Crosby, founder of the Byrds: sailing saved me

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David Crosby, folk-rock music legend tells The Wall Street Journal, the story of his passion for sailing and his old sailboat that he is struggling to maintain. The 71-year-old founder of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash purchased in 1967 a wonderful 74-foot schooner that over the years has been the muse for many hit songs and on which he has always hosted friends and musicians.

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“When I was eleven years old, my parents enrolled me in a sailing course at the Santa Barbara Sailing Club in California: from the moment I first got on a boat I knew instinctively what I had to do, as if I had always done it. I always felt I was a natural sailor, and from this feeling was born the song “Déja Vu,” which later gave its title to the 1970 album (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M5WEiEMRSc). Sailing alone in that little boat was a life-changing experience for me. From that moment on, I couldn’t help but sail. I used to go sailing alone, trying to get as close as possible to the big boats I saw coming into the harbor.Sailing became one of the great loves of my life, probably also thanks to the passion my father passed on to me.” One day while he was at sea he saw a wooden schooner designed by John Alden, one of America’s greatest designers, and he was thunderstruck: he decided that one day he would buy one.
1967: MAYAN OWNER
In 1967 he was thrown out of the Byrds and borrowed $25,000 from Peter Tork of the Monkees to buy a schooner seen in Fort Lauderdale identical to one designed by John Alden. This sailing ship named Mayan, built in 1947 from mahogany wood from Honduras, underdecks eight people but is ideal for six “four who take turns carrying the boat and two who keep order and cook. Once I took possession of the boat, I had to learn how to steer it, because I had never steered anything that was longer than
eight and a half feet-this led me to meet a lot of sailors who wanted to sail on the schooner and who in return taught me everything I needed to know.”

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LIVE BY BOAT AND SCRIREAL SONGS
“Within a year I decided.
of taking the boat to San Francisco and moving to live aboard, at that time I felt very inspired and wrote several pieces: “Wooden Ships” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O69L2mO9y-4),” “The Lee Shore” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CUp-5iq8ns), “Page 43″(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zusYDoOh6CA) and “Carry Me.” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raaEVUgnm7k). The Mayan was my muse. I have always been a cautious sailor, even though knowing my personality one would say anything to the contrary. Instead in the boat I take everything seriously, I am very careful. Almost all the greatest rockers have been aboard the Mayan, but not to party, simply to sail along with me. Sailing has always been my salvation, something that has taken me higher and higher than my excesses. I love to travel many miles; my longest trip was all the way to Hawaii: 3,000 miles. Even today, at 71 years old, I still escape to the boat as soon as I can even though I can no longer do all the maintenance that would be needed because the costs are too high. I tried to sell it but then desisted because my wife would break my arms. My dream right now? Another tour with Stills, Nash, and my friend Neil Young-surely that would make me recover from all the aches and pains of my old age and I would be able to keep sailing happily.”

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