This is the tale of two different boats. One story is bitter, the other is sweet. Some of the names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. But the stories themselves are true. When Vince and I returned to Nassau after our brief “vacation” home to Canada, our old friends were gone and new boats had taken their places at slips in the marina. Over the course of the next few days we were privileged to get to know the “new kids on the block” and hear some incredible stories.

#1 “Catamiranda”

In the fall of 2007, the captain of “Catamiranda” and his wife began a sojourn south. They did not travel alone. Their friend “Don” had recently experienced the tragic loss of his wife, and so, in an effort to cheer him up and help him to move on with his life, he was invited to join them on their journey to the sun. But all did not go according to plan. By the time the little group had reached Ft. Lauderdale, they realized that something was seriously wrong with the captains wife. The couple made an emergency flight home to Las Vegas leaving Don—who was not a sailor—boat-sitting alone in the harbour. The captain and is wife did not return. After she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, they elected to spend their last months together comfortably at home. Don was advised to “look for crew” and to carry on to the Bahamas without them.

As he muddled over his predicament, wondering what to do, the solution presented itself in the form of John, who was casually strolling along the docks, inspecting various vessels. John and his wife Sue were retired Floridians looking to buy a boat. After talking with Don, a proposition was struck. John and Sue would accompany Don to the Bahamas acting as crew. John, with “captains papers,” was an excellent choice and Sue, with her amiable personality, cooking abilities and sailing experience would make an ideal first mate.

When I met Sue several weeks later while lounging around the pool in Nassau, she was having second thoughts. She had enjoyed her trip aboard Catamiranda but was now missing family and had made arrangements to leave the boat and fly back home. But before she left she told me the details of Don’s tragic loss, which she had actually verified over the internet.

Over a year ago Don and his wife had been asleep in their home when they were rudely awakened by their son and an accomplice brandishing a gun. Don was a wealthy man with a large insurance policy and their son was looking to “cash it in.” His wife was shot and killed but Don managed to escape by scrambling through an open window. When the perpetrators were eventually caught, the “shooter” accepted a plea-bargain and the son, who had master-minded the scheme, was put away for life.

The next day I said goodbye to both Sue and John who, at the last minute had also decided to return home. We promised to keep in touch and wished each other well. Don was “forlorn”—alone now in Nassau and once again looking for crew. But when we saw him last night at the marina happy hour, he was actively engaged in serious discussion with an attractive young woman. Later still I saw them together in the cockpit of his boat. Who knows how this story will end? It will be interesting to see what happens next!


#2 “SECOND CHANCE”

This second story is the stuff of “Harlequin Romance.” No names have been changed as the happy owners of Second Chance are delighted to share the details of their good fortune with anyone who can benefit from their uplifting experience.

Vivien had it all—a husband of 37 years, two wonderful children, money, and a sailboat appropriately named “Spoiled Rotten.” But after spending most of their married life with careers in Timmins, the family decided to move south to North Carolina. And there, after her children left home, she was “dumped!” Her husband informed her that he didn’t want to be married any longer and walked out of her life.

Initially she was devastated. But not one to sit around feeling sorry for herself, she became actively involved in sailing—teaching “power squadron” classes, studying engine mechanics and exploring the southern coastal waters of the U.S.A. Her daughter and her friend tried to “hook her up” with eligible batchelors, but these experiences proved disastrous. Eventually they found “the one,”—a widowed sailor perfect in every way. But, after the –previous failed dates, Vivien refused to meet him and struck out alone on her own.

One afternoon while sailing near Savannah, Spoiled Rotten developed engine trouble. As Vivien desperately tried to set things right, another boat approached to offer help. There was much discussion over channel 16 with Chris, the captain of Second Chance, eventually offering to board Spoiled Rotten to help out with the repairs. At first Vivien was relieved, but when she discovered that Chris was sailing solo she changed her mind telling him: “Do you think I’m crazy letting a man alone onto my boat?! You could be an axe murderer for all I know!” She eventually agreed to let him follow her into a public marina where Chris, who was in fact an engine repair specialist, was able to solve Viviens problem. After spending the better part of the afternoon together and getting to know this sweet soul, she insisted on taking him out for dinner as a form of repayment. Later that evening, describing the encounter to her daughter over the telephone, she was surprised to discover that Chris had been “the one” that her daughter had been so desperately trying to “set her up” with. Obviously they had been fated to meet after all!

Chris had been born and raised in Ireland enjoying a life-long career in the RAF which sent him to places all over the world with his wife and 2 children. After an early retirement the family elected to settle in North Carolina. And, after the children left home, he and his wife set off to explore the world once again—but this time by boat. They spent two blissful years together as liveaboards before his wife developed early onset Alzheimers. Mercifully her illness was brief. And three years later, as a lonely widower sailing near Savannah, he did in fact get a “second chance” when he encountered Vivien, in distress aboard her vessel. Over the next few years Chris and Vivien became cruising buddies traveling everywhere together in two boats. Eventually their friendship blossomed into something more and last year they were married.

When we met this wonderful couple we liked them instantly. Chris and Vince could very well be clones—right down to their quiet dispositions, mechanical inclinations, beards and balding heads. And Vivien is a sweetheart—energetic, optimistic and full of fun. We are at anchor with them now at Allans Cay and hope to spend many more days together as we make our way down the Exuma chain to Georgetown.