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A Windjammer Adventure - Part TresBy Bob Stickney June 2002 Prologue………. When
we left off the end of April 2001, I had just finished up a super
adventure at sea on the S/V Flying Cloud in the British Virgin Islands with the
Texans. I had heard in the wind
that the Lemke’s of Austin had booked yet another
one for the second week of June 2002 out of St. Lucia on the Polynesia.
The Stickneys of Dallas soon followed a booking of their own for that
week. I was asked if I would join
them. After much pondering as to
what I had in mind for holiday in the year 2002, I finally decided a few days before Thanksgiving to book
my adventure. Since the “Poly”
is my
ship, I couldn’t let the Dallas Stickneys sail her without me!!!
And so yet another chapter in “A Windjammer Adventure” was born. Instead
of sailing out of St. Lucia as was originally planned, Windjammer decided to
change our itinerary to the ABC’s out of Aruba instead; going to somewhere’s
off the coast of Venezuela. Suited
me just fine as I’ve never been to Aruba before – just heard about it. After
a very cold and damp spring in Upstate New York it was time think about goin’
‘jammin’! With my bags
packed, Murphy my cat at the vet’s for about 12 days of R&R while I was
gone, I hit the sack early on Thursday night June 6th for a 3:30 am
wake up call on the 7th. A
6:30 a.m. flight to Chicago with a coupla hour layover there, then onto Miami…
A few hours there to sit around a maybe meet some fellow ‘jammers.
My last flight of the day takes off about 5pm-ish to (hopefully) land
sometime after 8 at night. We’d
be staying at the Aruba Grand Hotel Resort and Casino for the weekend prior to
stowing away on Sunday night the 9th of June.
After our week’s adventure we’d return to the Aruba Grand to wind
down. And thus our story begins… Landed
in Aruba about half past 8 p.m., went through Immigration and Customs, grabbed a
cab, and got to the Aruba Grand Hotel and Casino a tad bit before 9:30 p.m.
Been a LONG…………LONG DAY!!!
My group was waiting for me: 6 Texans, plus myself, an honorary one at
that, made 7 and we’d be known as the “Texas 7” all week.
Called it a night ‘bout midnight as I was just plain whupped!! Saturday
morning dawned very fast, and instead of awakening to the roosters like we did
on Tortola, I awakened to the sounds of the ocean and our friend the wind…Yes
wind…Extremely
windy on Aruba. Saturday was spent
lounging around the beach and pool doing a lot of intensive and extensive…NOTHING,
followed by more…NOTHING! Lot of
that went on all week. Heck of a
way to spend life, don’t ya think? Before
we knew it, it was time for dinner. We
hailed a cab and went to one of the tips of the island to the California
Lighthouse. Nice view!
There’s an Italian restaurant there with fabulous
food. After which we retired to the
hotel and hot the casino. Did
fairly well playing blackjack. Started
with $40 and walked away with about $150! That
would take care of my supply of Doubloons for the week. Sunday
prior to boarding was spent just like the day before, more intensive and extensive…NOTHING!
At 3:30ish our cab
arrived to take us to the Poly. She
was in port tied up to the cruise ship dock.
We went through the terminal to check in.
Shipmates are arriving, families with junior
jammers! Ohhhhhhhh boy, didn’t know this
was a junior jammer trip, but gotta leave the door open as ya can’t judge
people til ya meet them. Anyways
after checking in I was like a little kid at Christmas...jumpin up and down…
Can I…can I …Please board yet? “Not
till 5 o’clock the people say”. I
spy some old friends aboard…Popeye, Ingrid, to name a few.
I have duck bumps all over. It’s
a real special feeling as I am home on a ship I love to sail and with
people I love to be with. Finally
it’s 5 p.m. I am the first up the
gangplank to board. Captain
Casey’s there to greet me. I
stand to, salute the Captain and say “Stickmon requesting to board for a week
of ‘jammin, Sir”!!.
Captain Casey returns my salute and replies with a grin
“Permission granted, StickMon”. That set the tone for the week as any time I’d go ashore
for liberty and return to the ship, I’d salute whoever was there and ask for
permission…It’s a Navy thing. We
are handed our rum swizzles and go to the saloon for some more briefing about
what’s goin’ on tonight, etc. etc. Us
Texans are one rowdy group. After
which I get sequestered in my cabin. I
have a cabin mate this week. A guy
named Reid from the San Fran Bay area. Since
he sailed the week before and had the bottom bunk, which I do so desire, but the
top bunk was mine. So guess
where I’d be sleeping all week… Up on the top deck!!! I live for it anyway. A
wind suit/sweat suit, your pillow and a blanket, take a mat and you’re set for
the night. Once
again, “small world department” worth mentioning, here folks.
