Help a Brother out!

I have added a link to my "Favorite Links" section on the Blog site. It is the "Beer and a Stuben Boats and Crews List". This takes you to a page that lists all of our trips, the boats, and the crews. Please review the list and GET BACK TO ME on any changes that I should incorporate into this list. There are several "blank" spots in my memory. Some of it is easy to explain (I was no on the specific trip - therefore have no memeory of it), some of it I write off to either alzheimers or alcohol.

To get to the link you need to be on the actual web site, so remember to click the link to the web site on this e-mail (below).

Wet pants times two!

Ok, I have heard many people say "stop or I'll wet my pants" when you really get them laughing, but I have only seen one person actually do it...

We were in St. Johns at Cruz Bay. There are a lot of shops and restaurants near the dinghy dock. Everyone had awakened early, showered (not a custom on these trips in the morning) and we all headed in to the pier so that we could shop and eat. Everyone was having a great time. Girls were in their glory with the shopping, boys were happy with the bloody mary's and the screwdrivers. It had the makings of a fantastic day in paradise.

The girls finished their shopping and decided that they wanted to drop off the loot on the boat before exploring the town a little bit. As we all walk toward the dinghy, Mauler trips on a deck cleat and falls face first into the fuel and seaweed littered dinghy area! We all start laughing because it was so sudden - and Mauler looked like a drowned rat. Lisa, however, laughed so hard that she both wet her pants, and was involuntarily drooling. Which, of course, added to the moment rather nicely.

The men headed back to the dock side bar while the ladies went back to the boat for another shower and change of clothes.

Life comes at ya fast, don't forget to enjoy it all!

Room w/a view at Trembling Hills

Yes, Steven J. Lehner always has sage advice.

The first few years of our bareboat charter trips I always wondered why my older cousin took a 10th day of vacation. The end of the trip would come around, and he would always be talking about Monday on the couch. He would joke about checking himself into a room at Trembling Hills. Detox with a view!

Years went by, and I got older. Suddenly I did not enjoy that first day back at work, having just returned at 1 AM in the morning from a solid 9 days of "breakfast cylinders", rum runners, and 2AM beer & a Stuben. In fact, most of my Monday at work revolved around me - face down on the desk - sweating and hoping that I did not get a lot of phone calls. Praying for the day to end so that I could go home and collapse on the couch in the fetal position. I would spend the day wondering why I did not take Monday off - that critical 10th day of recovery.

Here is to you Steven J. Lehner, and the critical 10th day of vacation. I plan to make my reservation for a room w/a view at Trembling Hills in advance of our next trip! Or you can just book it for me when you place your reservations!

Re-visiting Transylvania Ave

Here is evidence of Pete, then Stub and Vinnie, re-visiting our long lost trail.

Swimming with the sharks?

One of my favorite places in the world is The Bitter End Yacht Club. I cannot picture a more perfect resort - anywhere. There is a little for everyone. Sailing, dancing, relaxing, diving, snorkeling, the baths a short distance away, the list goes on. We seem to always end up here whenever in the BVI's for a few days. It is very relaxing, and there is a little island (Saba Rock) that used to be a very cool bar/band area easily reached by a dinghy from the moorings in the bay. We could have dinner at Bitter end, then either catch a band at the yacht club, or motor over to Saba Rock for some fun.

One night after much entertainment at the yacht club, we were headed back to the boat. It had been limbo night, and we were well lubricated to compete in the event. On the way back to the dinghy you pass a shark tank. It has a short little railing all the way around it. Stub thought it would be funny to give the group a scare. He ran up the the rail/fence and mocked jumping in. To his surprise the railing gave was slightly. He rotated over his hip on the railing and was all of a sudden hanging upside down above the tank - feet pointing directly at the moon. Someone grabbed his shoes and pulled him back to earth. I believe that is the only time I have ever seen a look of fear/shock on Stub's face. The guy seems to take almost anything in stride.

It did not take long for the jokes to start rolling in. Mauler was wondering what she would have told her sister if her son had ended up swimming with the sharks. I told Mauler that the nurse sharks would have had a hard time "gumming" him to death. The fall on his head might have done him some good too!

