点评:My husband and I traveled to Dundee a few days after my father's funeral in 2020. My daughter was living in Dundee and was unable to attend the funeral. My father, after he retired, had spent his leisure time researching and painting lighthouses. Our family is from Baltimore. Our lives have been spent on the many waterways of the Chesapeake Bay. We are fortunate to live near the ocean so even summer we vacationed at the beach.
In Dundee, when I opened the curtains of our hotel room, there was the North Carr. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. A ship with a lighthouse in front of our room. I contacted the restoration board and was kindly invited for a tour. I was greeted by an older gentleman. On board, there were two other older men holding take away coffee cups. This reminded me so much of my father's two best buddies back home. My father was the first of the three, at 83, to pass away. His advanced age and the luxury of many years of intense friendship was not easing their grief.
The resect the gentleman had for this ship was infectious. He knew and loved every centimeter of the North Carr. I was able to see nooks and crannies that I found fascinating. I enjoyed sharing how much the waterfront was quite similar to Baltimore.
As we were finishing the tour, the gentleman turned to me and asked my father's occupation. I am positive to this day that it was simply a polite query. My answer gave him more than pause. He was master printer. It was then that he became slightly paler than he had been a second before. He too had been a master printer. This made me cry. There were too many coincidences. My new friend encircled me in a comforting hug. My father was at peace.
Since that visit, it has been my deepest wish to create a partnership between the North Carr and our lighthouse ship Chesapeake. Good will partnership in the restoration of the ship pays respect to all who sail the ocean and those that protect them.
翻译:2020 年父亲葬礼几天后,我和丈夫前往邓迪。我女儿住在邓迪,无法参加葬礼。我的父亲退休后,利用业余时间研究和绘制灯塔。我们的家人来自巴尔的摩。我们的一生都在切萨皮克湾的许多水道上度过。我们很幸运住在海边,所以即使是夏天我们也会在海滩度假。
在邓迪,当我打开酒店房间的窗帘时,北卡尔酒店就在那里。我简直不敢相信我所看到的。我们房间前面有一艘有灯塔的船。我联系了修复委员会,并被邀请参观。一位年长的绅士向我打招呼。船上还有另外两名年长男子拿着外卖咖啡杯。这让我想起了父亲在家乡的两个最好的朋友。我的父亲是这三个人中第一个去世的,享年 83 岁。他的高龄和多年的深厚友谊并没有减轻他们的悲伤。
这位先生对这艘船的热爱是有感染力的。他了解并喜爱北卡尔的每一厘米。我能够看到令我着迷的角落和缝隙。我很喜欢分享海滨与巴尔的摩有多么相似。
当我们结束旅行时,那位绅士转向我,询问我父亲的职业。直到今天我仍然确信这只是一个礼貌的询问。我的回答让他不仅仅是停顿了一下。他是印刷大师。就在那时,他的脸色比前一秒稍微苍白了一些。他也曾是一位印刷大师。这让我哭了。有太多的巧合。我的新朋友给了我一个安慰的拥抱。我父亲很平静。
自那次访问以来,我最深切的愿望是在北卡尔号和我们的灯塔船切萨皮克号之间建立伙伴关系。修复这艘船的善意伙伴关系向所有在海洋上航行的人和保护他们的人表示敬意。