The Spirit of Cher Ami: A Legend of the Sky

In October 1918, deep within the rain-soaked trenches of the Argonne Forest, 194 men of the "Lost Battalion" were trapped behind enemy lines. Cut off from supplies, surrounded by German forces, and most tragically under "friendly fire" from their own artillery, they were facing certain death. Their only hope lay in the air.

Two pigeons were released; both were shot down.

Then came Cher Ami.

As he took flight, the ground erupted in a storm of lead and fire. A bullet tore through his breast, blinded one of his eyes, and a shard of shrapnel nearly severed his leg, leaving it hanging by a single tendon. Most creatures would have spiraled to the earth. But Cher Ami did not.

With a heart that refused to stop beating and a loyalty that defied the laws of nature, he stayed aloft for 25 minutes, covering 25 miles through a gauntlet of death. When he finally crashed onto the loft at divisional headquarters, his message clinging to that shattered leg saved the lives of every man left in that battalion.

The message: We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven's sake, stop it.

Why This Boat?

I named this 1992 Crownline Cher Ami because a boat is more than fiberglass and a 4.3L V6. It is a vessel of purpose.

When the waters get choppy, when the hull creaks under the pressure of the wake, or when the restoration feels like an uphill battle, I look at the name on the stern. If a small bird could fly through a wall of iron with a broken body to save his friends, then this boat can carry us through any storm.
This boat is dedicated to that same spirit of determination, grit, and loyalty. May she always find her way home, no matter the odds.