GONE WITH DA WIND

[WAHOONBOX]

AS I WALK ONCE AGAIN DOWN STILL ANOTHER COLLECTION OF SOLAR BLEACHED DOCKPLANK ....I REMINISE THE MOMENTS OF YOUTH....AND ALL THE CHALLENGES A LONG BLONDE HAIRED ROOKIE MATE ENCOUNTERED IN HIS WORLD PURSUIT OF OFFSHORE HAPPINESS

GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW MANY MILES OF FIXED PILON I HAVE WALKED PAST .........GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW MANY SERATED KNIVES I HAVE DISCARDED ALONG THE WAY....GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW MANY PORTS, TEE-SHIRTS & BABES I HAVE SEEN....ERR..UHHH.....HAVE KNOWN......I MEAN .....WELL SHIT....I'M SURE YOU GET THE PICTURE HERE

IF MY COUNTLESS PAIRS OR COSTAS, MAUI'S, AND CALCUTTA LENSES COULD HAVE ONLY RECORDED ........SEEING WHAT I HAVE SEEN.......THE HORROR OF IT ALL! ....IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SPALATTER-MENTARY OF THE CENTURY!

ALL THE BLOOD BATHS...THE CARNAGE...THE TONS OF HAULED ICE...THE FEW VICTORIES ALONG THE WAY...THE MANY LOSSES I HAVE LIVED...AND YES EVEN FISH LOST.....OH YES....IF THEY COULD ONLY SHARE DA FACT OF WHAT REALLY WENT DOWN....THE THINGS THAT I SUBCONSCIOUSLY MISSED IN BATTLE.....EYEWEAR THAT PERSONALLY WITNESSED UP-CLOSE A GRIM REAPER ASSAULT MATCHED ONLY BY THE LIKES OF AN ATTACKING A-10 WARTHOG

I AM CERTAIN THAT THE WORLD'S REMAINING VAMPIRES....WARLOCKS....& BANSHEE'S MOST CERTAINLY DAM ME FOR MY YEARS OF PLASMA SPLATTER.....JEALOUS OF ME WADING IN THE CRIMSON LIQUID DARING THEM TO STEAL IT..YEP IT HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL RIDE........THE FRIENDS...THE TACKLE SHOPS ...THE BARS I HAVE FOUND ALONG THE WAY........

I ASK : WHEN DOES IT END? TOMORROW? NEXT YEAR? WHEN I'M SIXTY YEARS YOUNG? SEVENTY? WILL I SIMPLY JUST ..WAKE UP ONE DAY AND SAY "IT'S OVER ....I THINK I'LL RAISE TOMATOES FOR A LIVING"........WILL I JUST HAUL MY CRAP OUT IN THE FRONT YARD AND HAVE A YARD SALE? ......SHIT FREAKING NOOOOOOOOO!

AS LONG AS THE MAN UPSTAIRS GIVES ME THE STRENGTH AND SIGHT TO KEEP UP DA ASSAULT....I WILL ATTACK!

TODAY.....AS I CASUALED MY WAY DOWN B-DOCK AT SOUTH JERSEY MARINA TO BEGIN A DAY OF RIGGING FOR 3 TOURNYS ABOARD THE SEA SPLENDOUR WITH "WHITEY" AND HIS DAD RON...............I PASSED A FELLOW OFFSHOREMAN WHOM I HAVE SEEN IN SOUTH JERSEY FOR YEARS KNOW.......ONLY NOW IS TWENTY YEARS LATER FOR THIS MAN....

I FIRST SEEN THIS CHISELED OLD SALT BACK IN '88 .....HE WAS BACKING HIS RIG DOWN INTO IT'S BERTH AT SOUTH JERSEY MARINA ......AND THEN I LOOKED UP AT HIS STACK OF RAGS ALL STIFF IN DA BREEZE.....I WAS SPEECHLESS..........WOW.........13...MAYBE 15 CRUMPLED CLOTHS WERE VICTORIOUSLY DISPLAYED......BOTH COLORS TOO! DAY AFTER DAY....TRIP AFTER TRIP....THIS PILOT MADE IT HAPPEN I TELL YA!!

I WANTED SO MUCH TO WALK UP TO HIM AND CONGRATULATE HIM............BUT I DIDN'T .....SAD BUT TRUE.............HE WAS IN HIS GLORY.....HE WAS THE ENVY OF MANY.....THE CONGRATS FROM THE LOCALS...THE HIGH FIVES....THE SMILES....THE FLOWING OF BREW

NOW....IT'S TODAY...JULY WHATEVER 2007....AND I JUST PASSED BY THE SAME BOURBON TAN CAPITANO SHORT-STEPPIN' HIS WAY DOWN THE SAME B-DOCK!!!!!!..... .GINGERLY PLACING ONE SHOE IN FRONT OF THE OTHER...A PURE CASE OF TURTLE-ISM....HOBBLING A BIT....WINCING IN EACH STEP........IT WAS HIM ALRIGHT..........shit................I COULD SEE THE REFLECTION OF PAST VICTORY IN HIS EYE........THAT'D DEFINITELY BE THE SAME CAPITANO ALRIGHT !

