Deep Sea Puking on the Oregon Coast

Yes, it is time once again for me and my siblings to write about a similar experience. This week, Raymond Pert assigned the task of writing about an experience at the Oregon Coast. You can see his post on his site here, and Inland Empire Girls on her site here. It is also on Sunday Scribblings here.

When I was in my late teens, our family actually broke away from the annual trip to Orofino each summer, and branched out. We started going to the Oregon Coast. Now this was a big deal for a couple of home bodies like my parents. But I think after their first visit, they were hooked.

Raymond Pert had been living in Eugene and he and his first wife NH had some connection with a woman who owned an ocean front cottage in the town of Yachats, and she rented this cottage out when her family wasn't using it. So our family would rent it for a few days during the summer. It was a wonderful experience.

This wasn't a very big cottage. It was one big room with a bed, hide a bed, maybe a set of twin beds, but not a lot of room. I think on this particular trip I am thinking of, this small cottage held Mom and Dad, Bill and possibly NH, and Inland Empire Girl and her first husband SE and myself.

I'm not sure how the following exursion was planned, but I think SE wanted to try deep sea fishing, and Raymond Pert and I decided to go along for the ride. (I don't think RP wanted to fish, but I could be wrong.)

We were in Yachats, and I believe we needed to be at the boat in Newport, which was about 30 minutes away, at about 5:30 a.m. for the 6 a.m. departure. It was going to be a 6 hour trip. Well, I wasn't much of a morning person in those days, so the day didn't start off really great to begin with, but then things just got worse.

When I woke up that morning, um, how do I put this, oh, I'll just say it. I'd started my period. And that usually isn't a good sign that it is going to be a very nice day. Cramps and throwing up were the norm those days when "Aunt Flo" arrived.

So we arrived on the boat. There was a man with his young son on the boat who would be fishing. I think they had some saltines to eat. (They were a little more experienced than us.) I'm not sure what we had brought to snack on, but I don't think it was tummy soothing food like saltines.

We started heading out on the high seas, and I was already tired and the boat started going up and down. I don't really remember ever going up on deck. Perhaps I did. But my memory of this excursion is either laying on one of the benches in the bottom deck (not sure what the nautical term for that is), or I was in the bathroom with my head over the toilet retching my guts out. I would take turns with Raymond Pert.

SE actually stayed on deck the whole time and did get some fishing in. I don't think he caught anything, so I think we had to stop at a fish market on the way home so we wouldn't have something to prepare for dinner that night. SE did throw up over the side of the boat once. He did much better than RP and myself.

No, I have never gone out on a boat on the ocean since. I really would like to try again. I think I would do much better. Maybe next time I should take a little Dramanine and a little Pamprin. And some saltines.

That might do the trick!

Here is my tribute to our trip, sung to the tune of "Gilligan's Island".

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip.
That started from a dock in Newport
aboard this tiny ship.
The captain was a mighty sailin' man,
he sure seemed brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day,
for a six hour tour, a six hour tour………
The weather seemed to be getting rough,
the tiny ship was tossed.
There wasn't much fishing for the two downstairs,
their breakfast soon was lost;
their breakfast soon was lost.
We prayed the ship would ground on some uncharted desert isle,
with Fishing Captain, no one else with him,
the Man with Saltines, and his Son,
the Engineer, (That's SE)
the Professor(Raymond Pert) and Carol Lynn, (That's me)
here on Fishing Boat Bile.