Some of my most cherished memories come from days spent at sea serving special needs people. Their needs are different, and so is their appreciation of what a day at sea can mean.
Here is a story that exemplifies my meaning.
Six-year-old Stella is an autistic child who came aboard my charter boat accompanied by her Mom. Stella was having a tough time developing a comfort level with the new experience.
She came aboard timid, withdrawn with arms folded, and making no eye contact with anyone. She was shaking her head and periodically asking Mom to take her home.
Mom held her, comforted her, and quietly insisted she try this for a little while.
As the adventure began, Capt. Tiffany and I talked with the child and the other passengers about the different kind of boats in the harbor and what each kind of boat is used for.
They all played color games by picking out certain colors. Next they played shapes games. Then everyone picked out boat names they liked.
We cruised the harbor and looked at Coast Guard vessels, Harbor Patrol boats, research vessels, commercial fishing vessels, and sail boats. We pointed out the critters of the waterfront … harbor seals, night herons, seagulls, cormorants and pelicans.
We told the story of Bentwing, the disabled (from birth) brown pelican who made his disability his strength, became a useful member of the waterfront community, and likes himself just the way he is.
We found Bentwing that day, and Stella fed him a fish. Stella and Bentwing liked each other very much.
Next we visited California sea lions hauled out on a buoy outside the harbor. Stella yelled and waved at them, and imitated their sounds.
We tried fishing nearby, and Stella caught her first fish. We taught her about it, how it lives, and how important clean water is to that fish. Stella learned to thank the fish for the wiggle and let it go.
On the cruise back into the harbor, Stella was excited, animated, and talked to everyone aboard about how much fun it was to catch a fish, feed a pelican, and name all the seagulls.
Back at the dock, Mom expressed her amazement at Stella’s progress in just a few hours.
As for Stella, she had a stellar day and didn’t want to leave the boat because she had found something she loved doing, and had made an emotional connection with the critters of the sea.
She hugged us and loudly proclaimed she wanted to go again. Mom had to pick her up and carry her to get her to leave.
Watching them walk up the ramp to go home, with Stella waving at us, we wiped tears from our cheeks. How could we not?
