Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The Adventures of Captain Gale: Let the Vacation Begin




From: briangale@alum.bucknell.edu [mailto:briangale@alum.bucknell.edu]
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2002 10:55 AM
Subject: Let the Vacation Begin

Yes, I know, a long delay between emails. When last I wrote, our young hero was about to take on Charlestown, SC. I coerced my friend Bri to come down from Charlotte, NC for a bacchanal evening. We took the night by storm, and as always, the day took us right back by storm. I'm beginning to hurt just thinking about it. Let's move on.

Once past Charlestown I hit Georgia and more weather delays. With the weather forecast of 35kt winds with and higer gusts along with scattered instances of 6+" rain, I decided topause for a bit. I headed for a marina.

Now, I don't want to disparage this "marina" in rural (read: deserted) GA, especially when everyone I met was nice and helpful. But let's just say that when the wind would calm I could hear banjoes play, and I expected Burt Lancaster to paddle down the river at any minute.


One of the nice things about all these weather delays is getting to meet my fellow cruisers. People seem to be drawn to a young guy going it alone in a small boat. I think I remind the moms (remember that everyone I'm meeting is 55-65) of their children, and they worry about my culinary talents, and they fear I may be starving, a thought I try to encourage. Some might call that deception - I call it steak and potatoes with all the fixins' instead of hot dogs and lights out by 6:30

At the Deliverance marina I meet 3 nice couples, two of them from RI of all places (Portsmouth and Charlestown). Fun people. Good cooks, too!

My birthday was eventful. I woke up in southern GA next to Cumberland island, a nature preserve. I watched wild horses grazing in a foggy field as I ghosted past. A couple hours later a Coast Guard helicopter started buzzing me. Strange. Finally a 25' Naval gunship approached at mach 1. I stopped my boat and the boys let me know I must halt untl a nuclear submarine exits the river I'm in. What a sight, following this masive ship.



That night I hit Florida, and by the beginning of this past week I was finally in shorts. My father met me in West Palm Beach on the 19th, and we cooled our heels for a couple of days waiting for a good weather window to cross the Gulf Stream. We spent our time hassling the extremely wealthy of Palm Beach during the day by daring to walk on their streets - him dressed like a hiker model for L.L. Bean, me in my bright red Hawaiian shirt. At night we locked ourselves in the boat. Hey, we were in Riviera Beach - I got solicited by a hooker at 9:30 one morning, and dad was offered drugs the next!

Finally this morning 12-22, the first day of winter, the 12 footers in the Gulf Stream subsided to 5-6 footers. We left at 1:45 and made it to Wes End, Bahamas just after noon. We cleared customs and Dad was in a cab towards the airport by 1:45. I'm currently enjoying a rum and coke whilst the sun disappears. 39 days and 1683 miles later, the vacation has begun.


I hope everyone has a happy holidays. My mom comes to the Bahamas on the 25th and my sister on the 26th, so we'll be celebrating a day or two late. My sister claims that as a minister she has to perform Chrismas services. But mom and I know the real reason - the Dollar stores have the best deals on the 26th.

Take care,
Brian
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