Story by Cindy Wallach
(This story appears on page 58 of the September issue of Spinsheet)
There is one thing that most musicians can agree on across the board: water and instruments don’t mix. Period. But there are some people with saltwater in their veins and boogie in their soul who just can’t choose between their two loves of music and sailing. These brave musicians set their sails, strap in their instruments, and head out on the high seas with their tunes on board.
The first time I heard of cruisers stuffing precious musical equipment into their boats was years ago when we first befriended Eileen Quinn and David Allister on Little Gidding. Eileen has six albums out that are packed with catchy and often hilarious songs for the nautically afflicted. She and David cruised for years and gave concerts just about everywhere they went. This meant packing their Bayfield 36 with guitar, speakers, mixer, and all of the gear needed to put on a show in the middle of nowhere. I would watch them dinghy through the anchorage to the beach with their equipment carefully packed and wrapped and couldn’t believe they could keep Eileen’s musical treasures dry when most of us can’t even manage to keep our shoes dry in the dinghy.
Gary Diamond has been playing music since age five and boating since he was a mere seven years old. As he grew up, there was no way he was going to abandon one for the other. At age 72 he is still going strong with both his loves, sailing around the Chesapeake Bay and IntraCoastal Waterway on his 33-foot Morgan Out Island while doing upwards of 250 gigs per year.
“The boat has a huge amount of interior space,” says Gary. “Enough that I was able to easily store all of my music gear, keyboard, amps, keyboard stand, console, stool, and accessories, on the quarter berth.”
Where to store the gear is the biggest issue: tucked into an unused berth, stacked and strapped into a spare head, or strapped into a secure interior locker. Space is a premium aboard a boat and safe space is even more scarce. Keeping instruments dry, free of mildew, and secured in place are huge challenges.
“Most people consider sailing with musical equipment a risky venture at best. In reality, a lot of this depends upon the boat, the waters you intend to sail, and the type of musical equipment you normally play,” says Gary.
Wooden instruments, such as guitars, mandolins, and violins are the hardest to maintain in the harsh marine environment. But things are changing in the music industry, and more companies are catering to the adventure crowd with instruments that can tolerate salt, sea, mud, and the bumps and thumps that go along with being on the move.
Chris Duncan of Alpaca Guitars in Vermont had dreams of sailing away with his family. In the end, his kids voted for land cruising, but his need for a tough instrument became clear during their two years of travel throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“The concept of the Alpaca guitar came from the years of travels and the want of a guitar to take along. We hauled a traditional guitar in the bus, but it never came with us on hikes, treks, and campouts because it was too big and fragile. I had tried traditional backpack guitars and found them too unsuited for many of the climates and activities we undertook.”
Today Chris and his business partners are crafting adventure guitars made from carbon fiber, flax fiber, and bio-derived resins. The tuners have been moved from the head of the guitar (where they are more likely to get banged about) to the base. The sound hole is no longer behind the strings to allow more access and easy drainage, and the back has a carbon fiber daisy chain so you can secure the guitar easily to a backpack or somewhere inside your boat. It’s lightweight, strong, and completely submersible. You can dunk it underwater, pull it out, and start to play. Plus it has a great sound! But Chris says even though Alpaca is tough, it still requires care like any instrument.
“Saltwater and salt spray should be washed out with freshwater and a drop of oil in the tuners when the strings are changed. The strings should be rinsed clean to prolong their life. Later this year, we will be releasing a completely re-designed set of tuners made of stainless steel. This will be a huge upgrade for the avid traveler, but freshwater rinsing is still a must,” says Chris.
“In my case, taking the music gear with me on the longer trips was worth the risks taken. I enjoyed every moment while playing to the various audiences, and that enjoyment is somewhat contagious,” says Gary, who decided long ago that all of the care and maintenance are small prices to pay for the rewards of performing at cruiser hangouts or jamming in the cockpit in an anchorage to let his music draw in fellow sailors he might not otherwise meet.
“It’s as if someone turned on a light switch. Within a few minutes, I had a dozen dinghies next to my boat.Drinks were flowing, and before you know it, we were all singing Jimmy Buffett songs and tilting margaritas.”
