Ralph pulled up to Makai to pick us up. No, not by car; by
dinghy. Amanda and I hopped off the dock and took a seat in the small
inflatable boat. Ralph throttled up, leaving the marina in our wake. The sky
was a deep shade of orange and the Cape Fear River a mirror, save for the
occasional fish jumping to catch evening bugs.
The occasion? A free concert downtown, and a schedule of
nada!
To port, the Wilmington city lights sparkle orange, blue and
white on the water. To starboard, the USS North Carolina towers above us, a ghost
in the darkness.
We motor downstream at a leisurely pace, avoiding crab pots
that could foul our prop. The downtown riverwalk is brightly lit and bustling
with people who turn to investigate the humming noise coming from the river. We
pull up and lash the dinghy to dock, jump out and get lost in the crowd.
The concert is a blast. The bands are a mix of 60's surfer
music, hillbilly backwoods, and good ol' rock 'n roll. Ever heard that song
Camel Walk? "Baby, you make me want to walk...like a camel!" Or how
'bout the song "Banana Pudding"? Go look it up on Youtube, you'll be
singing it for days.
The local brewery even set up a tent and served hand-crafted
beer at reasonable prices! Of course beer leads to dancing, hootin' and
hollering, fist pumps and yelling "woooooooohoo!" over and over, so
all in all, it was a damned good night.
Motoring back upstream, stars above us, calm water all around, I couldn't help but express my happiness
in that moment. Ralph, a cowboy-turned biker, turned sailor with the tattoos to
prove it, yells over the roar of the engine "this is what it's all about,
eh! Welcome to the cruising life!"
