Throughout my posts, there are many references to the Cayamo Cruises that Linda, Jared and I have taken. The Cayamo Cruise, subtitled “A Journey through Song”, is filled with Americana artists. Americana music draws on folk, country, singer-songwriter, bluegrass, blues, gospel and rock. It is a disparate and varied genre. These cruises are organized by Sixth Man, a company started by the former manager for Sister Hazel, Andy. Sixth Man has several music related cruises, Outlaw Country, Blues, and other types of music. I do not know what these other cruises are like, but Cayamo is comparable to one big loving family. Andy greets everyone as we board the ship, delivering high fives and hugs. The Sixth Man staff is all very personable and helpful. The ship’s crew is always competent, and call us the chair people. Evidently, this cruise has an older demographic than other Sixth Man cruises, chairs are deployed at every concert venue, not the case on the other cruises.
There are many friendships and acquaintances rekindled every cruise. On our first cruise, we met several people who, on our second cruise, greeted us as old friends. As Red from New Hampshire told me, “The best thing about the people on this cruise, there are no assholes.” The point is, it is truly a great week for attendees and artists. The interaction between the performers is ongoing and unforced. I have had several artists tell me that they look forward to this cruise every year for this interaction. The newer, less known artists are excited for the opportunity to expand their fan base and hope to get invited back. Christian Lopez, a young, West Virginian, at a concert two years after his cruise, told me, that with the cruise, he was able to gain new fans, such as my wife and I, and for that he was grateful. So here are a few stories from those cruises, if you are a music fan, I urge you too look up the Cayamo Cruise performer list, or investigate the acts that I mention, you will not be disappointed.
Linda, Jared and I were waiting for Lucy Wainwright to begin her show. Jared had seen her earlier in the week, but it was a first for Linda and I. As we sat there, Linda realized it was our first wedding anniversary, as opposed to our second wedding anniversary, a story that will be related on another post. But quickly, Linda and I divorced and remarried 6 years later, thus our first anniversary. Jared excuses himself to go to the bathroom, he returns and the show soon starts.
Lucy performs a number of songs, Jared was right, she is very good. At this point she invites her father, Loudon Wainwright III, to join her. Before they start, Lucy pauses and says, “My father and I would like to dedicate the next song to a couple who have a wedding anniversary today, Linda and Chuck can you please stand?” We stand to an arousing round of applause from the 100+ audience. Jared had sought Lucy out while he was “going to the bathroom” and asked her to say something. To my dismay, I do not recall the song that they sang, I was probably crying.
After the show we went up to Lucy to thank her, she hugs us and says, “27 years, that’s quite an accomplishment.” I returned with, “You have no idea.”
Boarding our first cruise, I was not feeling very well. Within a day, I was miserable and made my way to sick bay, where I was diagnosed with the flu, given Tamaflu and quarantined to my room. Linda quickly fell in love with the doctor, who was from Medellin, Columbia and cursed with movie star good looks. Back in my room, a representative from Sixth Man called and asked if I needed anything, she sent fruit, pizza and sodas to my cabin. I proceeded to spend three miserable days in my room, missing the first stop in port, St. Barts. Jared and Linda enjoyed themselves on an ATV tour, while I suffered.
Two mornings later, feeling better, I went back to sick bay and my quarantine was lifted. Just in time to go ashore in St. Croix. De-boarding, as they swiped my ship’s ID, the computer started flashing and beeping. The staff member stepped back and fairly shouted, “Sir you cannot leave, you are in quarantine, you must return to your cabin immediately.” The other passengers all stepped back, for all they knew, I was carrying the plague. I explained, I had been cleared, please call sick bay. They did, all was cleared up and I was allowed to leave. On to our next adventure.
We had no plan in St. Croix. We walked around Fredriksted and visited a small art gallery, all in an hour. In a line, near the dock, we had noticed a row of vans, all offering tours. Most of these had been pre-hired and already gone, a few, driver owned vans remained, so we approached one. The man introduced himself as Wilson and said he charges 175 dollars a person, the van seats 10 and he will tour the entire island, stopping for lunch. I said, “How much for the three of us?” He replies, “10 people 175 each, so 1750 dollars.” I retorted, “But Wilson, I don’t see 10 people standing here, it’s just us. how about 250 dollars?” “Will you tip me well?” he says. “If your good,” and with that the deal was complete.
Wilson was excellent, he was extremely well versed in St. Croix history and politics. He stopped whenever we asked for picture opportunities. He showed us the ‘Cape of Arrows”. where Christopher Columbus engaged the natives in battle, he talked of his conversations with the Governor pleading to develop some sort of visitors center at the site to encourage tourism.
We eventually stopped at a friend’s restaurant for lunch. Restaurant is a stretch of the term. Basically a roadside lean-to, with a four seat bar, pool table, and a window with a steam table, containing the daily fare. Picnic tables with free running roosters and chickens completed the ambience. Wilson said the food was always fresh and her conch was amazing. Here we were, every guide says, don’t eat at the roadside stands, after all, I was still a little fragile from my bout with the flu. Unfortunately, she had no conch, but fresh octopus. I was in, it was incredible, fresh, spicy and very flavorful, Linda and Jared ordered roast pork ribs, also delicious. Beers for Jared and I, Linda tried to order a vodka tonic, which confused the non English speaking bartender, so she settled for a vodka cranberry, that was doable. The meals were excellent, and we escaped any gastrointestinal retributions. We saw all the island, and it was 250 dollars well spent, plus a VERY generous tip for Wilson.
Returning to Fredriksted, we go swimming for an hour or so. Returning to the ship, we come upon David Bromberg. He is one of my favorite performers, I have seen him in concert, starting in 1972, at least 16 times. I tell him about a large, framed, Italian concert poster for one of his shows in 1979, that I have hanging in our living room. The poster contains a pen and ink drawing of David, that was also used as one of his album covers. He tells us that his sister drew that portrait. I often thought to take he poster to his violin shop in Wilmington DE, I inform him, but was never sure when he would be there. He hands me his card and says, “Call before, to see if I’m going to be there, I would love to see it.” That still has not occurred. But I still have the card. Despite a reputation for churlishness, he couldn’t have been more gracious.
One evening, as the elevator door opened, we were greeted by one of the groups performing on the elevator. They rode that elevator for 30 minutes, playing the entire time.
Another time I found myself on the elevator with a blind couple, in their early sixties. Ted and Alice from Seattle. We struck up a conversation and I asked if they needed help getting to their cabin. They asked me to make sure the elevator stopped on the correct floor, they could take from there. I was in awe of this couple, navigating the ship alone.
The next day was an excursion to a private beach in Honduras. Waiting on the dock with us was, Ted and Alice, with a guide. We all got on several buses and I did not see them until I was swimming at the private beach. Jared and I are in the water when we see Ted, in the middle of the lagoon, laboriously climbing a fifteen foot floating slide. We watch, once again in awe of this man. He reaches and straddles the top, right on the edge of the non slide side. He shouts, “What do I do now?” Much to our horror, before any one can give him instructions, he leans the wrong way and plummets straight to the water, fifteen feet below. He resurfaces, apparently unharmed and a shouts calmly, “Alice, where are you?” A round of Marco Polo begins between the two of them, “Ted”, “Alice”, “Ted”, “Alice.” We and other bathers assist in their reunion as Ted exclaims, “That was awesome”. I believe every witness to this astounding event and incredible couple agrees, Ted and Alice are the awesome ones.
Chuck's Stories 