Taking a Closer Look at Grace

Our First Night on "Amazing Grace"

It was our first night on Amazing Grace. The weather was deliciously warm, even for a Southern California winter’s eve. It was the first time that we were alone together and we’re getting to know one another.

Island Trader’s were built in Taiwan where a whole family would come aboard to finish the inside, ship custom wood work. The doors are adorned with elaborate carvings of Chinese dragons and storks. She has an incredible number of nooks and crannies. Look in a cabinet and inside you may find another cabinet or a false floor covering another storage space.

The wood all around has had years of patient intimate human contact to keep her teak brightwork varnished and polished. Each person has left energy that you can still feel when you connect with Grace.

Yes, now that we have become more familiar with her, Amazing Grace has become simply Grace.

During the night, I felt cocooned and snug in the aft deck stateroom. The blankets were soft and snuggly and the bed comfortable. I slept so solidly - I probably snored all night. It might have something to do with Captain Randy’s early rising.
Despite the lack of peaceful sleep, Captain Randy took on the morning with a bright and cheery attitude. He enjoyed some private time while I slept in.
I woke up to a bright blue and cloudless sky. The skyline and the ships in the harbor were extraordinarily sharp and clear. I smelled freshly brewed coffee, strong Don Francisco Hawaiian Blend. A breakfast of cracked whole wheat sourdough toast, apricot-plum jam, crunchy Skippy peanut butter, sweet fresh strawberries and blueberries was waiting.

After breakfast, I headed to the aft deck for a second cup of coffee. I looked up at the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey and the surrounding yachts. Captain Randy and I enjoyed the moment to the fullest.

What morning could start any better?

Beckoned by "Amazing Grace"

They say ships have a feminine spirit. I believe it now that I have met one. Sure, I have been aboard many vessels, but none had ever spoken to me before Grace.

I have been a Sailor’s widow for a few years. My husband is not dead, of course, just so in need with sailing that I have been left behind with my terrestrial life. I did not thrill to the glory of the wind and the tilt of the deck and so the sea was “the other woman.”

My sailor had worked diligently in pursuit of his Captain’s license. When the courses and exams were complete and the paper work submitted, he began to search for a boat. He eyed those with “For Sale” signs as he passed them in the harbor with a new intensity. He discovered Yachtworld.com and I was doomed.

He was nonchalant as he suggested a weekend drive down the coast from Santa Barbara to Marina Del Rey. The winter sunshine and blue skies were enticing. And...we could take a look at a boat he’d found online.

As we arrived at the harbor I felt a sense of déjà vu. I had recently been to this place. I had sat overlooking this very dock from the patio of the Ritz Carlton hotel. I had been filling time, waiting for a business dinner to begin. I had savored a perfect Manhattan while pondering the stories these yachts had to tell and wondering if I would ever know that kind of life.

The yacht agent hurried to the end slip. He announced, “Here she is.”
When “Amazing Grace” came into view, she took my breath away. I felt Grace reach out and touch my heart. My first thought, I can see us with the ship, was quickly replaced by I can’t believe I just thought that. Only the first thought was said aloud.

He looked at me with wonder as he replied, “I never thought I would hear you say that about any boat.”

The carved dragons and storks on the doors were each unique as

Grace

is herself. Her salon was warm and inviting. We could easily imagine parties on the aft deck, sailing from an interior helm during inclement weather, meals served from the sunken galley and nights of cradled slumber in the master stateroom.

As we drove along Malibu, we shared our wonder at the meeting. We both had felt the invitation, the welcome from Grace. We both felt she had been waiting for us.

We had been beckoned by Amazing Grace.