The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.2000, Page 39

Vol. 56 #1
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
37
Joan Eyolfson Cadham
Red Right Returning
by Joan Eyolfson Cadham
Shoreline, Non-fiction soft cover, 159 pages
ISBN: 1-896754-06-6
Reviewed by Karen Emilson
To the sailor, there is very little that mat-
ters more to him or her than boat and the crew
who sails it.
True sailors would rather be on the water
than anywhere else and to them, May to
August is not summer - it is sailing season.
All the remaining months of the year are spent
remembering the past season and consumed
with thoughts of future onboard. And while
the off-season is viewed as a bit of an incon-
venience, most will concede that these
months are needed to prepare the sailing craft
for the next wind and water adventure.
One of the most difficult obstacles a sailor
faces is finding a companion who views the
sport (hobby, obsession?) with the same pas-
sion. It is a lucky sailor indeed, who can find
a partner who loves the open water and
cramped cabin as much as the captain him-
self.
What Joyce Eyolfson Cadham has done
with Red Right Returning, is given hope to all
sailors that such companions do exist. She
proves in this romantic, real-life adventure
that partners can cohabitate within the limited
confines of a boat for entire sailing seasons
and emerge from it spiritually, emotionally
and matrimonially strong.
In the pairing of Joan and her husband
Jack, the resulting fireworks from the extend-
ed periods of time alone on the water, are but
a celebration of their respect for one another
and their common love for a boat.
As a writer and philosopher, Cadham
explores the relationship between herself,
dubbed “The Viking,” and her husband “The
Skipper” as they sail purposefully through
numerous lakes and rivers throughout
Quebec, Ontario and parts of Saskatchewan.
Their boat, the “Hirondelle” is a 24ft. wooden
sloop that they initially spent as much time
repairing, sanding and varnishing as they later
spent sailing. Through experiences on both
land and on water, they learn to appreciate the
journey not the destination, and this becomes
Cadham’s philosophy for life.
The adventures and challenges they face
will be somewhat foreign to the non-sailor,
but to anyone who has owned a boat and mast,
the tales ring true. It is obvious that Cadham
embraced the art of sailing when she was re-
introduced to the sport in mid-life, as she
recalls their adventures through memories and
by recollections noted in her journal and the
boat’s log. She does this in true sailor’s jargon
- in the foreign words that sailors use, but in a
lighthearted tone that rejects the haughtiness
sometimes heard by yachtsmen.
We feel as if we know Cadham well by the
book’s mid-point and when the story ends.
The remaining pages provide us with a cornu-
copia of recipes and ideas that she refers to
throughout the story. In the true spirit of the
teacher and the scribe, she shares with us the
hard earned ideas and recommendations she’s
learned, borne through years of experience
living off shore.
The reader will get the sense that Red
Right Returning is a tale that Cadham needed
to tell. In doing so, she pays tribute to a life
and love now gone, but to a life’s experience
that has shaped her life forever. Sailors will
appreciate a tale told in their language and the
practical ideas that Cadham offers.
The romanticism of the nomadic life of
wind and water in Red Right Returning is
something that everyone, regardless of their
shore experience, can long for and truly
appreciate.