Day 114 - Craig and Day Olney — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 0, fuel purchased $0, slip fee $133, daily high temperature 74*f, low temperature 70*f

It is another cool, rainy day in Key West. We have not had many rainy days on our entire trip. The marina is filling up with rag baggers getting ready for Key West race week. Rag baggers are sailors.

Tuesday is ukulele night at the Green Parrot. Priscilla and I will join in. We plan to cash in our Conch Republic wooden nickels during happy hour on our way to the Green Parrot.

Our dinner plans changed slightly due to the rain. We had intentions to grill pork chops on the BBQ but we ended up cooking them in our convection microwave. Jeff and Stacy had recommended using pork Shake and Bake. It made for a very tasty meal.

John, Priscilla, Dale and Andy wandered over to the Green Parrot after dinner. We skipped the Conch Republic happy hour because our sailing friends Craig and Day Onley will visit us on Thursday and we will take them there. The story about Craig’s flight accident is legendary. I will tell that tale later.

The Green Parrot was packed with at least 60 ukulele players and a huge crowd of locals. Priscilla and I brought our ukuleles. One advantage of arriving a little late is we were in front with the band and could see the chords posted for each song. I am not sure what the ukulele players in the rear could see.

On Wednesday we had a special treat. Our long time sailing friends Craig and Day Olney visited us at the Galleon Marina. They are sailing on a Lagoon 38 catamaran and are staying at the Navy marina on Boca Chica. We have partied with them in Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor, the North Channel and now in Key West.

Craig’s story is one of true survival. As a marine airman stationed in Texas in November 1967 at the age of 23, he was looking for a way to get home to Madison, Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. He hitched a ride on an F9 jet plane. The pilot was being transferred to Vietnam so he wanted to go home to Madison to get his family’s affairs settled before he departed. In order to get permission to take a plane for personal use, the pilot had to agree to take a student pilot on a training mission. The plan was to get practice flying at 500 feet. Craig agreed to go along as the student pilot to get a free ride home. As they flew north the weather got worse so they increased altitude. The wings severely iced up as they arrived in Madison. When the plane was about to crash due to the icing Craig and the pilot ejected but they where too low for the parachutes to open. Both men hit the ground in their ejection seats at over 160 mph. The pilot died on impact when he hit the runway. Craig landed in the woods next to the runway. The rescue team didn’t know there were two people in the plane. After a long time in freezing conditions one of the rescuers spotted Craig. He had numerous broken bones, hypothermia and was not breathing. His parents went to the airport to pick him up and saw the crash. They were escorted into a Generals office and told nothing for a long time. The officials knew they had one dead flier and one barely alive. They were not sure who was who. On the way to the hospital the axel on the ambulance broke. The medics grabbed Craig and threw him into the back of a pick up truck to go the rest of the way to the hospital. Craig was in and out of hospitals for two years until he mustered out of the service.

Bonus photo

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote of the day

I wrest the waters, fight Neptune’s waters, sail through the sorrows of life’s marauders. Unrelenting, often empty, sail on, sail on, sailor. – The Beach Boys, Sail On Sailor