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We are four souls aboard Elysium sailing up Maryland's Eastern Bay in late June. Four incarnate souls, that is, but more if you count the Cherubini relatives—the uncles, the grandparents, the ancestors from a mistier Florentine past—whose own migration to the Elysian Fields can't keep them off the water with us on this tempestuous Chesapeake day.

Dave and Joanie Ballard know a thing or two about the Cherubinis, this family of designers and craftsmen, this family whose roots are so intertwined with Old World artistry and up-to-the minute technology in media that range from pianos to automobiles, from aircraft to pleasure boats. The Ballards also know something about how objects of lasting art can become part of the glue that binds a family together through the years. In 1984, Dave's dad bought the Cherubini 44 Sunshyner. For more than two decades, Dave and his brothers and their families sailed that boat together. Then, in the fall of 2006, when Ballard felt Sunshyner's time for a thorough refit had come, he contacted the folks at the newly reorganized Cherubini Yachts in Delran, New Jersey. After several conversations and one overnight ponder, Ballard arranged a trade and commissioned the yard to create a new 44 along the lines of the old. Elysium was launched last April.

"One of the reasons we built this boat was for our kids," says Ballard, 59, who retired this year from a career in home construction. "I know it'll change our lives. It already has."

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	Cruiser Comments 2 Comments Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Cruising World stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms and Conditions. Click here to read the Privacy policy Dave, I can't express how grateful I personally am that you kept the tradition & legacy of these... 2009-01-28, 10:28 PM beautiful article, we are so proud of you dave! i will see you at the show this next week. -nate 2008-10-05, 8:53 AM View all comments Post a comment Not a member? Sign up here Already a member? Log in below Username:  Password: