Newlyweds in Nassau

Did you ever see the TV show - Cruise Ship Killers? In case you've never seen it or heard of it, it's about people who go on a cruise and never return, presumably because they were a victim of murder - a kind of Love Boat gone bad. The few episodes I watched all involved newlyweds who were on their honeymoon cruise. Invariably, the bride would go overboard at some point along the way. The stories are true or otherwise based on actual events. About thirty-eight years ago, I was unwittingly ahead of my time by setting a possible precedent for the show.

Before you think the worst let me quickly point out that nobody died, and my new bride and I were on a personal-size sailboat, not a gigantic cruise ship. Being newlyweds, we were of meager means. But not too poor to spend our lovely honeymoon in beautiful Nassau, Bahamas.

Our hotel was close to the beach, so we spent a good deal of time there. But we did venture into town a few times for sightseeing and dinner. One day we went to the zoo and generally bummed around the surrounding area. We traveled about most of the island by motor scooter, which I quickly mastered fortunately without incident or accident. Driving on the "opposite side" of the road from what we have in the States wasn't a problem, although it was a bit disconcerting when navigating through the ubiquitous rotaries, or as I like to call them – "rotisseries." We got to see a few of the island's historic landmarks, although I can't recall any of them now. One evening we went to a picnic on the beach where we ate fresh grilled fish and conch chowder. It was delicious!

Occasionally, my wife will remind me that she is uneasy being on or near deep water. She generally does not like to be on a boat or walk out onto a pier. She's also not very fond of swimming in or otherwise being in the ocean. A backyard pool is about the limit of her nautical excursion. So, I was a bit surprised when she agreed to embark upon a short cruise on a sailboat.

An instructor came along with the rental. I had sailed a tiny boat before, but it was nothing more than a surfboard with a sail. And the wind and water at that time and place were much calmer than that of the Bahamas. The instructor made it look easy. All I had to do was trim the mainsail while paying attention to the strength and direction of the wind – or something like that. As I said, he made it look easy – too easy! The moment he handed me the rope to the sail, I held it tight, but the wind held firm as well. He quickly told me to loosen my grip on the mainsail, but I didn't respond in time, flipping the boat and all three of us into the water.

Story and Cover Illustration Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco