A Mentor, A Friend, An Uncle

Dear Bronson,

It is so hard to know where to begin...with the memories flooding in... so I am going to start simply by just saying "thank you".

Thank you for Saturday and Monday IOD racing.  For driving me over when I was too young to drive myself.  Thank you for teaching me what it meant to be good crew...to laugh when we were delayed, sing when we were behind and cheer when we won...and how to make Jock cringe with Kenny Rogers ballads.  Or dance down the dock as you belted out "Sail like an Egyptian...".

You taught me skills from driving stick shift to driving a whaler.  How to trim a main, how to trim a kite. You rescued my dismantled car and helped me put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.  You showed me that it is ok to run through hobbies, try new things and new hairdos...your mohawk was my favorite.

From you I learned the importance of multi-tasking, demonstrated as you drove with your knee while opening a Harbor Bar and simultaneously lecturing on a plethora of topics - music, cars, motorcycles, family...

You were an example of how to be an individual.  You were both quiet and opinionated, athletic and intellectual.  Risk taking yet conservative and outgoing yet introverted.  And always committed to those you love.

In short, thank you for being a coach, a mentor, a friend, an uncle...thank you for being you.

Yours truly,
Chafee