Captain Major lives in Key Largo on a sailboat called Sea Remedy. He’s a retired airline mechanic, grandfather, and the man I wrote about in my college entrance essay. The following things happened for the first time in my life because of the Captain.
- Drank in a bar, at 19.
- Drank my first legal beer, at noon on my 21st birthday.
- Went on an extended sailing trip. We visited Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas.
- Caught, cooked and ate shark.
- Went scuba diving.
- Caught a Mahi Mahi.
- Met a Navy SEAL.
In the ten years when I was closest to him, Major changed my life by giving structure to my future. When people asked me what I wanted out of life, I’d say that I aspired to live like Major. Have a place in the Keys, drink Corona with a lime and get around in a boat. While my vision has changed somewhat since then, I hope that one day I can return Major’s gift. I hope that’ll I’ll be able to show a youngster a lifestyle that he can aspire to.
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