Thanksgiving on Mad Max - 1996:
Last night MrsMac and I heard on the Boob Tube, that much of Seattle's electrical grid was down due to a storm. We have lived through many PNW storms over Thanksgiving week. So we started to reminisce of the places we have had Thanksgiving at, over our 39 years being together. One of the best was held in Hilton Head Island South Carolina.
While traveling down the ICW (Inter Coast Waterway) on our way to our next assignment in Florida with West Marine, we found ourselves in Hilton Head two days before Thanksgiving. I was out and about Wednesday morning chatting with other cruisers headed south for the winter.
When asking folks what they were going to do for Thanksgiving most folks had no plans but to hang out at the marina's bar and watch football.
Back at our sailboat Mad Max, I told MrsMac of the sad Thanksgiving news that most folks were just going to hang at the bar for Thanksgiving when she said, "Well that sucks. Lets invite everybody over to the boat for a Thanksgiving feast!"
I found myself out on the dock again making the rounds inviting all to Mad Max for a Thanksgiving feast. As I invited folks my type "A" personality kicked -in and I assigned a dish that everybody could bring.
Once that job was done, I borrowed the marina car and Karen & I started off to the local grocery store with ruler in hand. Just before we left I had measured our Force 10 gimbaled propane stove so I wouldn't over-bird the stove.
Once at the store Karen and I split up. She went to buy a few sides and I went off to the butcher department to measure turkeys. Once I found one, I caught up with Karen and her almost full shopping cart. NEVER leave that women loose by herself in a grocery store!
Thanksgiving morning arrived and I put the dressed turkey into the oven... With only 1/2" to spare all around. I must admit I did have to sit on the bird to make it fit ;-)
Anyway, the appropriate time arrived and sure enough our guests started to arrive. One guy set up a collapsible table on the dock with a bunch of borrowed resin chairs from the marina's pool. Another couple brought a table cloth and cooler full of ice. It seemed that everybody brought drinks both non and adult alike. The guy who brought the cooler also brought a mixer and boom box.
Well before we knew it there was a bunch of cruisers surrounding Mad Max. There was so much food that a second and third table was borrowed from the marina's pool to handle the bounty.
I temped the turkey and brought it out to a space that was reserved on one of the tables. After it had set for a bit, I carved the bird to add to the overflowing table of food. Found Arlo Guthrie's live rendition of "Alice's Restaurant", placed it in Mad Max's tape deck and cranked up the old Thanksgiving favorite.
At the time we didn't realize that by orchestrating this Thanksgiving feast we had hit a home run in a bunch of peoples lives. People who had been thrown together on a traditional family holiday with no place to go but a lonely bar. Well cruisers are all family any place in the world - Right? ;-)
By the way...None of us made it to the marina bar that day. As a matter of fact many folks who were at the bar, came down to join the swinging cruiser part on the guest dock at the Hilton Head Marina South.
Wishing all of my friends around the globe (Even non American) a great Thanksgiving day. Peace to all.