Three years ago in March of 1999 while on the Poly an old friend came
aboard by the name of Dave Penney. He
was Chief Engineer in the first days of my sailing Windjammers in the early
1980’s. We had sailed together
1983-85. Our paths crossed then and
our paths were crossing now. What
totally blew the man away was that I had asked him about his niece Gayna.
Gayna was a Bartender aboard the Poly in 1985. The kicker is that 17 years later I still remember her.
I introduce him to my group I am sailing with, including a few of my
family members with me this week. We
talk of days gone by, crew and captains we sailed with, the late Legendary Winn
Jones, Jeff Walker, John Lloyd. It
was nice to look back and reminisce a bit. I videotape a piece for my memories
in the charthouse, we take a few pictures together; then he is gone.
Now
back to my story… Soon
it is time to hit the sack for the night. I
found a place that would be mine for the next week and slept till dawn.
I awaken just as the sun’s arisin’.
There’s “sticky buns”, juice and Bloody Mary’s, Windjammer style,
for the early risers. Before I know
it a cabin steward is ringing the bell, yelling “rise and shine- breakfast
everybody”! Around a quarter to
9am-ish, shipmates are gathering around the story time table on top deck. Captain Casey formally introduces himself and the rest of his
crew. There’s Antonio, his chief
mate, followed by John the 2nd mate.
Then there’s Lisa the Activities Mate, the Junior Jammer Mates: Shannon
and Glendyne, Dive Mates: Adam and Jennette, the purser Joanne,
Chief Engineer Mr. Brian Bishop. Bartenders
for the week are Marti and Warren. Chief
Chef is Whisky. And of course no
one can forget, legend
of the Windjammer Fleet Chief Steward… Popeye!!
He introduces Ingrid his 2nd in command and well as the
cabin/saloon stewards.
Capt.
Casey tells a bit about what’s going to happen for the day.
Lisa the activities mate gives a talk about what’s available to do.
Somewhere along the way she asked for volunteers to play a game of Family
Feud later that evening. Always one
to get in the mixed of things, Stickmon sorta raises his hand to say “sure”.
Well somehow his name gets misconstrued and Stickmon got renamed
Sticky-buns. So that’s what he
was called by most of the shipmates and some crew for the rest of the week Soon
we are motoring around the point to Palm Beach and anchor off shore where
shipmates will go ashore til we set sail mid afternoon for Curacao.
I hop ashore in a launch full of Junior Jammers.
From the looks of things they have real neat things to do this week.
So I asked one of the jammers named Regan if I could join their exclusive
club that week. She replied, “You
can’t”!!! I came back and said
“Why Not”?
She came back and “You’re too old
and ‘sides there are rules to follow”.
Well I said… “Betcha I
can”. That would set the tone for
what would happen by the end of my adventure. We
got ashore. Some went snorkeling.
Scuba divers dove one of the wrecks nearby.
I did what I do best and that is be a beach bum.
A beach bar is set up for those who wanted libations to quench their
thirst. Soon it was back aboard to
get ready to set sail for Curacao. We
finally
set sail for Curacao sometime around 2 in the afternoon of (I think it was
Monday the 10th of June - the last time I will remember the date or
day of the week for the rest of my time aboard), to the sounds of “Amazing
Grace”. I videotape first sail.
I have tears in my eyes and chills all over.
We are at sea!!! Once we are
at open sea it got quite rough to say the least.
Didn’t help much that we were sailing against the wind and current.
But to top things off as the day wore on we would be caught smack dab in
the middle of two tropical waves and a high pressure dome above us.
Slept on deck that night ‘tween the story-time table and a bench
listening to the Flup, Flup, Flup of the sails putting me to a nice restful
sleep. Did awaken once that night
about 2:30ish and saw that about 6’ waves were cresting the bow. I
awoke just before sunrise and we were still at sea. Captain Casey gave us our story-time sometime mid-morning and
informed us that our arrival in Curacao would be delayed till mid or late
afternoon. Which was fine by me as
well as a lot of shipmates; nothing like a good sail laying around and being a
bunch of deckrats. Some
24 or so hours later we dock at Baya Beach outside of Curacao.
Crab races after swizzle time. Shoulda
bet on the crab “Sticky-Buns” as he won hands down.
