s/y Cadenza, hull #387, and our dinghy Coda, are berthed at the historic Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine. Cadenza is Navy Blue, and is a late 1989/1990 model. We have cruised the Maine coast from the Kennebec River all the way Down East to Passamaquoddy Bay and Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick, where there are 20' tides and currents that can run from 3-7 kts. Will we ever make St John and Nova Scotia? Maybe, maybe not, but there is a tremendous sense of accomplishment in taking a small boat that far by yourself. Down East, especially in Canada, the Flicka is no longer cute. In fact, one Grand Manan fisherman called her "one rugged little bitch."

I bought Cadenza new in the fall of 1990 from Coveside Marine, the PSC dealer. She was sitting sort of forlornly at the Shipyard, but the longer I sat in that cockpit the longer I knew I had found the boat of my dreams. We launched one day in May 1991, but I was so excited I don't remember the date. In fact, when we jumped in the truck to go to the yard, I even forgot the camera! We were berthed in Christmas Cove for 5 years before going back up the river to the shipyard. While at Coveside, Cadenza did many demo sails, so more than one New England Flicka owner or dreamer has been aboard her.

If you have a classical music education, you know that Cadenza refers to the solo virtuoso portions of the concerto, and that Coda is an ending. I truly love Mozart piano concerti, and this is partly homage to that great composer. As a singlehander, it's also my way of boasting. My Cape Dory Typhoon was also called Cadenza, and my Amflite 14 (another version of the AMF Sunfish) was too, although not formally.

Unfortunately, a few too many people think we are sailing furniture, so sometimes we have to answer to Credenza.

The boat is pretty simple compared to some. I have most everything rigged to the cockpit. Profurl with a 130 tri-radial cut jib were added in 1997, and JRC 1000 radar in 1998 in time for the New Brunswick trip. Now we are at the point of needing the typical maintenance to keep aging gracefully - both of us.

I learned to sail when I was 6 in a 5' plywood boat my father built. That was almost half a century ago. I have no desire to "move up", not even to get an oven, which an awful lot of people think I need.

Priscilla

Rod Bruckdorfer
©: copyright 1999 Rod Bruckdorfer