Crazy Night

We have a new boat in the marina, a beautiful Swan 46.  Nick and his two nephews are transiting their newly acquired Gypsy from North Carolina to Honolulu.  Mike and Nate, the two nephews, are about the same age as my sons Trevor and Spencer.  They are really nice guys.

Unfortunately Gypsy is having the dinghy engine problems just like I did.  So I have been giving back by ferrying them to and from shore as so many other cruisers did for me while I was waiting for engine repairs.  (Did I mention that my engine died again – it needed a new spark control box – another $600 fix?)  So we have been trading favors.   Mike and Nate cleaned Reboot’s hull prior to my insurance survey.  As a thank you I took them on the Duval Crawl.

We got down town in time to enjoy some dollar beers and then met a gal who lived in Key West.  She suggested to the guys that we all go to Cowboy Bills.  Off we went.  (Do you know any young guys who will not follow the suggestions of a pretty girl?)  Of course I had forgotten that it was “sexy bull riding night.”  The next thing I know it is midnight, I have already had too many beers, and the action is only starting up.  With the crowd incentivizing the bull riders (sexy is a Key West euphuism for topless) and a large number of contestants I was sure it would take a while.  It did.  I arrived home at about 3 AM only to remember that the surveyor was coming at 10 AM.

I don’t bounce back quite as quickly as I have in the past.  On the other hand Nick told me that the guys woke up, drank water, said “Roger is the bomb” and went back to sleep until 2 PM.

Prior to “sexy bull riding” one can ride the bull for a $5 charge.  Mike wanted to ride so I said sure I will front the money.  (The guys are, like all guys their age, broke!)  Just before he gets on the bull he turns to me and says “I will bet you the bar bill that I can stay on for 10 seconds.  I look at the operator, he looks at me, I slip him a “gratituity.”  As he is talking Mike out to get on the bull he reaches down and adjusts some controls.  Mike gets on and does really well for 9 ½ seconds.  At that point the bull bucks and spins about 5 times harder and faster than it did for anyone else and Mike goes flying off.  Age and treachery will best youth and enthusiasm every time!