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This new column is designed to allow our readers to share their thoughts with other boat owners beyond that of a letter to the editor. The following is our choice for the best answer to last issue's topic, "Your best day on the water." For our next issue we would like to hear about "Your worst day on the water." Send your most insightful 700 words to Editor@BoatUS.com. We'll publish the most interesting in our July issue and post the best of the rest in tile BoatU.S. Magazine section of BoatUS.com.

When you live in boater's paradise, and every day on the water has the potential of being better than the time before, it is hard to choose just one 'best day on the water.' But, after reading BoatU.S. Magazine's March edition, the question started me thinking.

As I thought about our many adventures, I immediately came up with my best day on the water, and decided to pose the question to my husband, Russell. Born and raised in Florida, Russell is part of a serious sailing family. His dad, now nearly 80 years old, recently built a fleet of eight Optimist prams for our yacht club's youth sailing program, still races with his sons on a Morgan 30, and every Saturday has lunch with some crusty old sailors.

Russ grew up sailing Penguins, became an avid Laser/Thistle/Flying Scot competitor, sailed in Race Week in the Abacos as well as two Florida to Mexico races. So when I asked him what he thought his best day on the water was, I was sure he would recount some awesome first place finish or seeing the stars in the Gulf of Mexico on a night watch, or watching our daughters learn to sail, or that one of the boats in the Abacos Race Week had a topless female crew. He really thought that was a great day!

I figured he would come up with something much more exotic than what I had thought of. I was amazed when he told me, because it was the very same day that came to my mind.

A sailing widow for many years, I convinced Russell in 1998 to buy a boat we could both enjoy. Pearl, a wonderful Catalina 25, came into our lives in July. Named after my late grandmother, Pearl would prove to be the most fun we have ever had -- on and off the water!

I can still remember that day we brought her to her new home behind our house on Shirk's Bayou. What can be more exciting than sailing, for the first time, your first yacht?

My mom and dad came on their boat, Gonaway, and presented us with a "boat-warming" gift. Our daughter, Jess, and her boyfriend came with us for the maiden voyage, and we headed out to beautiful Choctawhatchee Bay.

Daddy called us on the radio, "Gonaway to Pearl." I was so excited to hear the name of our boat on Channel 16! I answered, "This is Pearl." Daddy said, "Switch to 72." I switched to 72, and he told us we were looking pretty good, even though we still had our fenders hanging off the port side!

That day was so perfectly gorgeous. The wind was out of the south and we had a nice reach for eight or so miles. I served lunch from our galley, Russ handled the tiller with all the experience in his bones, and I absolutely never felt as peaceful in my life as I did that day.

The problems of real life were whisked away by that southern breeze, and it was clear to us on that sail that sweet Pearl was going to be our respite, our therapy, our fun.

It's not that any one thing happened that day to make it our best day -- I mean, we have had some serious fun and fabulous days since, but, it's simply that that day happened. We had made it to a point in our lives when we could have that little Catalina. It was a day that promised years of memories to come. I remember watching Russ pull in the jib or ask for a winch handle and thinking how lucky we were.

We had Pearl almost three years, and I could write hundreds of "best day on the water" stories. There have been raft-ups, sunsets; we even raced her in a cruiser regatta and actually won! We have a little silver trophy engraved with her name and "First Place" displayed proudly in our home.

We have a bigger sailboat now, but we still see Pearl when we're out sailing. When we see her, we remember that hot July day doing five knots pulling Jess and Jerry on a tube and Russ skippering his first yacht. And, I have come to know the true significance of the bumper sticker that says, "I'd Rather Be Sailing."

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COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group