Went ashore as that night we had a beach barbeque…
chicken and ribs with all the fixins’. Later shipmates
enjoyed everyone’s company and danced to tunes from a local band at the Baya
Beach Club. Awhile later I stroll
back to the ship. Bar is dead, so I
get my windsuit, my pillow and blanket; slept on deck till the next sunrise. I think it is now Wednesday and we’re still in Curacao.
Bus rides to Wilemstaad for shopping and like.
Got a fair amount of loot and contributed nicely to economy of that fine
city. Back aboard for lunch, a short snooze under a tarp, then
back ashore for some more beach time. Last
gangplank is 4:30, then it’s swizzle time again.
Sea hunt tonight as well as the PPP-BLT party.
One of the JJ’s came as moi… Not
StickMon, but as “StickyBuns”… Very clever indeed!!!
With sunglasses, a penciled in beard and few things that shall remain
nameless. Kid made my day!!! Later
it was a buffet aboard lots to eat. Around
2000 hours (8pm for people who don’t know sea time) we set sail for Bonaire.
Sails are raised to the sounds of “Amazing Grace” and we are on our
way. Tonight the bar is hopping!!!
Shipmates are dancing and having a grand old time.
Soon once again it is time to find my spot; sleep ‘neath the stars and
sails till dawn. We
arrived in Bonaire sometime just before breakfast right at the dock.
Soon once again it’s time for Captain’s Story time. Just to retract a
bit here… Through out the week
every chance I got I kept dropping in on the Junior Jammers and mentioned that
it’d be great
to join their motley crew. Every
time I asked I was shot down. So
one of their Activities Mates, Shannon, I think it was, told me I’d have to
ask the captain. So…
Just as Captain Casey finished up his story time I said “Captain Casey,
Sir,
permission to join the Junior Jammers, Sir! Just like a little kid I was jumpin up and down saying…Can
I… Can I… Huh…Huh
Please…Please, Can I!!!! Casey’s
shaking head back and forth with one big grin on his face, he says “No,
StickMon, permission denied!!!
The Junior Jammers are gonna have to vote
ya in!!! My
shipmates cracked up as most of them had no idea what I’d been up to all week.
A Junior Jammer Wannabe. Hey
they do neat things… Gotta be a
kid again once in awhile… Keeps a
lot of us who are old
young again. So that was that…
didn’t think I had a snow ball’s chance in you know where of getting in. Let’s
see where were we now? Oh
yeah, Bonaire… We
were tied up to the dock at the City of Bonaire. Nice quaint little city.
Most of us took the three-hour tour of the island.
Saw the salt mines, Flamingos, lots and lots of lizards, iguanas and the
like. Back
aboard for a nice buffet lunch, a short snooze ‘neath a tarp to recharge my
batteries, then back ashore to contribute very
nicely to the local economy. T-shirts
and stuff. Soon it is swizzle time
once again… Where
does time go? The Texas
7 go ashore for cocktails on the pier to watch the sunset.
What a beautiful sight it is!!! We
wander across the street to a nice restaurant for dinner.
No complaints from me. Later
Captain Casey has secured the bar on the pier for a Karoke night.
Shipmates are singing having the time of their lives.
One female shipmate sings “Amazing Grace”. It brings tears to my eyes as I know soon that my Windjammer
Adventure is rapidly coming to a close. Went
back aboard ‘bout midnight, quick night cap with my brother and his wife; then
it was yet another night sleeping on the deck.
This time mid-ship, as there is no one around me.
Awoke ‘bout 4am-ish to a torrential downpour.
Couldn’t see neither side of the ship it was raining so hard. Fast as it came it was gone.
Grabbed my mat and slept on a bench on the quarter-deck (bar) til 7am. Still
on Bonaire at breakfast. Captain’s
story-time would be later this afternoon when we set sail for Aruba, then home.
Been bribing the JJ’s for most of the past two days with their favorite
drinks in hopes of swaying votes in my favor.
The ringleader of their motley crew was Regan.
She wanted something special and told me to go ashore and get something
neat for her. Instead I went to sea
chest and bought her a nice Christmas tree ornament for her Christmas tree this
year. It just might sway her vote,
so instead of just being a “Wannabe”, I just might be an honorary member
after all. Last
gangplank from ashore is noon. Shipmates
are thinking about going home. Once again it was a nice buffet lunch ‘fore we set sail for
Aruba. Little delay but before I
know it “all hands are on deck raising all
the sails. Amazing Grace is being
played one more time. I videotape
this sight as tears well in my eyes and stream down my face.
It’s yet another good sail!!! One
last story time with Captain Casey. Lots
of info today about what to do when we disembark.
Went down to the bar area and talked to shipmates about a week gone by.
