b'In Newport, Rhode Island, Sally Elli. It was the best present her mom,Wherever Sally docked Athena in The had a little Elli-related PTSD moment MaggieGardiner,couldhavegivenBahamas,people would approach and tell while riding with a friend on the high- her. The three of them sailed down theher of the young man sailing on a Catalina way. A small dog wearing a pink tutu entire New Jersey shoreline in about25 with yellow sail covers. His name was was running down the shoulder of the 20hours.Itwasalong,windy,coldMartin. In turn, Martin kept hearing about road. My friend and I leapt out of the haul, and completely satisfying.Sally and her three-legged dog. Id sail to car and tried to catch the runaway dog. Elliwasadaptingwell,climbingan island and was always a couple of days I chased her for awhile down the high- down into the boat. She was runningtoo late, said Martin. He had pretty much way, but she disappeared. I still wonder and exploring with just a little difficultywhat happened to the dog. maneuveringandbalancingintightAthenahadenginetroubleas spaces.TheconstantmovementofSallywassailingoutofStonington, AthenaseemedtohelpwithEllisConnecticut.Shesailedbacktothe rehabilitation, making her stronger inmouth of the harbor, dropped anchor recordtime.WatchingElli,Sallyand waited for the tow boat she had recalled the story her parents told ofcalled to take her back to the dock. She her learning to walk on a rocking boat.remembered a tiny piece of tape on the She was always baffled by the stillnessend of Athenas dipstick that she used and solidity of the ground when dis-to check her fuel tank. It was missing embarking the boat.andshewonderedifthetapecould Elli and I are both much happierPhotograph by Jacqui Silla. have fallen into the fuel tank, causing nowthatweareineachothersthe engine to die. company, so I feel I am doing the rightPeter,themarinasmechanic, thing, Sally wrote in her blog. HerdrainedAthenastank,whichtook return was, by far, my favorite birthdaymostoftheafternoon.Themarina present.charged $88 per hour. After filling two By December, Sally and Elli werefive-gallon tanks, Peter squeezed into finally in Florida, sailing down the eastthetinyspacenextto Athenasfuel coast. Sally made preparations to crossresigned himself to the fact that they tank. He asked Sally how sure she was outofU.S.watersandintoThewould never meet. A few days later, we about the tape. I wasnt certain, but it Bahamas,notoriouslyknownforthewere following each other, said Martin.was the only idea I had, said Sally. high cost of food and propane. She hadThey anchored near each other inHopetown, Abacos. Peter pulled out not one but two alsobeenplaguedbyAthenasUnbeknownst to Martin, every chance pieces of electrical tape and shouted to solar panel not working, even thoughshe had, Sally was spreading the word Sally, Do you want to frame them? she had replaced the solar controller,that Conch, the cultural symbol uniting all Inasense,shedidframethem. cleanedthewireplugsanddidislands of The Bahamas, was endangered She put the tape in her ships log with somerewiring.Whenfunctioningas a result of the high demand by visitors. a description of the incident. Ill be properly, daily electricity-related activ-On their first date, Martin arrived on sure to look back at my first log and be itiesareperformedwithonlytheAthena with a bunch of Conch for dinner. reminded of how important it is to be powerfromthesun,lesseningSallysSally was not impressed. It was a rough mindful and pay attention to detail. cost of living. I always sleep better atstart for me, he said. The thing about the sailing com- nightknowingIampoweringmyMartin, who had driven from Kansas to munity, with people of different ages home sustainably.Stuart, Florida to sail to The Bahamas, and backgrounds, is its acceptance of Getting Elli across the border intowas running out of money. He contemplated one another. When Sally made her way the islands required that Sally contactheading back home to Kansas, maybe uptotheofficetopayherbill,the the Department of Agriculture in theresume his career as a nurse. But the owner of the marina and the mechan- Bahamastorequestapetpassportwater, a girl with long curly brown hair and icstoldherthathermoneywasno folderfora$15fee. Thepaperworkher three-legged dog tugged at his heart- good. Four-hundred dollars worth of needed to be filled out 10 days prior tostrings. He dry docked his boat, flew toNassau where Sally picked him up and labormightnotbemuchtosome their departure and required a veteri-they sailed around for a little while longer sailors, but to Sally it was a hefty sum. narianssignature.AlthoughSallybefore heading to Florida via the SheboughtthestaffofDodsons relishedtheshort-livedrelationshipsOkeechobee Waterway. Marina a party pack of Snickers bars she made every day during her jour-Athena, docked in a St. Petersburg and a thank you card. I really couldnt ney,shemissedthecomfortoflongmarina near campus for Sally, and the thankthemenough.Theirkindness establishedrelationshipswithherhospital where Martin now works, is wasanotherexampleoftheboating friends and family. She was happy tohome for the two of them and Elli, their world. haveherdadonboardforthe150-three-legged dog. As planned, on her 19th birthday mile passage from Fort Lauderdale toin November, Sally was reunited with Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas. 32 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'