Memoirs Of The Yesterdays
" A house-boat fiasco "

By Ruthe

Back in the early 80's I had just retired, and was temporarily sharing with a family friend a small trailer home right on the Ocean between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, Florida. My home was nearly completed but not quite ready for me to move into. The Trailer life was quite an experience for me--- a very different lifestyle but I was very fortunate to have this comfortable and neat little home offered to me that I can call home until I can move later into my very own. Lee was in and out, he traveled quite frequently back and forth from the Keys, so I pretty much lived alone most of the time, he appreciated having me there to keep things up while he was away, I became acquainted with his neighbors and many of them were retired seniors, great people living in beautiful retirement surroundings, we would walk on a little narrow white sand road to our snowy white beaches, and the gorgeous huge Boulders of Coquina Rock coming right up out of the Sea--and ones you could climb upon, each day the Ocean would be different in it's own enormous way. There was days when it would be forceful and roaring loud, and then there were days of silence and peaceful serenity, how exciting this beautiful piece of nature is to have and to enjoy 24 hours a day to call our own. How thankful I am to have this great privilege to enjoy--- plus the great memories here I shall treasure forever.

After a couple of months and really enjoying my trailer life things were starting to be completed with a move to my new house. i was kept busy getting permits, final touches and the necessary moving date with signatures etc. I received a phone call, much to my surprise it was a message from my cute little sister Corky and her husband Charles calling to tell me they were flying down within two days. They are owners --- of a huge House Boat Company up in the Chesapeake Bay area, they're coming to Daytona Beach to motor back a beautiful and large boat taking her back to her owners, bringing with them is their good friend and is a boat mechanic.

Bill has been their friend for many years, he will assist and advise in taking the house boat back to their Marina, I've been invited to join them on this wonderful Ocean trip on this beautiful house boat-- what a thrill this will be for me, I've never ever been on one, now I'll be going on a thousand mile voyage. I met them at the airport in Daytona Beach, and I started explaining that the trailer was quite small but we would be fine as I was living alone, my friend was away and that my house wouldn't be ready for me to move into for another week. Things were fine with them and they were excited about living in a--- Trailer Home. We immediately located the Marina in Daytona and found the house boat-- needless to say It was gorgeous and in great shape and ready to make the trip up to Maryland. I drove the four of us back through a scenic Ocean drive to the trailer, they enjoyed the short " Tropical Trail ", they was so happy to know things are in great shape with the boat and their plans now will be to relax and map out the route up the Intercoastal water way to Chesapeake Bay, what a wonderful voyage and an experience this will be for all of us. The short trip back to the trailer was talk, talk talk-- how wonderful to be with my little sister, her great husband and of course Bill our family friend, we could hardly wait for tomorrow to get this cruise started, we arrived at the trailer and while they were getting things organized I served a glass of wine and fixed a light dinner, knowing this would settle them down after their flight plus their anticipation of them not knowing the condition of the boat and how relieved this has made them, tomorrow Bill will go over it with a fine toothed comb making sure every thing is in good working order. We managed bedding for the four of us, I slept on a ( pull-out) living room couch, my sis and husband took the bedroom and Bill slept on a single bed on the enclosed back porch. Every thing was perfect--- all waiting for tomorrow to finalize our great dream.

The morning sun was coming up and I knew it would be a great and wonderful day, we all ate breakfast at my favorite little restaurant in the area, Charles had to make some business phone calls so while he was busy --- Corky, Bill, and I decided to take a walk on the Beach, what a gorgeous day at the Sea---- many beautiful Sea Gulls were very busy with their early catch. Later that morning just before going to the Marina I received a phone call --- you'll never guess? Lee is on his way in from Key West and will be here within two hours, when I told him the news of our great adventure and what was happening, he was happy and overwhelmed and asked if he could go with us to help the men return the large boat back to Chesapeake Bay, of course he was more than welcome to go along, he's a very good skilled Skipper himself and would take over the helm as the First Mate. He arrived around noon--- there was never a dull moment from then on. Lee, just like Charles and Bill all have a wonderful personality and a good sense of humor, we are having a ball and all packed and ready for our big cruise. We're finally on our way now to the Marina and ready to board--- what a big jolt we received when we arrived. Charles found out from the owner of the Marina that the Vessel couldn't be released for boarding, someone was living on it and couldn't be reached to give notice to vacate. Come back tomorrow was his answer.

Well--- we have an extra guest now--- where in the world will he sleep in his own small Trailer home? ha,ha. and how long will it be before we can occupy the boat? Another bed is needed, we managed again with sofa cushions made into a bed on the porch floor, not too comfortable but it will be for only this one night, I'm being very optimistic here, but wrong again----another night and maybe several more. Charles is really starting to worry and has made several phone calls explaining to the owner of the boat what Is happening here--- the owner gets on the phone to the Marina and he has no luck with getting a clearance for us to go aboard.

