Here is a section from an article Esther wrote for the magazine "Motor Boating" about the Bristols' boat fever:
"We, too, have boat fever. For the past fifteen years my husband and I have been the hopeless and happy victims of this delightful malady. Some people can like boats and leave them alone. We can't. We have boats in our blood, and are content in the knowledge that there is nothing we can do about it, even if we wanted to. "Seven boats ago, when we were first married, we were both continually engaged in the business of maintaining a roof over our heads. Because we were earning our living in the field of art, and there was no time clock on our studio wall, we kept at it night and day. But, came the time, we suddenly realized the fallacy of "all work and no play". So we would solve the problem of what to do weekends, vacations, and long winter evenings.
"We thought of fishing. We bought fishing tackle and rods and reels, sunglasses, sunhats, and slacks. We were all set, except for one thing. We needed a boat. So we bought one, a brand new, handsome 18-foot Old Town canoe. We launched her in the Concord River in Massachusetts and set forth to fish. We learned every species of fish common to that locality, and we had a nodding acquaintance with most of them. But, we never caught any. We knew every bend in the river, every tree, every shrub. We returned home with sunburns and happy memories, but still, no fish.
"We found our canoeing hobby most pleasant, except for the fact that we always seemed to be encumbered with a lot of useless fishing gear. So we forgot about our rods and our reels and concentrated on our paddles. As we had exhausted the possibility of discovering new bends in the river, we looked toward a nearby lake and transported our canoe to its shores.
"We soon learned that a lake is unlike a river. If we ever wanted to get anywhere we needed more speed with less effort. So, how about a sailing canoe? That was it. So my husband made the mast, and I sewed a fine sail. That's how our boat fever was born! For, as I sewed that sail and my husband made that mast, we sealed our fate and settled our future. And a good time we had, on that nearby lake, sailing along in the summer's breeze.
"Yes, sailing was fun, more fun than anything we had ever done, so several years and two children later it was only natural to decide that we needed a larger boat. She turned out to be an 18-foot Cape Cod knockabout, and we sailed her on a larger lake. Then came another sailboat on another lake."At this point we felt we should graduate to the open sea, and a 20-foot sharpie appeared on our horizon. She, I'll have you know, was a cruising boat, and we proved it. By rigging a boom tent over the cockpit we were able to sleep aboard. With the addition of a stove, a lamp, and a bucket, we had all the comforts of home and, aboard her, we cruised the New England coast. We were not even ashamed to anchor amid the fancy, million-dollar fleet of gleaming yachts in Marblehead Harbor -- boom tent, bucket, and all.
"Another summer we returned to Marblehead Harbor aboard our 26-foot cabin sloop, no boom tent, no bucket, and with sitting headroom and bunks where the four of us could sleep with equal discomfort. By this time we were avid boat addicts for good. And, aided and abetted by our days of cruising and our love for boats, we took to dreaming. We indulged in those delightful deliriums of owning the perfect boat and of cruising to tropical isles."
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One night in 1951 Byron returned home to find his wife reading. With shining eyes she told him that she had just finished a book called "Sailing to the Sun". It related the tale of a cruise down the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida. Esther sat staring into space, dreaming of the sunny palm trees of the South while the cold October wind whistled outside. She asked if they could go to Florida, sailing their way to warmer shores. Was it possible?
Byron said that it absolutely was not. As if the mental image of two adults and two girls aged eleven and eight afloat for a number of months wasn't frightening enough, the November freezes would begin soon, wrecking ships caught in Northern harbors. They would have to have a bigger boat. They couldn't leave their house untended for the time it would take to have a really long cruise, so they would have to find someone to rent it while they were gone. The girls would have to be taken out of school, and that brought up all sorts of problems. He insisted that they just couldn't do it.
Nevertheless, as he slept Byron thought it over. By morning he realized that the cruise was indeed possible! Somehow he had figured out ways to get around all the obstacles. But when he told Esther that they could go after all, she said that she was now convinced it was completely out of the question, there were just too many difficulties. "Well," he said, "I'm sailing to Florida and I hope you'll come with me." And that was the end of that. Esther talked to the school principal and a yacht broker. By the end of that first day the girls' school schedules had been taken care of, Esther would teach them on-board the boat. They also had two sailing crafts to look at. Their pipe-dream was quickly cementing into reality.
After they found the first boat less than satisfactory, the Bristols went up to Boothbay, Maine to look at the next prospective craft. It was shoved in the back of a large, dark warehouse, and the little light that shone on it didn't reveal a comforting sight. The "Eliza" was a dilapidated 38-foot sailboat that had seen better days. It stank of gas and cylinder oil, the hull needed to be stripped and all the varnish refinished. But it was designed by one of their favorite architects, John Alden, and it really was a fine little boat. Underneath the grime and dust it was truly beautiful. Eliza was well-built and first class down to the trim, which was Philippine Mahogany. Best of all, she was just the right size. After a detailed survey of the boat, Byron and Esther purchased it. Renaming the craft "Pipe Dream", they made the first step of their great adventure.
There was still a long way to go, however. After selling their 26-foot sloop "Salty Dog", Byron made Pipe Dream seaworthy. He also set to work fixing up the house in Medfield for rent. When it was ready they found a willing couple and made the deal. The girls got their schoolbooks, and Esther tackled the monumental task of outfitting a boat for an eight-month cruise. All their preparations came to a head as they climbed into Pipe Dream on a cold, rainy night.
