Well, it's been quite a while since our last update. Since we left the
islands and came back to the good old USofA we have been pretty much
hanging around, not doing much. We had to go to Fort Lauderdale to see
a doctor. I had been cursed with a voodoo hex in Nassau by a hobo on
the street and it turns this toothless old man must have had some mojo
because I got an infection and I had to go see four doctors before
they came up with an effective treatment. So we stayed in Fort
Lauderdale until doctor number four figured he had it right. Then we
struck out north.
We sailed thirty seven hours straight to Cape Canaveral. We are much
more adventurous sailors after this time in the islands. Now going out
overnight and sailing long distances that we would never attempt
before are as nothing to us. We spent a weekend with my sister and
brother in law and struck out again.
We went to Daytona Beach to see some people but they weren't home. So
we left a message and decided to stay the rest of the day and strike
out again in the morning.
After a good supper of roast beef, potatoes and carrots with fresh
cherries for dessert we read our books until dark then laid down to
sleep. The weather down here is wicked hot, like 95 degrees all day,
so we left the portholes and hatches open to catch the night breezes.
I slept the deep sleep of a clean living man with a clear conscience,
snoring up a storm and dreaming of the sea.
Angel Jen sleeps a good deal more lightly. She is still a little
excited by the good fortune to be able to lie down next to me and it
keeps her close to wakefulness most nights, I think.
At three AM some guy fell in the water and it was she who heard his
gurgled cry for help. Good thing for him, because I would have slept
right through it, I'm sure. The cry was pretty faint inside the boat.
The picture is of his boat. I took the picture this morning after the
sun came up as we left the anchorage.
She woke me up and we stuck our heads out to listen. We heard the
cries again, laced with long strings of profanity and in what seemed a
voice impaired by the demon ethanol. The night was pitch black as the
moon, nearly new, had yet to rise, so we could see nothing. At night
on the water it's really hard to tell exactly where sounds come from
or how far away they are. What were we to do?
I didn't fancy the idea of trying to start my dinghy in the black of
night and search for some drunk in the water. I figured I'd have a
good chance of running over him since I couldn't see without a search
light or hear him over the outboard motor. And in his panic he could
likely pull either me or the dinghy over even if I found him. So we
called the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard is a service provided by your benevolent federal
government. When we were in the Bahamas there was no equivalent
service over there. We were really glad to have these three
professional young men show up and take over the task of dragging this
souse out of the drink.
They asked him how he fell in the water and he had no idea. When they
asked if anyone else was on the boat he said he didn't think so, maybe
his cat. Oh, so inebriated was he.
The Coast Guard hauled him off to the hospital for treatment, thanked
us and left.
But if it hadn't been for Angel Jen, that man would have drowned for
sure. She is a real life heroine. She saw a problem and did the right
thing to make it better. She saved that guy's life.
Man, I should bake her a cake or something!
So be good kids, do the right thing, make life better and for the sake
of Christmas take it easy on your poor old tired teacher today.
And have a good summer and a fun time in second grade next fall. In
second grade you can look back on your memories of first grade and
say, "Those were the good old days! Ms. Hanzok, Pirate John, Angel
Jen and learning to count! Man, that was good living!". We think of
you often and hope the best for all of you. Au revoir, mon petites amis!