Dad

Dad passed away on Wednesday night, August 17th. Through the extra effort of a good friend, the generosity of a stranger, and perhaps some other forces at work, I was unexpectedly in Bellingham when dad was flown by helicopter from Friday harbor. I was aiming for the 4:45 ferry out of Anacortes but an old friend went above and beyond and arranged for me to fly over to the island from Bellingham. I was at the airstrip when I got the word that dad was being flown to the nearest hospital. Bellingham. I met the ambulance at the door and was by his side until he passed, about 2 hours later. Initially alert and talking, he went downhill after about an hour. The details don't belong in a blog, but it was the most difficult 2 hours of my life by a very wide margin.




Julie, our nurse that night, was superb. She proved to be a solid, competent nurse and a gem of a human being. Dick, the chaplain, took over after dad passed.



A few years ago dad told me that when it was time, all he wanted was a simple ceremony with family and a few close friends for quiet goodbye. That is as close to his exact words as I can recall.



I think he would have appreciated the efforts with more extravagant productions, special music and other gestures, but I also think he meant what he said.



He would have appreciated the simple gesture of captain Daniel Evans, skipper of the schooner ‘Adventuress’. 2 days after dad passed, the 101 foot, 98 year old Adventuress unexpectedly, and coincidently, anchored out in front of the cabin. In the 50 years that we've had the cabin, not a single boat has anchored out in front for the night. It just isn't a good anchorage. The holding is good, but it’s exposed and only on the calmest of evenings would it provide a decent place to anchor. 48 hours after dad passed, Adventuress anchored in a place she'd never anchored before, right in front of the cabin.

Saturday morning I kayaked out to Adventuress to inquire why they chose that spot to anchor. The skipper told me that one of the mini goals of the trip was to anchor her in places where she had never anchored before. I pointed to the cabin and told him of my father and his 50 year love affair with the islands. The conversation was brief and I headed back to shore.

Later that morning were getting ready for our 8 bells ceremony, a nautical tradition to honor a passing. In sailing days long since gone, seaman did not have their own time pieces and were expected to stand 4 hour watches. Bells were used to keep track of time. 1 bell for the first 30 minutes, 2 bells for the first hour, till the fourth hour when 8 bells signaled the end of a watch. The man standing watch looked after the entire crew, looking out for any dangers. Dads watch was complete and we were getting ready for our 8 bells ceremony to be held later that day aboard CAMBRIA.



Mom was at the house cutting flowers for the ceremony and we were at the guest cabin when we all heard the unmistakable sound of a ships bell. We looked out to the water and captain Evans had the crew of the Adventuress lined up on the deck facing the cabin. They rang 8 bells.



That gesture was incredibly kind and made for a great story for a great guy.