It’s about spending time on the water. Time on the water in a boat that was built the way god intended it to be built – out of stuff he invented.

It’s about being the steward of a piece of history – or a piece of history in the making. Do no harm, and make sure she is passed to the next steward in decent shape, but for god’s sake, use her for the purpose for which she was intended. Go sailing. Or motoring. Or rowing. Or whatever. She’s happier when she’s on the water.

It’s about putting together a crew of friends, partly because they know their way around a boat, but mostly because we enjoy each other’s company. And it’s about spending time with like-minded fanatics, competing with class on the water and telling BS stories at the bar afterward.

We learn from each other. We bark at each other. We collaborate, we disagree, we hug, we share a bottle. We get wet, tired, grouchy and, in the end, exultant, because we have the pleasure and the privilege of doing something that Herreshoff, Burgess, Fife, Mylne and Watson never thought would happen – we’re going to sea in their creations in the 21st century, and we’re loving every minute of it.

“All for one and one for all” really goes without saying, doesn’t it?

But let’s use that as a starting point – the organizing principle, if you will, for what we believe could be the best community of like-minded enthusiasts in the world of yachting – or the world of anything, really. CYOA is a plaque on your boat, a sticker on your car, a tattoo on your ankle – it’s an indelible statement you make about who you are and what you believe in. It’s not an “owner’s association”, it’s a brotherhood. It’s a cult. It’s a movement. And you’re in.

All in on classic yachts. We’re crazy. We need a secret handshake.