My time in the American Coast Guard
In 1974 I was Bosun on the Tall ship "The Pilgrim" in the Miami Dockyard. She lost the foremast in a storm coming from Portugal and we were replacing it. It was a crazy job got hired off the dock and we were owned by some California Company that didn't have any money we were struggling to keep going often we lived on barracuda which I caught, and potatoes. we had a crew of ten and an engineer who was in charge and me second in command and working on the rigging and cooking as I was the only one who could cook. We were only there a few weeks when the Cape Fox a 95ft Coast Guard Ship came in for refit. We soon became friends and it was wonderful.
The cook had to cook full meals for his crew even though most of the crew ate ashore. So he would give me his leftovers which were incredible. I spent a lot of time on their ship and soon was friends with most of them from Captain to Cook. They were there for 6 weeks and the last few nights before they were to steam back to West Palm Beach we hit the local bar. 2 days before they were to leave the cook came back drunk fell off the ladder and broke his leg.
Then on the night before they were to leave The Captain asked me to fill in for him just for the weekend and I could get the bus back. I quickly agreed and it was great as the Captain's guest I was allowed a case of beer on board.
We start out of Miami on Friday afternoons with takeout dinners for all. and i spent a great deal of time teaching the sailors how to tell the difference between a ketch and a yawl and schooner and teaching them knots and such.
We weren't more than 4 or 5 hours out before we hit a huge storm. The Cape Fox was rocking and rolling so I never had to cook at all.
It was unbelievable the whole crew was seasick except for me and the old 'Chief' even the Captain was seasick. I wondered how these guys could do their jobs.
I made incredible sandwiches and would walk around the ship eating and sipping a beer as the crew ran for the rail.
In the late evening, things got touchy. They got a drug call and it looked like we were off for the Bahamas, but it got called off.
I settled in with the Chief in the bridge and we had huge waves crashing over us.
When the storm abated they took the ship on a bit of run out to test it out.
We got to West Palm on Sunday morning and I got the bus and was back on board that afternoon.
My friends Hodge and Dee showed up on their Trimaran Isla and invited me to sail to the Bahamas with them. Since I hadn't been paid in 3 months I agreed. Of course, the day I quit the pay finally came in and they only paid me half because I had quit.
I spent the winter in the Bahamas and came back to Florida in the spring on another Trimaran 'Tao'. We end up anchored at Old Port Cove just a few miles from West Palm so one Sunday i went to visit them on the Cape Fox. They welcomed me warmly and I had coffee with the Captain etc. As i was set to leave. he says here i got a present for you. He said we just busted some poachers and these will just go to waste. he threw me a huge bag with 50 lbs. of stone Crab claws. The most sought-after florida delicacy. Did we ever have a party when I got back to the boat?
In 1974 I was Bosun on the Tall ship "The Pilgrim" in the Miami Dockyard. She lost the foremast in a storm coming from Portugal and we were replacing it. It was a crazy job got hired off the dock and we were owned by some California Company that didn't have any money we were struggling to keep going often we lived on barracuda which I caught, and potatoes. we had a crew of ten and an engineer who was in charge and me second in command and working on the rigging and cooking as I was the only one who could cook. We were only there a few weeks when the Cape Fox a 95ft Coast Guard Ship came in for refit. We soon became friends and it was wonderful.
The cook had to cook full meals for his crew even though most of the crew ate ashore. So he would give me his leftovers which were incredible. I spent a lot of time on their ship and soon was friends with most of them from Captain to Cook. They were there for 6 weeks and the last few nights before they were to steam back to West Palm Beach we hit the local bar. 2 days before they were to leave the cook came back drunk fell off the ladder and broke his leg.
Then on the night before they were to leave The Captain asked me to fill in for him just for the weekend and I could get the bus back. I quickly agreed and it was great as the Captain's guest I was allowed a case of beer on board.
We start out of Miami on Friday afternoons with takeout dinners for all. and i spent a great deal of time teaching the sailors how to tell the difference between a ketch and a yawl and schooner and teaching them knots and such.
We weren't more than 4 or 5 hours out before we hit a huge storm. The Cape Fox was rocking and rolling so I never had to cook at all.
It was unbelievable the whole crew was seasick except for me and the old 'Chief' even the Captain was seasick. I wondered how these guys could do their jobs.
I made incredible sandwiches and would walk around the ship eating and sipping a beer as the crew ran for the rail.
In the late evening, things got touchy. They got a drug call and it looked like we were off for the Bahamas, but it got called off.
I settled in with the Chief in the bridge and we had huge waves crashing over us.
When the storm abated they took the ship on a bit of run out to test it out.
We got to West Palm on Sunday morning and I got the bus and was back on board that afternoon.
My friends Hodge and Dee showed up on their Trimaran Isla and invited me to sail to the Bahamas with them. Since I hadn't been paid in 3 months I agreed. Of course, the day I quit the pay finally came in and they only paid me half because I had quit.
I spent the winter in the Bahamas and came back to Florida in the spring on another Trimaran 'Tao'. We end up anchored at Old Port Cove just a few miles from West Palm so one Sunday i went to visit them on the Cape Fox. They welcomed me warmly and I had coffee with the Captain etc. As i was set to leave. he says here i got a present for you. He said we just busted some poachers and these will just go to waste. he threw me a huge bag with 50 lbs. of stone Crab claws. The most sought-after florida delicacy. Did we ever have a party when I got back to the boat?
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