Capt. Eric Kellen

 

In December 2007, I first stepped onto Capt. Eric Kellen's sailboat, s/v Escapades, and fell in love with sailing. I started sailing on his Irwin 41 ketch, with instruction from Eric. He was a very patient instructor. Dale and I crewed for him for about three years. There were many overnight trips and several three and four day weekend trips. They were so much fun. Those are some of my favorite memories.

Eric & I have kept in touch over the years, and I invited him to come sail on my boat, s/v Gdnuff. We went out to a small lake on the north side of Lubbock, and launched her. There wasn't a lot of wind and sometimes shaded by trees. But with a strong gust, she was up on plane a time or two. She's in a different class than Eric's Irwin, but he had a great time. 

Capt. Eric always had good sailing stories. One day, he was telling us of a writer that overheard he and his friends talking about sailing, and she came over and joined in, asking questions, as she was doing research for her book. They were going out again the next day, so they invited her along. To pay Eric for his generosity, she said she would name one of the characters after him... and so she did. Of course I bought a copy, and have read it. While he was here, I asked him to sign my copy. 

Thank you Eric for many, many wonderful memories.