A COUPLE OTHER MATES JUST PASSED HIM BY AND NEVER FLINCHED A HELLO...NOT EVEN A GLANCE.........NEVER EVEN SALUTED THE OLD WHITEBOY SLAYER AS THEY PASSED HIM BY....NEVER SAID "GOOD MORNING CAPTAIN".......NEVER SAYING "HOW BOUT HAVING LUNCH WITH US TODAY"..............DA OLD FART...I MEAN THE OLD SALT THEN STOPPED...AND SLOWLY TURNED ASTERN HOPING THEY WOULD SAY SOMETHING TO HIM AS THEY LAUGHED AND JOKED THEIR WAY DOWN THE PLANK......FAT CHANCE THAT WOULD HAPPEN....IT WAS OVER FOR HIM AND NO ONE COULD SEE HIM...HE COULD NO LONGER GET IT DONE ON THE BRIDGE AND NOW HE WAS INVISIBLE TO THE WORLD .......

INVISIBLE MY ASS I MUTTERED!!!!! "I CAN SEE YOU CAPTAIN!!! HELLOOOO...OVER HERE!!!".......I QUICKLY SCAMPERED A FEW MORE SLIPS DOWN TO THE SEA SPLENDOUR TO STOW MY GEAR SO TO GET BACK QUICKLY TO THE RAG MAN AND TARDILY CONGRATULATE HIM ON SUCH A FINE DAY HE HAD BACK ON AUGUST WHATEVER 1988.

I PILED MY STUFF IN THE PIT AND WHIRLED TO RACE DOWN,.......I MEAN JOG DOWN THE PLANKS TO CATCH UP WITH HIM

THERE WAS NO CAPITANO IN SIGHT....GONE ....GONE LIKE THE WIND....WHAT THE HELL? HE WAS JUST HERE!

I RAN AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF DA SHIPS STORE.....NO CAPTAIN.....I LOOKED DOWN THE STREET......IT WAS LIFELESS......"EXCUSE ME MA'AM....DID YOU SEE AN OLDER GENTLEMAN .....WHITE HAIR... JUST PASS BY ?" ...

"I'M SORRY ....NO ONE HAS COME BY ME".........she replied.

"NO WAAAAYYY!!!!!!!" i growled to myself. "NO FREAKING WAY COULD THE DUDE HAVE LEFT THE AREA SO QUICK....NOT WITH SUCH GIMP....HECK I'VE SEEN SNAILS FASTER THAN HE

I DARTED ....I MEAN I HUSTLED INSIDE TO THE SHIPS STORE....DANG!!! WHERE'S HE AT? ... NO CAPTAIN!!! I THEN HIT THE STAIRS LEADING TO THE UPSTAIRS CRAPPER AND SHOWER LOCATED OVER TOP THE SHIP'S STORE..........I SHOULDERED THE DOOR OPEN

"CAPITAINO????????" ARE YOU IN HERE????" ....IT WAS FOGBOUND SILENT ............NO ANSWER.....THERE WAS A SLIGHT TINKERING OF TOILET TANK RUNNING WATER......."HEY RAGMAN...YOU IN THERE?"

CONGRATULATIONS CAPTAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PRETTY WORK DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...i screamed.

STILL.......NO ANSWER........................

A MEGA-TEAR JUST HIT MY PORT SPERRY AND ONCE MORE ....MY COSTAS SEEN YET ANOTHER EPIC PORPORTION SPLATTERGATE

DANG YOU BOX!!!!!!!! WHY DID YOU JUST NOT WALK UP TO THAT LEGAND OF A MAN WHEN YOU HAD DA CHANCE AND TELL HIM "WAY TO GO BIG DOG"? .....WHY DID YOU NOT ASK HIM TO SHOW YOU A TRICK OR TWELVE WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE BACK WHENEVER? AND NOW TODAY ...GEEZUS H SO HELP ME OF ALL DUMB THINGS I HAVE EVER DONE.......
IN THIS CASE NEVER DONE...WHY DID I PASS-BY THIS LONELY RAGMAN WITHOUT SAYING A SIMPLE "HELLO"' OR ""WAY TO GO GET 'EM CAPPIE"?



MAYBE I DIDN'T SEE THIS MAN AFTER ALL ON THIS JERSEY HALLOWED GROUND......MAYBE MY MIND WAS ON YET ANOTHER EDDY'S JOURNEY...DRIFTING..MEANDERING ALONG.....MAYBE IT WAS JUST THE GENTLE SOUTHWEST BREEZE THAT CAUGHT ME PAINFULLY DREAMIN'

MAYBE ........JUST MAYBE IT WAS THE WIND PASSING ME BY





ONE RINGY DINGY......TWO RINGY DINGIES

IT WAS PITCHBAIT.

"WANNA HAVE SOME LUNCH ?" ...he asked

[Nimrod]

Hello Marty.

[Glenn W]

Very good---- very good indeed.

[hunt4fish]

Good read Box.

[Proheat]

Marty- I always enjoy reading your stories like this!!!

When does your book get published??

[whitey]

Good read Marty now get back to work.

[Proheat]

Good read Marty now get back to work.

I'll bet he was rigging with one hand and typing with the other!

[BTH284]

I cannot tell you how many times I have been rewarded with fine memories just from saying hello to the experienced hunters and fishermen. I can truthfully say that was the man upstairs plan for only giving us one mouth...but 2 ears. We should listen and learn 2x more than we should speak. It only takes one word sometimes to make a person's day.

Nice write up Box, thank you for sharing.

[whitey]

I'll bet he was rigging with one hand and typing with the other!

I will have to check the surveillance cameras.

[SeaBiscuit]

Good piece of writing Marty.
When the time comes we all move on, but until such time, we got to keep going! Why should the sea be a different kind of mistress?
Good luck in the Yankee tourneys this year!
Nick