Barb and I have always dreamed we’d celebrate our 25th anniversary on a cruise to the islands of the Caribbean. Well, the dream didn’t quite materialize. But week before last, we did get on a boat. And we did go the the “islands.” Here’s a re-cap.
Friends Lew and Debe Wayburn put us onto someone who let us use a pontoon boat for a night on Lake Murray.
After a nice dinner out we set out on the boat for the “islands” – Spence’s Islands, to be exact.
We anchored there in time to watch a beautiful sunset and see the moon come up.
As the darkness deepened, we settled back on our pillows for a night of stargazing and listening to favorite love songs.
Around 11:00 we noticed the moon and stars were gone and there were flashes of light on the horizon.
Soon the wind began to pick up. And then the waves.
The lightning was getting closer and we knew we were going to get wet.
I checked the weather radar on my PDA. It showed a massive wall of green heading straight for us.
The boat was really rocking now. There wasn’t going to be any sleeping tonight.
Then the anchor broke loose and we were adrift.
We decided to head back. But I wasn’t sure I could find “home” in the dark.
The islands had given some protective cover, but the open water was really rough. Waves were crashing over the bow and tossing us around.
Barb was scared. I told her where the lifejackets were. She put two on! I figured it couldn’t hurt to put one on either.
The lightning was really close and the rain was pelting us.
I turned around and saw Barb on her knees praying.
At one point I throttled back. That’s when I could hear her praying out loud!
Amazingly, we rounded one particular finger of land and found the right cove. But which of the 145 houses were we to dock at?
I finally called Lew. He and Debe got out of bed and drove down to the water’s edge and shone their headlights out onto the water so we could find the right place. They helped us dock and secure the boat.
After our apologies to Lew and Debe, we went home and slept what was left of the night in our own bed.
The moral of the story? I’m still searching for one! (If you think you know what it is, please let me know.)
At the very least, we’ll never forget our 25th anniversary!
Have a wonderful day,
Paul