Do you remember summer vacations as a child? I remember vividly looking forward to the last day of school and beginning my summer vacation thinking it was an eternity until school would begin again. I really don’t know why summers seemed so long back then. I’m sure it was because I had no responsibilities and my days were filled with nothing but fun times!
Now as an adult, I view summer vacations differently. Instead of having days filled with nothing but play, I long to create memories with my family that they will remember for a lifetime. I have found that the best vacations are not those where we spend tons of money, but those that create memories that we speak about years after the event.
Five years ago we decided to vacation in Hilton Head, SC, and enjoy a week at the beach since my oldest son was getting married soon and this would be his last time to vacation with us single. We loaded up and headed to the beach ready to fill the week with great memories.
My husband decided to take us all deep sea fishing one day because none of us had ever been very far away from the shore on a boat before. We had no idea what we were getting into because we were only fresh water boaters…never experienced the wide open seas before. The other funny thing was that my son was thinking of going into the Coast Guard. We thought this would be a great experience for him.
Bright and early that next morning we boarded the boat with great anticipation. At first, we were a little surprised at the number of people on this small fishing boat but then realized there was room for everyone since we would be hanging over the side fishing and not socializing on deck.
The captain gave us his welcome speech and then mentioned that it would take 1 ½ hours to reach our destination and if by any chance any of us got sick just hang over the edge and keep on fishing. We all laughed and settled down for the 1 ½ hour ride out into the deep blue sea.
We were about 30 minutes from shore and I distinctly remember thinking about how rough the waves were and how hard it was to keep my balance with the boat rocking back and forth. Not long after that it hit me—sea sickness! I have given birth to 5 children, but have never experienced nausea such as this! I turned to tell my husband that I was not feeling so well and saw him laying on the bench moaning. I then began scanning the boat for my children, and noticed my 21-year-old Coast Guard bound son was propped up against the side of the bathroom door looking white as a ghost and swaying with every wave. My other 4 children were looking like they had the worst stomach virus ever and were laid out on deck begging to go back to shore. This was only 30 minutes into the trip.
That was the longest day ever, and I thought I was going to die before we made it back. The captain just kept stepping over us and helping the others bait their hooks. I kept wondering why he wouldn’t turn around and take all of us that were sick back to safety. I figured later that was why he told us to lean over the rail and keep on fishing.
Four hours later, we pulled up to the dock and all 7 Buices’ fell out of the boat and kissed the ground. We were so sick that we just sat on the still dock for a while before climbing into our car. What a waste of our money. We will NEVER do that again.
Over the years, we have laughed hysterically about this day-long adventure. Even though it was the worst experience it seems to continually come up in family conversations. We definitely created a great memory forever! And just for the records: all of us have sworn off boat trips in the ocean, and my son decided against the Coast Guard. Maybe one day we will get up the nerve and try a cruise, but for now, our feet are happy on dry ground.
~Kathy
What is your most memorable vacation story?
Tags: Kathy, Recreation, Summer, Vacation
