Then we read all these kids' books -- Arthur Ransome and others -- that sort of set the hook. Dad always dreamed of owning a sailboat but never could afford it. After he died, I did his sailing for him, but I've ever owned a boat either . . . yet. I can't remember when I haven't loved the feel, look, and sound of boats. I grew up in the city that was home port to the Queen Elizabeth & Queen Mary. We learned to identify them by the pitch of their horns.