An Enya CD is playing. Nice
music for the sail home. I
go up to the bridge of the ship and see Captain Casey there.
I know the man is busy, but I knock on his door and asked permission to
enter. He grants me permission and
I tell him what a great
time I had and thanked him for giving me some of his time this past week. After
swizzle time we’re all on the bow taking pictures of one beautiful sunset.
No Green Flash, this time, to everyone’s dismay. A
shower and a clean t-shirt for Captain’s Dinner tonight.
The Texas 7 go to late seating. After
Popeye does his infamous Caesar Salad, something
very special happens. All
the Junior Jammers with their Activities Mates file into the saloon for a
presentation to StickMon/StickyBun. They
voted me into their club, made me an honorary member of the
Junior Jammers. Scuttlebutt has it
the kids worked real hard the day before on a little certificate signed by all
on the back. I will cherish it for
years to come. I was even given one
of the T-shirts that their Activities Mates wear.
Kinda neat I say. My
shipmates cheer. Everyone feels
good about it. Hey… It took a lot
of hard work on my part to become an honorary member.
I even
got to stay up past the JJ curfew!!! We
make good time back to Aruba. We’re
at the cruise ship dock about 1 in the morning on Saturday.
Slept one more time on deck. Before
I know it the sun’s arising and shipmates are getting ready to disembark for
the trip home. I am up and bidding
my new friends safe passage home. We
give hugs, pats on the back and say our good-byes.
A little before 10 a.m. I go ashore to contribute very nicely to
Aruba’s economy in the way of some imported colognes.
Back aboard to say my goodbyes to one
fine crew. It is noon now and most
of my shipmates have parted. The
Texas 7 are still aboard. We grab
some lunch and soon it is time to shove off and go back to the Aruba Grand. Captain Casey comes back from shore to see us off.
I shake the man’s hand, give him a hug and a pat on the back thanking
him for one memorable adventure. I
stand to, salute him, and ask for permission one last time to go ashore, this
time to disembark his
fine sailing ship. Captain salutes
me and grants me permission. Once
again… it’s a Navy thing. I am
gone like the wind. The
Texas 7 head back to the Aruba Grand to wind down. We have two days more to go.
On Sunday we hooked up the LLT&L*
(Lemke’s Leisurely Tours and Libations) company for a tour of the
island. What we did was rent
a car, did our own self-guided tour. Saw
the rock formations, some ruins, the Natural Bridge…
Nice sights and great Kodak moments there. You won’t want to miss it.
Since Scott (Lemke) has a thing for lighthouses, even though it took
awhile to get there we
finally found the Colorado lighthouse.
There’s also some neat picture taking opportunities there.
Lunch was at the Coco Beach Club. Cheeseburgers
with Gouda Cheese and Arubian French fries.
Lip smackin’ good!!! A dip
in the pool and laying on chaise lounge at the hotel was order of the late
afternoon when we got back. With
a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call on Monday morning the (I think) the 17th of
June it was time make the long journey home, my Windjammer Adventure was over.
Aruba to Miami to Chicago to Rochester NY, I walked in the door of my
humble abode just a little before 10 p.m.
Epilogue……… I couldn’t have asked for a better Windjammer
Adventure. For the first time in my
life I connected with a Captain, Captain Casey. We have a few things in common
other than Windjamming. It was nice
to “kick about” with him and talk about ‘jammin’, past Captains and
such. I feel that when I boarded we
were strangers but parted as friends. I
promised him I sail with him again sometime. The
crew of the Poly is one of the best that I’ve ever sailed with.
It was nice to come aboard my first night and see some old friends and
make some new ones. Ingrid, Asst. Chief Steward and I go way back.
Saturday morning we talked of one steward in particular.
Selma… She was one of my favorites, a real sweetheart!
The crew goes out of their way to make one’s sailing adventure special. To
my Junior Jammer pals. Thanks so
much for making me a Honorary Member of your exclusive club.
I made a point of every day checking up on you guys to make sure you were
OK and having fun. Several parents came up to me at the end of the trip and
thanked me for making their child feel important and connecting with them.
It’s just the kind of person I am. The
rest of my fellow shipmates. You
were a great bunch to sail with. I
hope our paths will cross again sometime on yet
another Windjammer. Thank-you for
letting me share in your
memories as you have shared in mine!!! On
June 9th 2002, 108 people met as strangers but left as friends, to
hopefully keep in touch and meet again sometime. That, my friends, is what Windjamming is all about!!!! As
my sea legs slowly dwindle to land legs, it is time to bid adieu… Till
we meet again… Bob Stickney A.K.A. “The Stick Mon” |
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