Gordon Kilgore

Beginning with my Boy Scout days, I have spent a considerable amount of time in small boats. Most of my time has been spent in canoes, but rowboats would be a close second. Not much time has been spent paddling a kayak. I have rowed across large and small lakes, as well as up and down creeks and rivers. Choppy water with a headwind is the most demanding and, frankly, not much fun. Rowboats are often used for fishing or for crossing shallow bodies of water where a motor is not practical.

This September 2025, Margaret and I drove down to Panama City Beach for a few days. I did not remember how white and fine the sand along the beach was. The sand was as fine as powder, with almost no grain at all, more like talcum powder. It was so soft that it was not uncomfortable walking along the beach with sandals full of sand. I cannot think of a finer beach in the entire world. Because I am prone to getting skin cancer, lying or sitting in the sun on a beach is out of the question.

It was September 8, 2015, and Margaret and I were sailing from Copenhagen to New York on the Regal Princess cruise ship. Our ship was arriving at its next port of call, which was the Holy Ground Harbor in Cork, Ireland. It was 8:13 in the morning, and I was out on the promenade deck with my camera. The pilot boat from Cork had arrived to assist in a safe entrance to the harbor and dock. Upon reaching our ship, the pilot boat made a quick turn to get alongside and allow the pilot to come aboard.