YOUR STORIES
YOUR STORIES
Here are just a few of the stories of the adventures of John Mays
Here are just a few of the stories of the adventures of John Mays
SAILING ACROSS GALVESTON SOUND
Martha’s Brother John’s Recollection of a Water Taxi Service
The details are somewhat muddled after fifty years and may be confused with my retelling the story many times, but as I recall: It was the end of a semester at The University of Texas Medical School where Martha had completed her studies in Physical Therapy. Dan called to invite me to go along with him to Galveston to move Martha from her dorm back to Beaumont. Since she was taking a final exam that morning we were in no hurry to get there so we decided to take Dan’s sailboat with us. Rather than sailing the protected bay along the Bolivar Peninsula as we had planned and then take the ferry which the Texas Highway Department provided to cross the sound and the Houston Ship Channel to reach Galveston Island, we decided to sail the small sailboat across and thus provide a Water Taxi Service. After all, there was a water way right up to the rear of the dorm!
When we arrived with no car, only the sailboat, Martha was not a happy camper. She had planned to hang some of her clothes in the car and pack odds and ends including shoes loosely in the trunk. But-- there we were, the car too far away to retrieve. So, we loaded the boat as well as we could and started back across the Sound. We just cleared the hull of the old sunken concrete ship when we felt the cold rush of fresh, too fresh, air and saw the dark, too dark, clouds. We were in for a squall, Texas Size. The sailboat seemed to shrink in size as the waves became higher and the rain started to pound. We tried to adjust the amount of sail that we had out and then it happened: the handle to the rudder snapped. We were in trouble! Dan had to hang over the back end of the boat to reach down to control the rudder. The ferry which saw us slowed down to provide standby help if needed and people were really watching. We were very thankful to reach shore, a bit wet but safe.
SAILING ACROSS GALVESTON SOUND
Martha’s Brother John’s Recollection of a Water Taxi Service
The details are somewhat muddled after fifty years and may be confused with my retelling the story many times, but as I recall: It was the end of a semester at The University of Texas Medical School where Martha had completed her studies in Physical Therapy. Dan called to invite me to go along with him to Galveston to move Martha from her dorm back to Beaumont. Since she was taking a final exam that morning we were in no hurry to get there so we decided to take Dan’s sailboat with us. Rather than sailing the protected bay along the Bolivar Peninsula as we had planned and then take the ferry which the Texas Highway Department provided to cross the sound and the Houston Ship Channel to reach Galveston Island, we decided to sail the small sailboat across and thus provide a Water Taxi Service. After all, there was a water way right up to the rear of the dorm!
When we arrived with no car, only the sailboat, Martha was not a happy camper. She had planned to hang some of her clothes in the car and pack odds and ends including shoes loosely in the trunk. But-- there we were, the car too far away to retrieve. So, we loaded the boat as well as we could and started back across the Sound. We just cleared the hull of the old sunken concrete ship when we felt the cold rush of fresh, too fresh, air and saw the dark, too dark, clouds. We were in for a squall, Texas Size. The sailboat seemed to shrink in size as the waves became higher and the rain started to pound. We tried to adjust the amount of sail that we had out and then it happened: the handle to the rudder snapped. We were in trouble! Dan had to hang over the back end of the boat to reach down to control the rudder. The ferry which saw us slowed down to provide standby help if needed and people were really watching. We were very thankful to reach shore, a bit wet but safe.
LOOKING FOR YOUR STORIES
LOOKING FOR YOUR STORIES
As the family, we know there are memories you have of John, and we would love to hear them. As we continue to add to this story of his life, we want to hear from you. Until we are able to collect information directly, we're asking that you send your stories to his son, Clif Mays.
You can e-mail or message them to him (drmays@hstriad.com). Please reference JOHN MAYS in the subject, so they don't get lost in the email filters.
As the family, we know there are memories you have of John, and we would love to hear them. As we continue to add to this story of his life, we want to hear from you. Until we are able to collect information directly, we're asking that you send your stories to his son, Clif Mays.
You can e-mail or message them to him (drmays@hstriad.com). Please reference JOHN MAYS in the subject, so they don't get lost in the email filters.
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