Gunkholing: Living on Cape Cod

Life aboard the Lady Carline

Late in 1982 when my grandmother died I was in the process of buying a thirty-three foot motor-sailor sloop. In early 1983 my Gunkholing column was all about my grandmother and how I was going to name my boat after her. My column began, “Carline was her name but she was lovingly known as Grammy. Hugged by Grammy, you knew you had been hugged.”

The Lady Carline became my weekend home away from home, almost always on the island of Cuttyhunk. Charlie Tilton always had a mooring for us. If the weather was not right for sailing, Charlie would keep the Lady Carline all week and I would find another ride back and forth to the Cape. (Sorry, in our last issue, August, there was a spelling typo in the name, Charlie Tilton, Fishing guide.)

In 1988 I proposed to Judy aboard the Lady Carline on Cuttyhunk. In 1990 Judy and I were married on Cuttyhunk. We had 50 friends and family for the weekend and 50 more friends for the day of our wedding. As one of my Cuttyhunk friends said at the time, “You rented up the whole island.” The islanders were great about it.

Josh was born in May of 1994. He did not sleep through the whole night until he was sleeping on the Lady Carline. He is shown in the photo above in his car seat hanging in the gangway between the center cockpit wheelhouse and the aft cabin. He liked the swinging effect.

Max was born in February of 1997 and he also loved to be aboard the Lady Carline. As he grew up spending so much time at Cuttyhunk he, and Josh, became avid, accomplished boaters in boats of all sizes. After I had owned the Lady Carline for about 20 years the boys talked me into switching over to a powerboat.

The carefree days of growing up summer weekends at Cuttyhunk was the closest comparison I could find to my own experiences of summer days in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s at Craigville Beach. And, life aboard the Lady Carline helped make it all possible.

My Best,
Brian Shortsleeve, Publisher