Issue 15 : Nov/Dec 2000
Because I earn my living as a harpist, I can’t afford to let my fingers get really out of shape. So I have always sailed with a harp — except when cruising on a Tanzer 22 with my spouse, two kids, and a dog. Paul (clarinet) and I first played together in the high school band, and (with a slight 40-year detour) we play together most days now.
Cruising with a harp is a little like having a cranky teenager aboard, except it doesn’t eat or tie up the head. My “sailing harp” is a small 22-stringed Celtic harp, “small” being a relative term when we’re talking harps and boats. I have a colleague who sails a far larger boat in Nova Scotia with a six-foot concert harp. It occupies her bunk when she’s not in it, but we don’t know where it goes at night.
If the harp is not an ideal cruising instrument, the tin whistle surely is, and Paul is one mean whistle player. The tin (or penny) whistle is simple, but don’t underestimate it. All those keys on a clarinet are there to make it easier to play. A whistle is tamed by fingers alone. It can be an intimidating experience, but a year of practicing and a lot of listening should make anyone’s playing acceptable in public.
We accompany our Happy Hour in the cockpit with Irish and Scottish tunes. We usually can be heard on nearby boats, and we love it when folks join us for a tune or a song or to tell us their tales.
Live, acoustic instruments such as harps, guitars, fiddles, whistles, and flutes are unlikely to be a harbor nuisance when decently played, in small doses. When we practice, we stay in the cabin so we won’t inflict our efforts on anyone. Anchorages should be quiet, and we are ever mindful of the old adage: send your audience away begging for more.
Sally’s father introduced Paul to sailing, but he was paying more attention to Sally at the time. Since then they’ve raised a pack of seaworthy children who are now all in their 30s and too busy to sail often.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
