A Chart for Alexa

Written By Buffy Farley

I've been listening to Billy Joel lately on XM/Sirius, channel 4, and heard a Billy Joel song that I somehow missed all these years. It's called "Downeaster Alexa" about a fishing boat and the captain who struggles to make a living from the sea.  (By the way Alexa is the name of Bill Joell's daughter.) Here are a few excerpts:

"Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa
And I'm cruising through Block Island Sound
I have charted a course to the Vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound

We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
Left this morning from the bell in Gardiner's Bay . . .

So if you see my Downeaster Alexa
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel"
 

The interesting part of the song is that the names are of real places. Here is a portion of Chart 13205 where I have circled some of the names listed in bold in Billy Joel's lyrics.

The takeaway message is that charts are for more than recreational use. Many mariners who struggle to make a living from the sea use their charts as a business plan.  Their charts are also a way of keeping themselves safe as they face the many challenges of the sea.

Now you don't have to be the skipper of Downeaster Alexa to enjoy nautical charts. Whether it is for business or pleasure, a nautical chart mural is certainly a conversation starter. Let us help you get one in your home or office. Call (801) 989-8083 and we will help you get started!

Buffy Farley

  "Skipper" Steve Morris has been sailing for more than 45 years. Whenever Skipper's sailor friends used to talk about their sailing adventures, it was not unusual for them to grab a chart, unroll it to a certain island or waterway, and tell a story of what happened during a particular voyage. As Skipper realized that nautical charts are used for navigating stories as well as passageways, the idea of nautical chart murals came naturally. What better place to tell a tale of the sea than in one's own home or office than with a beautiful nautical chart mural as the visual aid!

   In 2013, he moved to the Coeur d'Alene area of Northern Idaho with his wife Linda. When Skipper is not working on murals, you can find him sailing his Erickson 27' on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

   He continues to design custom-made wallpaper from nautical charts, satellite photos, topographical maps and favorite photos.

http://nauticalchartwallpaper.com
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