Culver tells Kennedy sailing story, has crowd in stitches

(NECN: Dorchester, Mass.) – Former Senate colleague, Harvard classmate and football teammate, Sen. John Culver (D-Iowa), was among those to speak at the Celebrity of Life memorial service for Senator Edward M. Kennedy on Friday night. Sen. Culver had those in attendance in stitches while relying a tale of his first time out sailing with Sen. Kennedy. Sen. Culver had never been on the ocean, being a native of Iowa. “I said, ‘I come from Iowa, and the only boat I ever saw were barges on the Mississippi River’,” Sen. Culver said. “He said, ‘There’s nothing to it’. How many times have we heard Ted say there’s nothing to it?” Sen. Culver said that after the initial sailing trip, their excursions took them as far away as the Greek Islands. “Ted was awfully good about it. I never knew how to sail, but Teddy always gave me a pass on those voyages,” Sen. Culver said. “For that, I’m always grateful. And for those memories. Smooth sailing, Teddy.” See a photo of Sen. Kennedy in his Harvard uniform (No. 88).