Now, listen up! This is no shit! All my stories are true...But I have this fond affection for sea stories.
Round About…the prompt
The Devil
You'd be hard-pressed to find any family of seafarers, fisherfolk, or plain coastal types without some horror tale on the water. It just goes with the territory; salt water envelopes most of the world and is dangerous.Â
The Shell Game
"luck is what you stumble upon in life. Providence is what God plans for you, and planning is how you thread your way between the two without getting crushed." The speaker of these words was the rather infamous first-class petty officer John O'Toole. Destined never to become a chief, he was swimming towards retirement. Along …
Tradition!
The "Red Head" was my great-grandfather's nickname. He was a mariner from a line of mariners and most favored Nicholas as either a first or middle name. Saint Nicholas is the patron of sailors, so it fits with the family's maritime connections. On my mother's side of the family, she came from a small island …
Geedunks
I'm careful of what I put in my mouth regarding snacks; normally. But when I was doing boat shows as a wood carver, I had a bad tendency to worship at the "geedunk" altar. I'd head off to whatever food concessioner was selling the saltiest, sweetest concoction and pig out. Don't know what a geedunk …
BPOE – A flashback Friday Presentation
Port-Left, Starboard Right
Flashback Friday from October 2020 – REO Tractor
So, as sailors like to say, this is a true story; I was there. Well, that's not so true. However, while writing the story in 2020, I borrowed heavily from boatyards that I knew intimately. And yes there is a 1932 REO tractor in a yard I know of, and I think it may be …
Continue reading "Flashback Friday from October 2020 – REO Tractor"
The Emma G. Paxton
Going into Will's workshop was always on par with entering a sorcerer's hut. He might be working on anything. Sometimes it was toys for the grandkids, trap stock to make lobster pots for Lowell down at the Cove, or a boat. The rafters hung with templates for boats made anytime in the past century or more. Will's father before …
A Red Flag Flying
The sailing program at the local Marina had a red flag warning for high winds. Only qualified helmsmen were allowed to sail with qualified crew. A double red canceled all sailing and generally meant a storm warning. Around the harbor, people used the same warning system for my father-in-law, the Cap'n. A red flag day meant that …
The Sound of Sand Beneath the Keel
I like the coast during a good blow, hurricane, or full fog—just as long as there is a nice spot to dive into for tea, coffee, and something to snack on. Looking out the window is much more pleasurable than being in a blow, reefing sails, and getting ready to rig a sea anchor to …
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