Black Belt and Blue Water
Roosevelt ’ s body was failing him , his mind remained clear .” He recalls that FDR “ once said , ‘ you know , I am a juggler , and I never let my right hand know what my left hand does ’” ( Cross 2003 188 ).
Amyas Ames , who was to be an official in the War Shipping Administration in World War Two , was a Roosevelt family friend . In 1933 , he had sailed with the president from Marion , Massachusetts to Southwest Harbor , Maine , on a “ family occasion .” Afterward , “ Ames described Roosevelt as a ‘ natural sailor ,’ who was ‘ down to earth , with a likeable personality ,’ adding that he was a very self-contained man .” The atmosphere on the 400-mile cruise had been splendid , and the entire crew had always addressed FDR as “ skipper ,” and never as “ president ” ( Cross 2003 196 ).
Cross ’ s Epilogue is worth quoting at some length . He calls FDR our “ greatest seagoing president ,” and said that “ he spent time afloat every year of his presidency except 1942 , when security considerations kept him on dry land .” As president , he “ sought out the sea frequently ,” for relaxation , and to “ clear away ‘ personal cobwebs ’.” Regardless of the vessel , whether he was skipper of a tiny yawl , a twin-masted schooner , or a “ distinguished guest aboard a forty-five thousand-ton warship ,” he loved nowhere better than being on the water . “ Roosevelt skillfully used dead reckoning as his means to navigate through pea-soup thick fogs and ship-swallowing seas . He calculated where he had been , where he currently was , and where he was going , using nothing more than a compass , chart , and his keen know-how gained from years of sailing .” He was “ an accomplished blue-water sailor ,” was “ adept at dealing with the unexpected and adapting quickly to the vagaries of the weather . On the sea�and throughout his life�he was a master of improvisation , rapidly issuing orders to his crew to alter course and adjust sails as conditions
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