Day Seventy Four..final
Trip Start
Apr 02, 2008
1
66
Trip End
Jun 10, 2008
Kemah, Texas
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
There were so many unexpected bonuses such as touching base with friends and family who either joined me along the way or whom I visited as I passed by. It validates for me my number one value...family and friends. We often let so many years go by and wonder what happened to those we befriend along the way, so taking the time to touch old friends' lives was fulfilling for me. Tom and Laura joined us for dinner in St Augustine, my son Landon and his girlfriend Cheyna flew from Houston and joined us for a few days from Fernandina Beach to Daytona, my friend Merrily came aboard for a few days after Landon and Cheyna left (and got us two free nights at her friend's marina) and stayed with us until Fort Lauderdale, Mickie and Jane and families drove to see us in North Palm Beach and Ft Lauderdale, Catharina flew in from Houston and joined us until we reached Marathon, Joe and Claudia graciously offered their home, car and Key West touring services, Don and Mimi caught up with us on their own cruising adventure in their catamaran in Marathon, Bruce took me to dinner and Harley riding in St Petersburg then later joined us in Steinhatchee (and gave us a much-needed break by taking us out for the day), and Orange Beach, Ralph and Patti Faye whom I caught up with in Mobile and shared Carlos stories with, and finally Kim and Corwin who not only cooked us a gourmet meal, but took us under their wing and helped us out with their Power Squadron contacts in Louisiana in order to ensure we had a marina every night...true cajun hospitality at its best!
I met some interesting folks along the way and made a few new friends; Al in Oriental, (the ultimate sailor and vagabond) who befriended me then graciously let me use his address to ship all my stuff to Oriental prior to the trip, Walt the fishing guide in Steinhatchee who gave me a ride to fill my prescription 21 miles away when we had no rental car available, Nina "the fish lady" in Steinhatchee who taught me the finer art of filleting fish, Sam the singer at Sandestin who had circumnavigated the world twice in his own sailboats, Dan in Biloxi who taught me to play three hand poker (I cashed in on my beginner's luck), Brent who shared much-appreciated cajun hospitality with three straggly-looking, wet and tired boaters, and various and sundried others with whom I shared libations, song or simply stories along the way.
2400 Miles of waterway...5 days of offshore adventure..one ruined manifold, untold gnats, no see'ums, biting flies, barges, industrial vessels, locks, and much varied landscapes and water color...To see our great country via the waterways is an education worth pursuing. We saw sights that one can only see on a trip like this; the flying stingrays, the fish that walk on the water, the many friendly, playful dolphin who accompanied us, the shark who shot out of the water in front of us, the sea turtles swimming lazily by, the flocks of varied seabirds, the majestic bald eagle, sea otters, starfish, schools of fish swimming offshore, alligators, the spectacular sunrises and sunsets, the incredibly varied support system that supports our very active waterway, the opulence of the megayachts, megahomes, megaeverything of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, the damage from Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina and Rita, and most of all, the resilience of the people of this country to rise up again and rebuild their businesses and their lives. If I didn't already realize how active the oil and gas industry was, there would be no doubt after cruising through Lousiana. Barge after barge after barge, oil rig after oil rig after oil rig, tank batteries, christmas trees, crew boats, etc...awe inspiring.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take this life-changing trip and know that Maggie, Gene, Tom, Bev and I will stay connected. I could not have chosen better traveling partners. We shared the laughter, the awe, the stress and the adventure...all of it within the confines of a 32' boat...and still came out of it better friends than we went in.
And most of all, thanks to my friends Drew, Stephanie, Dick and Ann, without whose encouragement, help and friendship I would probably not have made this trip. As I started writing this blog, little did I know the adventure, fun, and life-altering effect this trip would have on me. As I stated in the beginning of my blog, my favorite quote is "Not arriving at the grave in a well-preserved body, rather skidding in sideways, yelling "Holy Shit, what a ride!"...and so I sign off after 75 days and hope that each of you who has touched my life within the past three months knows you have had an imprint on my growth...I owe you one..ET is home...may the adventures on Naciente continue!
