A Free Spirit's Bucket List: #27 Ride On Boat

I am sitting here watching A Perfect Storm, a favorite of mine, for at least the 100th time. It is a true story about a horrible tragedy, but the passion these people had, their romances with maritime life and all of it's endeavors, I can understand fully. There is something so fascinating about coasting through bodies of water on a sailing vessel. It can be so relaxing and serene. Why?

Maybe it is the sky touching the water. Maybe it is the sound of water meeting boat. Maybe it is breathing in the fresh air that hovers above the open water. Maybe it is the foamy, wild churn agitated by the propellers. Maybe it is surrendering yourself to both the calm and the hazard that is a body of water. Maybe it is all of this and then some.

Water churn

On a clear day you can see forever. This is my constant thought when I gaze out into a massive body of water. Nothing but water and sky forever. Is this what heaven looks like? For some, I am sure it is. Heaven on earth is all around us, we just have to see it. Believe it. I myself have glimpsed many illustrations of heaven on earth.

Sunset in Cape May on a boat

I remember taking my kids on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry when they were younger. We would always make sure to take one of the last boats of the night back from Delaware to Jersey. Riding in a boat on the ocean at sunset is one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring experiences one could have.

I used to ask them if they could hear the sun sizzle when it touched the water. We would stand there and listen intently. All we heard were waves but I swear in our minds that sizzle, though very faint, did resonate in our ears. We would stand by the railing, smiling in awe at all the pinks, blues, purples and greys that made up the forever of sunset skies.

Sunset on a boat.

We would bird watch. Seagulls had no qualms about coming aboard to rest their wings for a spell. We would search the waters for fish, dolphins, whales and sea monsters. Hey, they could exist. Maybe they are just shy. We tried not to mention Bruce. Only his closest friends could call him Bruce though. To everyone else, his formal name was Jaws. Sometimes we would breach the subject of Bruce, but never for very long.

He was pretty scary and definitely non discriminating. He ate boats, people, holiday roasts, family pets, a lot of Quint's fishing gear, and an explosive tank. I am pretty sure he also ate both Chief Brody's and Matt Hooper's eye glasses but I have never received a definite confirmation on those casualties. Sighs! Poor Quint. Anyways, we tried to keep our boat rides a positive experience.

Cape May Dolphin Watch

Sometimes there was a band playing on the boat. It was so much fun chilling on the water, listening to music, gazing out at the black ink canvas that was now the Atlantic. When the midnight blue sky blanketed the vast ocean, it became the perfect setting for gazing up at the night sky treasures.

The view was as brilliant as a Jackson Pollack painting, splashed with bright stars and glowing planets and blinking lights from UFOs. Well they were probably airplanes but they could have been UFOs. I wasn't up there to see for myself so I cannot confirm nor deny what type of flying aircraft they were. I'm just guessing.

Honestly though, there was never anything basic about our little ferry rides between Cape May and Lewes. And while I haven't rode the ferry in about 8 years, I will get back there one day. Maybe I will take a day and spend it on the Ferry going back and forth and back and forth. Why not? It's 90 minutes one way. I can do a few rounds. I know I would love it. Add that to the list!

My kids on their first boat ride.

I have had the pleasure of being on many boats in my life, not just ferries. I have yet to take an actual cruise but it is on the list. Of course it is. I did drive a boat for a short moment. My friend Chris let me drive his. Almost hit the bridge over the Susquehanna in Sunbury, PA, but I managed to get us through. I panicked. Chris did not. He never does.

I do have much respect for those that do drive the boats. It's not nearly as easy as driving a car. There is so much more involved. You can't just put on the brakes. There are unseen obstacles. There are depth concerns. There are many things that go into being a captain.

So to all the Captain Stubings out there, I salute you! And I thank you!

Our last outing on the Cape May Lewes Ferry. 2008

In closing, I believe everyone should take a boat ride at least once in their life. Doesn't have to be a cruise. It can be a ferry, a pontoon, a whale and dolphin watch, a row boat, a kayak, a yacht, a paddle boat. They all have their own unique charm to them. And if you can catch a sunrise or sunset on one of them then you will know exactly what I am saying here. All the better!

Jimmy Buffet Night on the Susquehanna. Chris is the captain but he left me drive the boat a little on this day. It's five o'clock somewhere for Jere, Chris and myself.