The SPRIGHTLY LADY and her Hurricane and Short Stories from Capt. Gardner M. Kelley

About the Book

The “SPRIGHTLY LADY” and her Hurricane and Short Stories from Capt. Gardner M. Kelley Thelma a rich, “SPRIGHTLY LADY” with a nice yacht named for herself. She was very disappointed. She had been planning for a cruise to the Abaco’s, in the Bahamas before going north for the summer. She was looking at a picture of a body in a dingy, behind a sailing yacht. The body was not mentioned in the news. Probably was dumped overboard to save trouble for the officials, just another Bermuda Triangle mystery. The lady decided that she would have to put off going there, until she had some protection devises installed aboard. This would be done at City Island, New York Yacht Yard on the cruise north. She had no intentions of letting her world, her precious floating home be hi-jacked. The furthest we would go this winter would be Miami, Florida. The New River Yacht Yard is where the “SPRIGHTLY LADY” would soon be hauled out. This was for anti-fouling paint to be put on her bottom. She had a long cruise ahead. Thelma had spent much of her time at the lovely beach. It was not as nice as she remembered it from the past. The owner of the “SPRIGHTLY LADY” had enjoyed the winter months in Florida, the lavish parties aboard the yacht and her visits ashore to see her friends. Threats from the cold northerly winds were over for now. She sat with her husband Dennis and two other couples at Patricia Murphy’s elegant restaurant. She made the announcement, “We will be off for New York tomorrow.” Dennis protested, “I have a golf date tomorrow.” She said, “You have had enough golf for a while, now you can keep me company. The foliage along the banks is already changing, I am anxious to see it all.” Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont

About the Author

I was born near a lighthouse far out at sea on January 20, 1913. I must have heard the ocean roar and heard it pounding on the shore. Eight summer’s came and with it a big three-mast schooner. Prohibition was the name of the game. I was at the tiller, far at sea and my father was out from sampling the tea; I was the youngest rum runner of them all. I needed all that I could earn to support a pretty nineteen year old wife and home; 10-27-1931 we married and bought property in Milbridge, Maine. Vera Alley Kelley and I were married for 65 memorable years. I was a rigger at the Boston Navy Yard during the attack on Pearl Harbor, 12-7-1941; I also worked on “OLD IRONSIDES”. South Portland’s West yard in Maine, where I worked as a “pusher rigger”, I helped build and steered Liberty Ships for Captain Litchfield at all of the harbor trial test runs. I moved to North Carolina to enjoy my boat and the weather, I developed a small marine railway yard in Harkers Island near the Outer Banks. There in 1969 I got a call; The “BIG BAD JOHN” had run aground. I was recommended to Jimmy Dean as the right licensed captain to pilot her to Florida. Later I was hired to Captain the “M.V. MOUNT HOPE” for cruises from Rhode Island to Canada. The forty five foot ketch the “FROLIC”, I bought for my own. The “FROLIC” was berthed at Morehead City close to my home. The last 25 years I have written of experiences of my wonderful lifetime. I am now 102 years old and still going strong; I now reside on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina with my family of five generations. Capt. Gardner Martin Kelley 7-4-2015