having a Family Yacht Club when it comes time to sell your boat...there is always somebody waiting to buy it!
Even though I still love
White Swan II and miss her in many ways...at this point in my life I wouldn't trade
Spirit of Freedom for any other boat!
Cliff and Pamela's Photos
White Swan II's Gunkhole
Adventures
2000
and
2001
and 2002
Email Cliff & Pamela at Spirit@FamilyYachtClub.com
Go to:
Glenn & Lorraine;
BJ & Trish;
Aaron & Julie;
Jeremy & Monica;
Clark & Sue;
Steve