We're back another night at the trailer, complaints are starting to develop among the two porch roommates accusing each of snoring too loud and they are both so right, I can hear them both inside where I'm trying to sleep---- we're in our third day the Sheriff is called to settle this boat argument and we was able to get aboard, the Skipper and First mate started up the engines, we are now ready to depart the Marina. Every one so happy to get out and finally we're heading to Chesapeake Bay. Five minutes later and not quite out of the slip-- some strange noises started, and became very loud and getting louder and louder, we're all looking at each other with questionable expressions, without saying one word and almost knowing we're in trouble again.

Both engines stopped our mechanic could not get them started ( both engines dead ) Charles made another call to the owner to get permission to install two new engines, they were installed after another day and a sleepless night, we all are beginning to get tired and the laughter we once had has become a silence-- kinda' grumpy-like and a few glares-- where has all that good humor gone? The fifth day is to begin, both new engines running great and we are again on our way, the smiles are back and the guys are more than friendly, laughter is blooming and not a dull moment, jokes are funnier today than they were yesterday--the Skipper has opened up the throttles and we're picking up speed, fifteen wonderful miles and all going well, what a day we are having. Suddenly we hear a loud boom-- Bill runs back to the engine room and yells-- FIRE ! ! ! the fire extinguisher is found and used and the fire is out and so are the two brand new engines, we at this time are 20 miles from any kind of help, a May Day is answered by the Coast Guard, they arrived about an hour after getting the call, a woman and her husband happened to be on duty in a small town called Flagler, the first thing they did was not watching what they were doing and rammed right into the side of the house boat wrecking both vessels and both vessels are taking in water. Coast Guard was called again and it was hours of waiting before they could rescue both boats. We all sat together on the house boat and become acquainted with the man and his wife before the rescue team could get the necessary equipment to tow in two boats and to rescue the crew. They arrived and took over getting the crew off first-- then struggling to save both ships, working furiously against time. Again we're on our way ( this time on a Coast Guard vessel ) and to a shipyard to examine the damage, and to get a confirmation of a failed attempt to continue our journey. It just wasn't to be ! !

Instead of snarling at one another as we're being towed in and to know we all are safe-- we all started laughing and realized our voyage was over. Lee has a good friend living close to this Marina that we'll be going into, Chuck will be called and he'll get us all back to the trailer--- what a joke this has been--- a beautiful cruise gone astray. It just wasn't to be.

Fortunately my home was available the day we returned, we loved the trailer life until it became too crowded, but how nice it was to have a comfortable bed to sleep in and a good hot shower and then to realize how fortunate we all are to have escaped serious injuries. The next few days were spent relaxing and arranging airline reservations for the three to travel back to Chesapeake Bay. We shared many laughs over our failed journey, especially Bill with his version of why we were deprived of a fun trip, we had all noticed this human skeleton head that was sitting on top of the boat's refrigerator, I was the one constantly wanting it removed-- accusing it of being evil, and believed a curse had been put on this boat causing all these problems, so Bill says it's glued down so we can't remove it, but--- by God we can pitch the whole refrigerator over board and that will take care of who ever he is, that's when we all started our laughing again and the whole event became a hilarious fun time and a time we'll never forget. The 3 hours we waited on the boat before being towed in was also an eventful and a very funny story originated from that long wait---the Coast Guard couple was a pleasure to visit with, she was 200 lbs. from being thin but was very proud of one of her achievements, they invited us to a little "Pub" that evening--- she was performing there as a " Belly Dancer" can you imagine all that fat she was going to throw around in front of an audience? Well we all had to admit she certainly knew how in a very graceful way to give us a great performance, and was quite a crowd pleaser. I say she's a professional "Belly Dancer "--- but as a professional Coast Guards-lady, there's room here for some doubt ???

" Memoirs of the Yesterdays" are so wonderful to reminisce--- to laugh and to cry of the many memorable fun times and sad times that have come and gone. Today there are only two of us left -- my sister Corky and me, two years after our boat disaster Charles died instantly with a Heart Attack, and one year later to the day we lost Lee to Cancer. My little sister Corky and I see each other at least twice a year she still grieves for Charles and continues to live in their same beautiful home close to Chesapeake Bay. Bill remarried he and his new wife moved far away, I have never seen him since. The Coast Guard couple vanished shortly after her performance and was never seen again, maybe she made it big in Vegas? The beautiful * Houseboat was never able to ride the High Seas again, she was put to rest at the bottom of the Ocean-- a short distance from where where we all watched her die. I pray that the refrigerator with the skeleton head was destroyed and the curse was lifted off her. As for Corky, and she now is a Senior keeps herself very busy with much traveling, and has met many interesting people throughout the country plus having many great friends all living around her and she constantly keeps herself busy with her beautiful art work. So that leaves me here to finish the story, l am in excellent health in my senior years, and very grateful, I live alone in Florida but not lonely--- I have my good health and my wonderful memories, and that's all I need, this past 23 years have been very good years to me, and I've been so blessed. Corky and I every year enjoy our visits and we talk often of our two men we had to lose, and how we miss them. They are our " Memoirs of the Yesterdays "

This true life story brings me great pleasure to share with you---- as just one of my many little true life experiences. May you all have a beautiful, happy and healthy life ----and I'm wishing you many blessings in your " Golden Years "

Truly yours,

Ruthe