When in the BVI's don't miss O'Malley the black irish entertainment guide!

As authored by Davie Laitsch!



Sorry Slim, somehow this e-mail slipped passed me and I did not respond. My version goes like this,,,,Don, Vollmer, Craig (I think), Toast, Stub and I were in Tortolla. We went to some huge outdoor Reagae/political rally at some soccer complex/park. It was kind of a dud, so we went out for a bite to eat, and after we were walking to our next destination, a bar to drink of course. It started to rain a bit, and we were kinda looking around for a taxi. Two local guys stopped their SUV and asked us if we needed a ride. Don and Vollmer decided to head back in for the night and the young guys were on their own. We were a bit hesitant at first because we had no idea who they were, and they had no "taxi" signs on their vehicle. Their truck was pretty new/nice and they were dressed nice, clean (etc) so we said what the hell and we piled into their truck. They asked us what we wanted to do, and we told them to take us out to some "action in the bars". We never really negotiated any fee's or anything and these two guys took us to a couple bars, and were our personal tour guides. I think I speak for all of us when I say that these guys surprised the hell out of us because they were super cool, and they were buying rounds of drinks, just like they were part of our crew. They were asking us about where we were from, what we were doing and so on. The guys started busting my balls about getting hammered and being left behind in San Juan. They laughed and said I was lucky that I did'nt get killed. Then one of the guys said to me " you probably did'nt get capped beacause you look kind of Puerto Rican. So I said "if I look like I'm Puerto Rican, then you look like you're Irish". I was a bit nervous because he was a "big Brother", but everybdy started cracking up. So then I went on to call him O'Malley and the joke kept rolling on. For the rest of the night he was O'Malley. These guys were the coolest ever!! They drove us around all night drinking, from bar to bar to bar. We even went to a strip bar out in the middle of F..ing NO-WHERE. It had a super high cover charge, and if I recall correct O'Malley negotiated a lower fee, and then paid the cover for us!!! It was awesome, we were having the time of our life. After a thousand more beers, and bars they drove us right back to the pier safe and sound. We asked them how much we owed them,and I belive they said $50. I think we gave them about $85. or so. When we got back we were wondering how we were going to get back to the boat; it was tied up to a "moore"? out in the marina, not on the pier. As we were trying to figure out who was dumb enough to swim out to the boat to get the Dingy, Vollmer pops up out of a Dingy tied to the pier (sleeping and all hammered), and told us that he has been waiting for us!! We hopped into the Dingy and went back to the sailboat!! It was truley one of my favorite nights ever!! So there you have it...my version of the O'Malley story. DL

Captain Don's Surprise

This is our second trip, and we are in our favorite place - Key West. The group heads down to Duval Street and bounce from bar to bar. Lots of fun, dancing and vague memories of late night pizza. Finally we stumble back to the boat at about 4 AM. No one is prepared for "Captain Don's Surprise" ...

Everyone has found a quiet dark corner to crawl into and hide from the impending hangover. It is now 5:30 AM and we are fully passed out and in another dimension. All of a sudden there is a loud cadence throughout the boat "DAAA da ditty da, daa da ditty da, WAKE UP! RISE AND SHINE!" all to the sound of trumpets. The loud won't go away, no matter how long you try to ignore it. After roughly 4 - 5 minutes of this racket, a very angry Stub gets up and starts tearing through the cabin. "Where the !@#$% is that noise coming from!". He starts tearing through the cabinets. Finally, he sticks his head out a port hole in the boat and yells at the top of his voice to the entire harbor "SHUT UP! TURN THAT !@#$ing NOISE OFF!" This from a normally rational and sane adult. I still don't know how he got his large mellon out the relatively small port hole...

About 2 minutes later Pete pulls a cat alarm clock from the cabinet in his bunk.

Captain Don strikes again!

I can still remember him laughing for about 20 minutes that early morning. Relatively proud of your prank - weren't you Captain Don?

I fully believe that Stub is still planning his revenge. That cat will resurface at the old folks home - set to go off every night at 7:30 PM!