TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

10/13/09 Tuesday

It is amazing when ordinary people witness extraordinary circumstances while traveling through their daily lives.  Spruce and I bore witness to one such situation the other day.  As, you all know we are currently in Newburyport harbor, waiting out the winds.  Well, as we came into dock on monday, a gentleman helped us with lines and tying our boat up to the dock.  We later learned that his name was Phil, and that he lived locally.  He offered to help us in anyway.  We are quickly learning that sailors are very willing to help out a fellow sailor.  Well, back to Phil, he popped a later that evening and said his wife had offered to make us dinner.  That was an offer we surely could not refuse.  So, on tuesday after we helped Phil move his boat across the harbor, his wife picked us up and we were off to his home.  On the way to his home we learned that it was his wife’s birthday. 

  As, we entered their very old and historic home we were greeted by a very large dog named Roscoe and a smaller, but no less enthusiastic puppy named Shelby.  Further into the kitchen we met, Sheryl (Phil’s wife), Grace and Hannah (Twins-not identical), and Sheryl’s friend, I think her name was Beth.  After the introductions they ushered us into the family sitting room, were they made a fire in the fire place to take the chill out of the air.  As we warmed ourselves next to the fire we each shared stories about sailing and Maine.  As, it turns out Sheryl grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.  The little girls also shared stories about sailing and their lives as well.  Before dinner Grace and Hannah presented their mother with a hand made bracelet, (Which was better than most of the ones I have seen in the shops around town.  I think we may have been present at the beginnings of a future jeweler)  The other gift was a picture frame, which we could tell was made with lots of love and creativity.  

While we joined together and passed the meal around we could not help but stand back and marvel at the amazing people we were with and their heart felt generosity.  Like, I was telling Spruce the other day, I missed Cundy’s Harbor and Portland, because the people were so kind and generous to us and I was a little homesick.  But, meeting Phil’s family, I realized that there are still people out there who will trust traveling strangers and offer friendly assistance and a helping hand when needed.  I can not wait to see who else we meet along the way!