"Bonaventure, Buffalo, and Beer:
A Wild Delivery that Became an Adventure "
In the summer of 1975, I had the opportunity to work with Paul Dzuban for Bernie Herman on his impressive C&C 53' racing yacht. But it wasn't all serious business and hard work. One particular trip stands out in my memory, and it involved delivering Bonaventure from Toronto to Detroit.
The plan was to get the boat ready for the Mackinaw race, and Bernie generously gave us a budget of $1000 for food and another $1000 for booze to put a crew together to deliver the yacht to Detroit. Naturally, we invited some of our friends, including Gord, Katie, Krash, Wendy, and Matt, to join us as crew members. And let me tell you, it was a trip to remember.
As we sailed through Lake Erie, we indulged in endless beer and even wine that I had bought for dinner. I cooked up a feast of roast leg of lamb and lobster for Sunday dinner. But the real adventure began when we hit one of Erie's infamous storms in the middle of the night.
I was on watch around midnight, and I couldn't have been happier as we flew over the waves at 15 knots. When it was time for Matt to take over, he was a bit apprehensive, so I gladly stayed at the wheel. The storm broke towards morning and we continued sailing towards Detroit on Lake St. Clair.
But as we approached the city, we realized that most of us had some dope on board that we needed to dispose of. We all pulled out our stash and were going to throw it overboard when Paul came up with a clever plan to take all the drugs and stash the drugs in a phone booth when he went to call customs. Then we would retrieve them later. But things took an unexpected turn when Paul went to the phone booth we were suddenly raided by customs and immigration officers they came in boats and came over the side with guns drawn.
meanwhile, Paul had lost his coin and came back to the boat to get another without stashing the drugs.
The Officers asked who was the Captain and we all pointed at the very surprised Paul panicking, realizing that he had forgotten to stash the drugs in the phone booth. But luckily, As they searched the boat from top to bottom they didn't do any body searches, and we were able to keep our booze and drugs. The officers were upset about how much booze we had on board. I assured them we were not smuggling. I jokingly said you do not smuggle booze into the United States but smuggle booze OUT of the United States. They did not laugh but I promised to buy $500 of American booze and they let us go on our way.
After a day of work at the Detroit Yacht Club, we decided to do some shopping and check out the local nightlife. Detroit was a dangerous place in those days We ended up at a private club, where we made sure to arrange for cabs back to the yacht club.
After a night of partying, Paul and I sailed the yacht across the to Sarnia and docked at the customs dock early Sunday morning. Everyone else was sleeping, and there was no one around except for a phone with a sign that read "call officer." So, we called, and half an hour later, an officer showed up in his bathrobe and slippers. We nervously declared our deck shoes and a few beers, and he gave us a lecture on regulations before asking if anyone else was on board. When we said yes, he asked if they had bought anything, to which we replied, "deck shoes and booze." He shrugged it off and let us go with another lecture, which we laughed off as we tied up. Canadian customs sure was different then the American's.
But our adventure wasn't over yet. On our way back to Toronto, we had to make a detour to Buffalo to pick up a part for the boat. By this time everybody was hungry except me I wanted a beer. so I spotted a bar across the street from the restaurant we stopped at. I told everyone to meet me there after they finished eating, and I headed over.
As I walked into the dark, strangely decorated bar with paintings of vampires and gangsters on the walls, I sat at the end of the bar near a small stage with a big old Wurlitzer jukebox. The bartender got me a beer and went back to what he was doing, and I put in a quarter for three songs on the jukebox. But just as I was settling in to enjoy my drink and music, a totally naked go-go dancer appeared from the back and started dancing on the stage beside me. I was caught off guard and told her she didn't have to do that, just as my friends walked into the empty bar just me and a naked lady. Confused and slightly embarrassed, we left the bar and continued on our journey.
But that wasn't the only time Bonaventure provided us with unforgettable memories. I had previously refused to race on her because Bernie wouldn't allow beer on board. But one day, when his crew couldn't make it, he asked me to gather my Wednesday night race crew. I agreed, but only if he allowed beer on board. Reluctantly, he agreed, and it turned out to be the only race he won that year.
We sailed across Lake Ontario to an American yacht club, with legendary sailor John North leading the way. And thanks to our size and John's expertise, we didn't even have to tack once until we reached the finish line, almost an hour ahead of everyone else. We may not have been the most traditional or serious racing crew, but we certainly celebrated like champions. The Yacht club gave us a great party. And that, my friends, is the story of how Bonaventure, Buffalo, and beer gave us a summer to remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment