While on the Great Loop in January of 2016, Clark came up with the idea of an air-boat ride through the Everglades as a great birthday gift idea for me. He would not tell me what he had in mind for a gift until the day of the ride. Two years ago Clark decided that, since neither of us had done it before, we should rent a PWC, i.e. wave runner, for my birthday present. We took out one and rode together.
This year when we arrived in Marathon, we stopped into the visitor's center to ask for coupons. While there I saw an ad for the parasail trips here in town. I turned to Clark and said, "That's what I want for my birthday this year!" He remembered!
Almost every time we take "Sunset Delight" out for a maintenance run we see a parasail boat running about with folks having fun, and I drool with envy.
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| Folks out enjoying a parasail ride. |
Clark has been watching the weather for a good day. He talked to someone yesterday about times and what we needed. However, yesterday the captain had a family emergency, so he was not taking anyone out. We decided to go today. Jim on "Hour Plan" expressed interest in joining us when we went, so we invited him to join us today for the fun.
The outing almost did not happen because the captain's 3-year old daughter took the business phone and put it somewhere such that the parents can't find it. They did not get our phone messages! By luck, Clark had the phone number of someone else at the launch site, and she had the owner call us back. He told us to be there at 1:00 for a 1:30 take off. Yay!!
Of course we had to sign away all liability for the ride. We used our coupons that we got at the visitor's center. No one else wanted to go on the 1:30 ride, so we had the boat to ourselves. We wanted to go earlier in the day rather than later and that meant we had picked a time with somewhat higher wind velocities. I had no idea if more or less wind is preferred. I just wanted to go and enjoy!
The parasail can handle one or two people at a time. Because of the windy conditions, the captain said we would need to go two at a time for balance. Since he had 3 guests, (Clark, me and Jim), he asked, "Who wants to go twice?" Clark immediately offered up the "Birthday Girl" for the extra ride. Clark and I went first, and then Jim went with me for the second turn. (No extra charge for my second trip up!)
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| Preparing the parachute for the ride! |
They launch right off the back of the boat. We got safety instructions on what to do if there is a failure. We were told to pull on the red strap and throw the anchor in the water to stop the parachute if we got disconnected. Given the wind direction, Clark said we could end up in the Atlantic if the parachute got away!
We left all our phones on the boat in case we got dunked. Jim strapped a go-pro on Clark to get footage of the trip! That was the only item we took up with us.
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| Harnessed and Ready to Go! Who's coming with me? Bag with red handle over my head contains the emergency anchor! |
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| Clark and Ev going up |
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| and up ... |
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| Crew keeping an eye on the parachute |
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| Up at 800' and looking below for sea turtles in the water! |
When we prepared for the ride, the captain asked if we wanted to get dipped in the water. I said, "Well, I don't want any more than my toes wet!" He replied, "All the way to the nose! Got it!" As he reeled us back in, he dipped our toes in the water. It was amazingly warm in temperature - warmer than the air temp for sure. The captain said the water temp was 72 degrees. Nice!
I stayed strapped in after we got back while Clark and Jim traded places. Jim wore his go-pro. While Jim and I admired the view of the clear teal water, Clark took pictures and videos.
They told us to look for sea turtles and such. Clark and I saw nothing in the water on our trip together. Jim spotted a ray when we were up. We saw no turtles at all. With the wind direction, we had a great view of the water. If we turned our heads, we got brief glimpses of the islands of Marathon, but the wind kept us pointed in the wrong direction for a good look at Marathon.
All too soon the adventure was over, and it was time to turn the boat towards the dock. I enjoyed the boat ride out and back. It was a great boat and fun to be on a fast boat for a change!
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| Parachute stowed, time to return to dock |
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| Jim, Crew (Jackie), Captain Alex, and Evelyn |
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| Clark is now in the picture. |
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| Captain Alex docking the boat |
The place where we went for the ride is a very short walk from our marina - Captain Pip's Parasail! As we walked back to the boat, Jim asked me what I had in mind for my next birthday. I said I would have to think about it. He suggested jumping out of a plane with a parachute! I'm considering it.
When we got back to the boat, I pulled out my computer and the camera to see the pictures and update the blog. Clark pulled out his guitar!
We went to Thursday night "Heavy Hors d'oeuvres" for dinner. When we came back to the boat, a couple of folks joined us for some more guitar playing and a bit of singing.
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| Clark with Adrienne and Richard (visiting "Amalie") |
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| Beverly and David, "Amalie", and Evelyn Listening to the performers |
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