Love of the Sea - A lifetime of sailing open waters, classic yachts, and cherished memories!
This commissioned painting tells a wonderful story of a couple’s love of the sea, their love of classic sailing and motor yachts, and their love of family and friends. It also tells the story of how much their family loves them!
Pumpkin Island Light by William R. Beebe, commissioned
The painting was commissioned by one of Jim and Sue’s daughters and son-in-law as a surprise. After spending a lifetime on the water in various locations, twenty five of which were spent on the coast of Maine, the couple recently decided it was time to sell their last boat and beloved property in Maine. Knowing how much they loved each of their classic boats over the years their daughter and son-in-law thought a painting featuring four of their boats would bring them great joy.
When we lived in Camden, Jim and Sue would sail into Camden on their sailboat and invite us onboard for cocktails and we’d all go out to dinner in town. They were very close friends of Jen’s mom and dad, and became like family to us.
During our time living in Maine when I was a maritime painter, I was of course taken by the beauty of their boats. I believe most if not all of them were built along the coast of Maine by top boat builders like Hinkley, Morris Yachts, Back Cove Yachts, and Brion Rieff Boat Builder.
So I was thrilled to get the chance to paint Jim and Sue’s boats in this scene of Pumpkin Island Light, Maine, a place close to home and a favorite destination.
Jim is a family man, loves his wife dearly. The second sailboat into the painting is named Susan. It is a 34 foot classic sailing sloop with elegant lines. It was built in 2023 by Brion Rieff Boat Builder, and has been maintained by Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin, Maine.
The light blue sailing yacht in the foreground was built in 2011 and is a Morris M42 luxury day-sailing cruiser, built by the iconic shipyard Morris Yachts.
Jim and Sue have three daughters, son-in-laws, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Sailing was always a favorite family pastime.
The red motor yacht docked on Pumpkin Island is a Back Cove 41 foot luxury cruising motor yacht that is the flagship of the Back Cove Yachts. They are handcrafted in Rockland, Maine, designed to resemble the aesthetics of a Downeast lobster boat.
In the distance sailing on the open water with Camden Hills in the background is the largest of the fleet of yachts, a 48 foot Morris sailing yacht! As experienced sailors Jim and Sue have sailed the open waters all up and down the east coast and to the Bahamas.
The Maine waters are particularly treacherous due to extreme tidal changes of up to 20 feet along the Downeast coast. Not to mention the fact that fog can roll in unexpectedly, or that the rocky coastline can rip up the bottom of a boat badly. So, I am always impressed by long-time sailors who can navigate the waters in extreme conditions. Jim and Sue I’m sure weathered many storms together on the water.
They are now residing in the great state of South Carolina, away from the water, but with so many fond memories to look back on.
We were fortunate to reunite this last weekend as we delivered the painting to them. It had been many years since our last rendezvous. Far too long! We loved every moment together and the painting now hangs right by Jim’s favorite chair in the family room.
This commission was a particularly special one for me in many ways. I love Maine lighthouses, I love classic sailing and motor yachts, and most of all I love this family.
Thank you for your interest in my art and for reading my journal. I am currently working on an aerial rooftop scene of downtown Charleston. I’ve been posting work-in-progress pics of the painting on social media if you’d like to follow along.
“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”
What’s next?
Drawing by William R. Beebe