Last Saturday we said goodbye to our Zephyr (a 1998 SeaRay 250 Sundancer). It was the right thing to do at the right time. But it was really hard. Zephyr was the boat of my dreams. We bought it new almost 11 years ago when we lived on Lake Minnetonka in Mound, Minnesota.
Zephyr on Lake Superior
We enjoyed 7 great boating seasons on the lake, Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. We even took it up to Madeline Island and the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior a couple of times. Where on one occasion had a frightening excursion back from Devil’s Island when, in stormy conditions and 6-8 foot swells asked (for the first time ever) passengers to put on their life jackets. My greatest birthday was my 50th when Trisha and family members took me on a mystery adventure that ended perfectly – with a cruise across the lake for dinner with friends and family aboard our Zephyr. We also took it on Trisha’s 5oth birthday weekend celebration up Minnesota’s North Shore to Blue Fin Bay Lodge. We took a spectacular picture of the Split Rock Lighthouse (see photo box). When I took a new job in the San Francisco Bay Area with Nextel we even had it transported out to California with us, and enjoyed a few more years with it exploring the Delta, San Francisco Bay and the Napa River.
Talk about “living large!” Being on-board the Zephyr (meaning: gentle west wind) made our spirits soar. It was our refuge from pressures and the source of some of the greatest thrills and fun we’ve had over the past 11 years. It was where we played. And where we relaxed, where we escaped. It was make-believe come true. And now it’s gone.
Gone to a young man named Tyson. When Tyson and girlfriend, Kelly first came to look at Zephyr he was wearing a U.S. Navy cap. We talked briefly about our experiences in the Navy, and he told me about how he had dreamt of owning a boat like this for as long as he could remember. How he had been researching boats and been on this mission to find his boat. I liked him right off the bat. What better buyer to come courting for our boat’s love and affection but someone who is as passionate as we, and knows a great boat when he sees it! Aye, Zephyr is in good hands. And so is Tyson and Kelly. Zephyr will raise their spirits, take them on exhilarating adventures and bring them many warm and gentle breezes. He’s learning to get her up on plane, to trim her level and skim atop the waves…to listen to the gentle slap of the water gurgling against her hull lulling you to sleep in the cabin down below. Just beginning to live large.
Greg's last time on Zephyr
It’s not the end of the story for Zephyr – or us. We’re still into breezes and living large. Maybe it’s time for an RV trip. Or travel to some new spot where the adventure continues and renews our spirits. For now, we’ll just be a little sad; and glad for a man named Tyson, his girlfriend Kelly, and a boat we call Zephyr.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
We know how hard it must of been for you and Trish to say goodbye to Zephyr. We didn’t get to be on it more than a few times when we were back home in Minnesota, but we did enjoy those times! I remember a 4th of July with all the kids and mom and dad that was a lot of fun! We are sure that there will be many new adventures for both of you in the years to come that will satisfy your adventurous spirit in the way that the Zephyr once did.
Great piece there Greg! The Zephyr certainly provided numerous good times shared with good friends and family. Know it had to be hard, but all things happen for a reason, plus its the people on the boat, not the boat itself that makes the memories. Its just helps when you you have a great boat to help facilitate those great times
Talk to you and Mom sometime this week!
In the water where the scent of my emotion
All the world will pass me by
Fly away on my zephyr
Were gonna live forever
“The Zephyr Song” Red Hot Chili Peppers
How cool that you sold the boat to another adventurous young couple…you just know they are going to have fun with it too. Coupled with the fact that he was a fellow sailor? It couldn’t be a more perfect way to salute the Zephyr!
It is hard to explain the joy of boating on Lake Minnetonka (or Minnesota) to those who have not experienced it. Being the enthusiatic boat captain that you were on both Lake Minnetonka and Lake Superior – it was impossible for you to totally capture the same experience in California. However, the wonderful times you spent with Trisha, friends and family on the Zephyr both in California and Minnesota will be a cherished memory that will last forever. I know you will both take your love of the wind at your back into other incredible adventures – and I have no doubt that someday you will again feel the warm breezes of a Minnesota lake on a beautiful summer day as you fly across in another Sundancer:)