The Voyage That Created A New Tradition

The 1972 Cabin Cruiser boat looked a little worse for wear, but the family boarding it didn’t care. They were about to embark on a simple voyage destined to become a new tradition.

Getting to this day wasn’t easy though, but then again, the things most important in life seldom are. The youngest son of the Stevens Family had begun a career at sea, never knowing where his duties would take him – or for how long. The middle and oldest sons had families of their own, demanding careers, and less and less time. And even Mr. Stevens – the brainchild behind the whole day – found himself making frequent business trips to the southern United States.

Indeed, corralling the entire Stevens Family on this cool October morning proved no easy feat, but as the 1972 Cabin Cruiser pushed off from the dock in Chester, Nova Scotia, the sacrifices made to get here vanished from each family member’s mind.

The plan was simple and that was the point: an hour’s journey to Round Island, bonfires, snacks and rye and gingers on the beach, swimming, exploring, plenty of stories and Dad’s famous hamburgers before cruising back to the dock. And while the trip out took only one hour, the voyage home lasted much longer.

Not a single member of the Stevens Family wanted this day to end. And when it finally did, everyone – mother, father, sons and daughters-in-law – vowed to return the next year.

It was an ordinary family doing ordinary family things. But what they got out of the day was extraordinary: reconnection, tighter bonds, deeper love, and although they didn’t know it at the time, a new tradition.

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