Literary Luminaries

Two weeks into the program, students were asked to describe their home, SSV Harvey Gamage, in a few sentences. Here is what some churned out:

“The Harvey Gamage is a loud vessel, never quite, never shy. The floor boards creak, the sails flap, the motor roars, dishes clink and clank, things fall. (We fall too.), but, she’s fearless. I say she’s beautiful.” – Patricia Tapia

“Her wooden bones are etched with time, knowledge tucked in every crack. Her salty perfume lingers in my nostrils as I inhale her breath. She cradles us asleep and shakes us awake, never idle, she slips on. Gamage is our mother, our vessel, our wings to far off places.” – Iyla MacArthur

“The walls of the boat whisper constantly, telling stories of long ago.” – Soren Walljasper

“The sails are my favorite part of the boat. They humm, buzz, and vibrate in strong variable winds until a harmony is formed between the jib sheets and the fore and main halyards.” – Claire Madden

“The galley smells like mom cooking apple-amazing-pie.” – Peter Kammerer

“The deck is a sacred area of the ship. It changes hands with every watch and holds every crewmember responsible for its daily upkeep.” – Libby Arford

“This new home of ours stands by us strong and proud through our joy and our fears, it groans in empathy as we stand bow watch at 0100 and rocks us back to sleep as we lie deep within its hold.” – Tegan Maxey

- To Gamage with love from its humble occupants