By Capt. Jim Kalvin
I had a lunch cruise with a favorite client the other day – just taking the house-guests to the Boathouse Restaurant for a lunch cruise. After a superb dining experience, we boarded the boat for the trip back to the home dock. One of the guests came up to the helm during the ride home and asked, “bet you get tired of this kind of trip, don’t you?” My response was, “well…I’ve had enough excitement in my time on the water that this kind of day will never get old for me.” She asked, “what’s the worst trip you’ve ever had?”
Wow! that was a tough one! Was it the time when all 6 of my clients got seasick at the same time 20 miles offshore? Or the one when I lost my out-drive 32 miles offshore with a dive party aboard? Or…the time a client left out of Ponce Inlet for the Bahamas in 10′ seas and broke every cabinet door in the galley en route to Settlement Village? Might have been the time I brought a sailboat down from Long Island, New York in a consistent north-east blow with temps averaging 20 degrees until we hit South Carolina. Or, it might have been the fact that the Owner of that particular boat refused to reimburse me for any marina or fuel charges once the trip was done.
Then again, it might have been the time I was arrested for spear-fishing off the Naples Pier reef while my speargun was in the boat, and I was on the bottom with my Dad and my Mother-in-Law when the cops showed up. No ice in the cooler, and no fish on the boat, but I was arrested none-the-less. Beat the rap in Court, but that’s another story.
But then again, it could have been the time I got a free ride in a Coast Guard rescue helo 15 miles off of Charleston when the 70′ trawler I was piloting sank out from underneath me. We were never really in danger on that afore-mentioned trip – seas were calm, and sky was clear. I know the sky was clear because it was 1:30 A.M., and I could see all of the stars! I was told by the Commandant – after the review by Air Station Charleston – “that’s why they don’t make boats out of wood anymore.” I guess the worst moment of my career was calling that Owner – at 2:30 A.M. and telling him that his boat sank!
But the worst trip over-all? Still thinking on that one.
Make sure you minimize your unpleasant trips – plan ahead, mind the weather, and leave plenty of time for what you want to do. The ocean floor is lettered with boats that “had a schedule to keep”. Safety first, ice second, and comfort third. The rest is a given! Paradise is a great place to be, and opportunities abound for awesome memories.
Captain Jim Kalvin is a Florida Native, a licensed 100 Ton U.S. Coast Guard Master, and a local Marine Contractor. He is available for private guide services aboard your vessel, vessel ops coaching, or vessel deliveries to all points on the Eastern Seaboard, the Bahamas, or the Gulf Coast. He can be reached at 239-2806054, or via email at james.kalvin61@gmail.com.