Rough day, Tasman Sea
Repairing sails
Marina, Staten Island
Ted refurbishing figurehead
Jessica sewing on Girl Scout badges
Reynolds family
1 THE RISE
OF THE PHOENIX
“Between a dream and a deed lie the doldrums.”
The yacht Phoenix stood poised on the launching cradle. The ways were greased, the tide at spring high, and only a single wedge restrained our newly built ketch from sliding into the waters of the Inland Sea of Japan.
Standing on deck, I looked at the crowd below, at the Shinto priest chanting a blessing at the bow, and at Yotsuda-san, my long-suffering shipbuilder, waiting alongside for my signal.