I come from a long line of seafaring folks.
Well, you have to go pretty far back in my lineage to find them but I AM full blown Norwegian so it seems only logical that my ancestors spent a good amount of time on the water whether it be floating down a fjord fishing for cod or sailing the high seas with the likes of Eric the Red or his boy Leif Ericson exploring for new worlds and finding them like North America 500 years before Columbus. Cousin Thor Heyerdahl (I’m almost sure he’s a sixth cousin on my father’s side twice removed.) has been named the most famous Norwegian of the 20th century for building a balsa-wood raft in 1947 which he called “Kon-Tiki” and sailing it from Peru to Polynesia to prove that the Polynesians originally came from South America.
So, how come I don’t have a boat? It turns out that I’m now the only one of the three Lund brothers who doesn’t.
It took a lot of years, but the call of the sea that’s imprinted in our Norse DNA has now been answered by my siblings; Tom has a nice new house by a big South Carolina lake called Keowee and a fancy boat to go with it. During our visit last June, he proudly piloted us around in that craft with a knowledge and confidence that appeared instinctive.
Brother Tom..the star of his Starcraft..confidently guides us around the potentially treacherous waters of Lake Keowee S.C.
Then, this past week, we all finally got to climb aboard my brother Denny’s huge cuddy cabin cruiser that he and wife, Judy, have been refurbishing for the past couple years and actually live on during summer weekends.
A fine looking craft that serves as a summer home.
Denny, too, seems right at home at the helm of this vessel as he navigates the waters of the mighty Missouri River.
Captain Lund and his first mate, Judy
Captain Tom and his first mate, Ilene, are impressed with the boat of Captain Denny and it's yacht-like features which include a galley, head and roomy bed in the bow that sleeps two.
My mate Linda, on the right, doesn't swim and doesn't feel the need for me to follow my brother's watery leadings.
Views like this of a full-to-the-brim again Missouri River are beckoning, though.
Enjoying an occasional ride is enough to scratch my mariner's itch.
So why do I feel none of these nautical nudgings? Could it be my brother was right when, as kids, he teased me about being adopted? Nah, I look too much like dad for that to be true. Maybe it’s just that I’m more like my ancestor, “Trygve The Wise”, who liked the water okay but was smart enough to let his brothers actually buy the boats and then invite him along for rides.
