Yet what truly moves my spirit to do this trip are my ancestors standing on the sidelines, hands on collective hips, tapping collective toes asking, “If not now, when?”

The young, English Bull Terrier-type who stands by my left side is John Boit Jr., my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-uncle. When Boit was only 17 he worked as fifth mate aboard the Columbia Redivivia as she sailed around the world with Captain Robert Gray, this being the first circumnavigation by a merchant skipper.

At the age on 19 Boit was the skipper the 60’ sloop the Union as full merchant captain. On August 1, 1794, from Newport RI, he started his own circumnavigation. On that day he entered into his log “Aideu to the pretty girls of Newport.” And with that left Newport, RI aboard the Union, heading out to the horn, Pacific Northwest, and orient. I can only guess that if conditions warranted it, this 19 year-old captain would he himself look for and utilize The Northwest Passage

The older, more sedate looking gentlemen on my right hand side is William F. Weld, my great-great-great-great-grandfather who, post Civil War had the largest sailing fleet in America. “The Black Horse Flag”, which flew above his clippers was a familiar sight to sailors world-wide.” Of the many clippers Weld used for trading it was the 1576 tonne Great Admiral which set the records and got the goods to market the quickest. His fleet included other notable clippers such as the Golden Fleece, Northern Light and Galtea. At the peak of his empire he had over 50 clippers working the world’s waters for him. Taking the great liberty of putting words in his mouth I can only imagine that an opening of The Northwest Passage would have saved the William F. Weld Shipping company hundreds of thousand of miles and dollars.

by Sprague
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