Most of us have an activity we enjoy that allows for an escape from the pressures and rigors of everyday life. For Marshall Cross, growing up on the James River in Newport News, Virginia, his escape has always been boating. “I do not play golf or tennis or take up a hobby – I boat!” Cross exclaims. “Throughout most of my life, boating has been my solace, my inner peace, my cabin in the mountains, if you will.” LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Fond memories of Cross’ youth include sailing Hobie Cats on the James River, along with fishing and duck hunting. “My dad owned a 16-foot Slickcraft with a 100-horsepower Mercury outboard, probably one of the highest output motors of its time,” Cross explains. He not only inherited a love of boating from his father, but also a passion for general surgery, becoming a medical doctor just like his old man, John Armstrong Cross, Jr. Marshall worked closely with his father and became an accomplished Doctor of General Surgery with decades of helping patients in the Newport News hospital system. “Boating is one of my great joys in life,” Cross exclaims. He and his father both practiced general surgery together for many years, and when free time came available, it was filled with fishing excursions and trips down the ICW together. Eventually, as Dr. Cross [the elder] approached retirement, their practice was sold off to the local hospital system and Marshall continued in general surgery under the new umbrella. “We enjoyed many trips down the ICW to the Outer Banks and into Albemarle Sound aboard dad’s Mako.” However, one trip went from glass conditions to 5-foot seas without warning, Cross explains: “That was the most nervous time I have ever had on a boat, and it was then I decided I needed something bigger.” In his search for a bigger boat, Cross met Scott James of Bluewater Yacht Sales, who assisted him in purchasing a 33-foot Formula Sunsport, and subsequently a 37-foot Formula that James found and surveyed for him in Louisiana. The 37’ Formula afforded overnight cruises and plenty of memories around the Bay and south to Albemarle Sound. Unfortunately, the demands of his professional life kept Cross at work more often than at home or on the water, leaving him to reassess his priorities. Always just a phone call away, James assisted with the sale of the 37 Formula as Cross reevaluated his time. “I realized I worked way too much, too fast.” Cross continues, “My father retired from general surgery at age 70 and passed away at 75. He wrote me a note telling me not to do what he did. ‘Go explore the world,’ he said.” Cross concludes, “I have learned that I must take advantage of making new memories and a new life while I still can.” A CHANGE OF PACE “I had been flipping through magazines seeing boats in that size range with outboards on them, and then I saw the concept photos of the Back Cove 39O, and I loved the Downeast look, the space, the stability of a boat with that much displacement and beam,” Cross explains. Once Cross had narrowed down the field, it was just a matter of time before James found the right opportunity. In the summer of 2020, another customer had put money down to order a new Back Cove 39O, but then their plans suddenly changed. James briefed Cross that there CRUISING INTO A SECOND LIFE ON A BACK COVE 39O A Great Escape 20 BLUEWATER
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