The little family hadn't gone very far before meeting someone who would help them greatly and become a wonderful friend. George Arents Jr. was a very rich young man who was sailing, like the Bristols, down the East Coast to Florida. His beautiful vessel, "Xanadu", was the first thing that brought their attention to him, and they were soon great friends, helping each other out when they could. The Bristols had a shipmate stove on Pipe Dream and Xanadu had no heat, so George would come over for coffee and breakfast in the morning and dinner at night to talk and laugh in the warmth. Xanadu was much larger than Pipe Dream and was able to pull the little boat quite a bit of the way, speeding up the journey. The Bristols were sailing by the seat of their pants and had no idea where they planned to stay once they got to Florida. George convinced them to go to Fort Lauderdale where he was headed, and the family decided that that was the place for them.
Byron still remembers the first morning he awoke in Palm Beach. When Pipe Dream had sailed around New Jersey there had been icicles in the rigging, but on this lovely morning his family was overwhelmed by the panoramic vista of pink and golden tinged clouds blanketing the heavens and reflecting again in the rippling surface of the waters below. He announced, "This is it! I'm never going back to live in the North again."
After 7 weeks of sailing, Byron, Esther, Suzanne, and Norma finally arrived in Ft. Lauderdale. They spent the next month there, where Byron spiffied up their little vessel at a place called Paul's Boatyard. When he was finished, Pipe Dream was really something to be proud of.
The Bristols kept up with George Arents while in Florida; he loved to race in the Offshore and Bahamian races and invited Byron to be a crewman for many of them. Together they whipped over the waves in Xanadu and, though they never won, the races were memorable experiences for both of them.
During this time Byron and Esther made the acquaintance of the Mosslers. This New York couple owned a brand new steel ketch, the "Freedom", and loved to sail as much as the Bristols. They convinced the family to cruise with them around the Bahamas. Another opportunity for adventure! On February 27 the Bristols left the Miami Municipal Docks for the Grand Bahama Bank. They spent the next seven weeks cruising through gorgeous tropical islands. They met the natives, whom they found to be exceedingly friendly and hospitable, and ate such exotic foods as conch salad and fresh pineapple. Byron and Esther enjoyed the leisurely and pleasant sailing as they took turns lying on deck watching the white sails towering above them against the bright blue sky. It was a sight they never tired of.
Byron said that it absolutely was not. As if the mental image of two adults and two girls aged eleven and eight afloat for a number of months wasn't frightening enough, the November freezes would begin soon, wrecking ships caught in Northern harbors. They would have to have a bigger boat. They couldn't leave their house untended for the time it would take to have a really long cruise, so they would have to find someone to rent it while they were gone. The girls would have to be taken out of school, and that brought up all sorts of problems. He insisted that they just couldn't do it.
There was still a long way to go, however. After selling their 26-foot sloop "Salty Dog", Byron made Pipe Dream seaworthy. He also set to work fixing up the house in Medfield for rent. When it was ready they found a willing couple and made the deal. The girls got their schoolbooks, and Esther tackled the monumental task of outfitting a boat for an eight-month cruise. All their preparations came to a head as they climbed into Pipe Dream on a cold, rainy night.
The little family hadn't gone very far before meeting someone who would help them greatly and become a wonderful friend. George Arents Jr. was a very rich young man who was sailing, like the Bristols, down the East Coast to Florida. His beautiful vessel, "Xanadu", was the first thing that brought their attention to him, and they were soon great friends, helping each other out when they could. The Bristols had a shipmate stove on Pipe Dream and Xanadu had no heat, so George would come over for coffee and breakfast in the morning and dinner at night to talk and laugh in the warmth. Xanadu was much larger than Pipe Dream and was able to pull the little boat quite a bit of the way, speeding up the journey. The Bristols were sailing by the seat of their pants and had no idea where they planned to stay once they got to Florida. George convinced them to go to Fort Lauderdale where he was headed, and the family decided that that was the place for them.
Byron still remembers the first morning he awoke in Palm Beach. When Pipe Dream had sailed around New Jersey there had been icicles in the rigging, but on this lovely morning his family was overwhelmed by the panoramic vista of pink and golden tinged clouds blanketing the heavens and reflecting again in the rippling surface of the waters below. He announced, "This is it! I'm never going back to live in the North again."
After 7 weeks of sailing, Byron, Esther, Suzanne, and Norma finally arrived in Ft. Lauderdale. They spent the next month there, where Byron spiffied up their little vessel at a place called Paul's Boatyard. When he was finished, Pipe Dream was really something to be proud of.
The Bristols kept up with George Arents while in Florida; he loved to race in the Offshore and Bahamian races and invited Byron to be a crewman for many of them. Together they whipped over the waves in Xanadu and, though they never won, the races were memorable experiences for both of them.During this time Byron and Esther made the acquaintance of the Mosslers. This New York couple owned a brand new steel ketch, the "Freedom", and loved to sail as much as the Bristols. They convinced the family to cruise with them around the Bahamas. Another opportunity for adventure! On February 27 the Bristols left the Miami Municipal Docks for the Grand Bahama Bank. They spent the next seven weeks cruising through gorgeous tropical islands. They met the natives, whom they found to be exceedingly friendly and hospitable, and ate such exotic foods as conch salad and fresh pineapple. Byron and Esther enjoyed the leisurely and pleasant sailing as they took turns lying on deck watching the white sails towering above them against the bright blue sky. It was a sight they never tired of.
Freedom and Pipe Dream zigzagged through the maze of islands and enjoyed fun and relaxation until April 15, 1952, when the Bristols left Nassau for Florida. After some repairs were made, they said their farewells to the sunny South and set sail for Boston. Esther later wrote, "On our last night, as we sighted Boston Light and sailed into the Harbor, we awakened the girls. It was an historic moment in all our lives. Exactly seven months and one week ago we had sailed out of this same harbor, and 5, 000 miles of seawater had flowed past Pipe Dream's bow. The memories of our cruise, the ports we visited, the harbors where we anchored, and the islands we explored in tropical lands will never be forgotten. We are humbly grateful to Pipe Dream.
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