Over the years, our next door neighbor, Capt. Joe, owned several boats, culminating with a stout 38-foot Henriques sportfish built in Bayville. I was kind of a natural at boat handling while Joe’s skills were … well, he really wasn’t comfortable getting in and out of the slip. And so I became our de facto harbor pilot, taking us out of Morrison’s Marina, down the waterway and out the inlet where Joe would take over and I’d head down to the cockpit, swapping my captain’s hat for a mate’s bandana.

BEFORE HEADING OUT: The author some years back is seen in the only remaining photographic evidence of a very memorable fishing trip. (Photo courtesy of L. J. Wallace Jr.)