Dr. Burford, a retired Q.B.A. professor from L.S.U.,purchased Bliss new. He had kept her moored on Bayou Castine for thirty (30) years or so. He was a wealth of information and advice. Over the past year, we traded many emails and one long phone call.
It was more than evident that the day he sold her was a very sad day for him. He spoke fondly of sailing with his son and granddaughter.
He emailed me a magazine article reviewing the Helms 24 Dolphin.
The boat reviewed in the article, it turns out, is hull no. 330, our very own Bliss.
Each time we corresponded, I offered to crew for him. I really wanted him to sail with me. That was not to be.
I sent email twice in the last few months, but they went unanswered. I heard from him last on February 1, 2010. He acknowledged receiving the link to this blog. Here is what he said:
"Thank you. I appreciate your sending me this. It reminds me very much of some of my trips from Mandeville to Pass Christian and the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and back. When I bought Bliss back in 1978 it was love at first sight, and the love never faded. . . . The reason I sold her was that my health took a turn for the worse and I couldn’t spend the time with her that I did previously. I couldn’t stand to see her just sit there and deteriorate . . . . I was disappointed that I never heard from the person who bought her from me, but you have more than made up for that."
Dr. Burford died March 17, 2010. His obituary said that “[h]e loved to sail and tell sailing tales.”
To Dr. Burford, I offer a sailor’s farewell: "Fair winds and a following sea and long may your big jib draw!"
