"I was looking around in The Smiling Cow and my husband ran up to me very excited about an ad that he found for a house outside Camden," said Mattie from her chair beside the old farmhouse's beautiful cast-iron-and-chrome wood stove. "It was a lot of work to fix this place up, but we never regretted a second of it. We fell in love with the place, and it got us nearer to the boats."

Mattie and Malcolm welcomed a son into the world a few years after they were married, and the story of their life and love together continued for many years, punctuated by the many wonderful sails they took along Maine's rocky coast. Mattie tended to her husband when he fell ill, and continued to sail after his passing, revisiting many fond memories of their time together at sea. Having a conversation with Mattie about sailing is like peeking through a scrapbook of her life, with many of the best photos taken on deck with a full wind in the sails.

Mattie Mosher enjoys a cup and good company on the Grace Bailey.

Whether she's describing last season's sail or her very first ride on a windjammer, Mattie recalls her experiences with the fondness and clarity of someone who truly treasures her time at sea: the rich, wonderful smells of coffee and bacon in the morning, the seaside clambakes, the friendly passengers and crew she met along the way...

"I just loved it from the very beginning," she said, describing her first cruise with a smile. "I've had so much fun sailing over the years. I don't know why anyone would want to do anything else. What better way is there to enjoy life?"

Be sure to see Part I in History or the February 2007 MWC Enewsletter, text by David Munson.