01945 Summer 2024

SUMMER 2024 | 21
Sailing stories
Susan Cairns Fischer's chronicle
of Marblehead boat names
Author Susan Cairns Fischer has
created the third edition of her book,
"Marblehead Boat Names."
STAFF PHOTO: SPENSER HASAK
By Kelan Flynn
Magazine Staff
Susan Cairns Fischer, overlooking
the water while standing outside of
the Landing Restaurant, said that she
recently retired from her career as a
special educator. She thought that
her newly found free time presented a
perfect opportunity to author the third
edition of “Marblehead Boat Names,”
which catalogs and presents the names
of boats from within the town.
“I grew up in Marblehead, and I
grew up on boats,” Fischer said. “My
grandfather was a big sailor, my parents
were sailors. And so, I just grew up on
boats my whole life.”
The idea for the books came to
Fischer at the suggestion of her
husband, Jack, when 30 years ago, they
were out with friends and family at
Brown’s Island, where Fischer wondered
aloud about the name of a boat. Fischer
discovered then that others were
curious about the names of boats, and
so her work on her first book, published
in 1994, began.
Fischer said that one of her favorite
boat names that she found while
putting together the new book was that
of a friend, called Carried Away.
“They got carried away at how much
they spent on the boat,” Fischer said.
She added that the boat can also
be seen as “carrying them away” into
retirement.
“Some boats are named for family
members, some for songs, stories, or
jokes — it’s a little bit of everything,”
Fischer said. “It’s whatever is
meaningful to the boat owner, is what
I’m finding.”
Determining a boat name is no easy
feat, Fischer said.
“You’re gonna have it for 10, 15
STORIES, continued on page 22
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