Yeah---I thought I would relate some experiences that happened to my friends while I was either with them or around them. I thought I would start with the time a group of us were water skiing in the Matanzas Bay in front of the Fort. If I remember right it was Me--Sterling, Mario and Larry and Sterling was on the skis. All of us had been showing off for the tourists while they were taking our picture. We were pulling Sterling and we made a sharp turn and he fell off. We circled again to pick him up and his entire body was out of the water except from his knees down. He was frantically waving and screaming---trying to get away. Something had gotten under him and lifted him clean out of the water. We never figured out what it was but that ended the skiing for the day. It was probably a Manatee or a Sea Turtle, although—there are a good number of large sharks in the bay. Albert (my uncle) and I went on the center bar in the Bay to get some oysters and there were at least 19 sharks that we saw in the shallow water. I took the oar and was hitting them in the head. Albert and I were talking about it just yesterday---he remarked that he had never seen that many sharks in one area. They all averaged about 4 to 5 feet long—just big enough to hurt you. While fishing at night I have had them hit me on the legs with their body and tail trying to get the mullet I had caught in my cast net. There are plenty of them in the Inlet and around the Bridge of Lions.

What's the next one Jerry?

Oh;--this is about the time that my friend Tom had his cousin staying with him and we were teaching her how to ski. We had been on the Point all that day and she had learned just enough about skiing to get up and go around slow. Well her parents, my parents and Tom's parents came up and wanted to see her ski. I got behind the wheel of the boat and she put on the skis. We took off great and she was right in the wake of the boat where she was suppose to be. I made a wide turn in the middle of the Intercostal and she got just outside of the wake of the boat    Well Jerry;---what happened, what happened?

She fell and it was just she and I out there. I eased the boat her way and she yelled out " Stay Away--My Top Came Off". I said;" You're Going To Drown If I Don't Get You In This Boat". She replied; " OK--Turn Your Head And I'll Get In." she got to the boat and couldn't get in and said; "You're Going To Have To Help Me, I Can't Get In". I replied; "What About No Top?" She said; " You Are Just Going To Have To Be  A Gentleman And Do The Right Thing." The right thing I did,--I reached down--locked her arms around my neck and lifted her in the boat. I took my time finding something for her to put around her shoulders then remembered that all the grown-ups were on the Point watching us with binoculars. We got back to the beach and her folks asked what happened. She casually remarked; " I Lost The Top To My Swim Suit And Jerry Had To Help Me In,"--and walked away. Her mom said; "Thank You Jerry For Taking Care Of Her. " I replied; "OH,-I Didn’t Mind LOOKING After Her And LIFTING Her In The Boat

Is that the end of that story or is there more?...No there is some more-- I will ONLY tell you we had to wash and clean the boat that evening and the grown-up grilled burgers and made side dishes for us kids. I would soap the boat and she would wash it off,---we cleaned that boat for hours just playing and teasing each other, cutt’en up funnen ---That's it for-----

BITES AND PIECES

Jerry Delany

Stories copyright (c)2000