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T�l� M� � St�ry . . .
This month our story is truly one of death-defying excitement involving three current or former
members of the Fort Walton Yacht Club. It is the type of story we have all read about and
pray we never actually have to face. In order to better appreciate the decisions made and
tactics used for not only mere survival, but eventual triumph, we need to set the stage with
some background details.
Linda cruising to Pensacola on her
Corsair 28 CC in 2007
The heroine of this story is the quiet, unassuming Linda Wright. If
you have only seen Linda around the club and not had the chance to
speak with her or better yet, sail with her, you don’t know what you
are missing. Not one to toot her own horn, I will do a bit for her. She
is an accomplished sailor with extensive knowledge of all parts of just
about any sailboat, small engines and more. She has been a live-aboard
sailor and possesses a long resume of offshore miles including racing
and yacht deliveries. She has lived near and on the water for most of
her adult life and has chosen our stretch of the Gulf to sink roots.
With this backdrop, you might assume that Linda hails from a seafaring
family who instilled a love of all things nautical from birth, but you
would be wrong. She had a great childhood; it just didn’t include many
water activities. Her first exposure to our local area was ironically her six-week ROTC summer encampment
at Eglin AFB. At the time, she didn’t dream of eventually returning and making the area home. One of her
early assignments was to Pease AFB in New Hampshire where she purchased her first boat, a Flying Scot. Her
method for learning to sail was simple, read and get on the water to see what worked. Lake Champlain saw a
lot of that Scot. At a later assignment in Washington D.C., she began racing with other Scots at the local sailing
club and watched their maneuvers and tactics. Her learning breakthrough came from participating in a national
regatta where the top sailors in the Class shared many of their boat and sail handling techniques. The lessons
from this and a few other regattas really showed upon her return to the local club when she went from last to
first place. She continued to read and study all aspects of sailing.
Another step on Linda’s mastery was the reconnection with a cousin in Annapolis who had discovered sailing
in his adult life and was a yacht broker as well. He expanded her sailing horizons by introducing her to the
world of keel boats and cruising. Her purchase of a Tartan 30 accelerated her learning curve of all things
boating. She learned about inboard engines, water and electrical systems and general boat maintenance along
with navigation and anchoring. Again, her learning method included
a whole lot of reading along with hands-on experience to see what
worked. She cruised extensively throughout the Chesapeake Bay and
the Bahamas and took every opportunity to crew in offshore races
from Massachusetts to Bermuda and from Virginia to the Caribbean.
When she moved up to a 41' ketch-rigged boat, she was so in love with
life on the water that she rented out her house and moved aboard. This
and other floating homes moved with her from one Air Force
assignment to the next. Eventually, the Air Force brought her full
circle to the waters of Choctawhatchee Bay and Hurlburt Field.
And from here, dear reader, our story really begins!!!
continued next month.
To be
Linda, cruising Choctawhatchee Bay on
her Tartan 37 around 2003 . . . . the last of
her live-aboard boats
If you have a story