Black Belt and Blue Water
“ Every land-based sailor will tell you that being on a boat ( preferably a sailboat , but almost any ‘ boat ’ will do ) at sea , even for a short sail , provides a perspective and stimulus to a passion largely unobtainable anywhere else on earth ,” said FDR ’ s grandson , Christopher du Pont Roosevelt , in his Foreword to Cross ’ s Sailor in the White House . “ Being at sea also reduces almost everything else to its essentials , to a more manageable scale , and helps the sailor cut through distracting chaff to the core of problems , challenges , and issues ” ( Cross 2003 xi ).
At an early age , his grandson continued , “ FDR ’ s father personally taught him to ride horses , to understand farming and agriculture , 4 and , most important , to sail and appreciate being on the water .” The grandson , his father , and FDR his grandfather all had “ loved the same renowned New England coastal waters ,” and had had the benefit of “ an appreciation for sailing and seamanship , as well as a knowledge and appreciation of naval history ” that had been passed down in the family through generations . The younger Roosevelt was pleased to be providing the Foreword , because “ Cross shows how a sailor can be also a leader of men , a man of courage , a man of versatility , a juggler of opinions and alternatives during a challenging and turbulent time , and how this particular sailor became larger than life for so many ” ( Cross 2003 xii-xiii ).
It would be difficult to find a better description of FDR the man , or FDR the president . Similarly , it is clear that the Roosevelt grandson had the background , by both familial connections and personal experience , to recognize how Cross had the skills to make clear the relationship of the “ skills , temperament , and passions that make a person a great sailor , and those same elements that make a person a great politician and world leader ” ( Cross 2003 xiii ). FDR had his first boat ,
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