2015—EAST OF MIDNIGHT TOUR

June 6-13, 2015

$130,000 raised for the ACS

“There is no darker place than our thoughts… in the moonless midnight of the mind… but in that dark place… there is still hope. Go east… towards the sunrise and we shall find the light…” ~Opening line from the 2015 teaser video 

For the 16th-time, a group of paddlers gathered by the water alongside friends and family. This gathering has become an annual rite of passage for those inclined to believe that a cure is possible.

·      For those who believe, good can come from bad.

·      Those who believe, we should take the time to honor those who have fought the fight.

·      Those who believe, it’s better to light a candle rather than curse the darkness.

·      And those who believe, kayaking from Miami to Key West is how you “row well and live.”

Each of these gatherings now has a name. And this 16th-incarnation was dubbed “The East of Midnight Tour.”

On the back of the 2015 shirt, there is a quote from Stuart Scott, the ESPN broadcaster who passed away earlier this year from cancer at the age of 49:

“You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and the manner in which you live. So live. Fight like hell, and when you get too tired to fight, lay down and rest and let someone else fight for you.”

Here’s a rundown of what happened from June 6th-13th, 2015… some of it illustrates how the Castaways strive to live up to that quote…

Day 1 – June 6th

·      Following two days of preparation – arriving in town, the Aguilera’s hosting an awesome launch party, gathering of supplies, and meeting as a team – the Castaways launched from Virginia Key with about 75-friends and family in attendance.

·      TotalBank flags waved on the beach, as they provided breakfast, a cheering section, and an unlimited supply of positive energy.

·      Bob Soto was on hand for another round of amazing professional photography.

·      The Puff Dragon Boat Racing Team paddled out to Key Biscayne with the team.

·      During the opening ceremony, the trip was dedicated to the memory of Lt. Ralf Garcia, a City of Miami Firefighter and Columbus grad, who passed away in March after a brief and sudden battle with brain cancer. He was 28. His parents and brother were invited to walk into the water and make the ceremonial first strokes of the kayak trip.

·      To honor Ralf, ten of his fellow firefighters paddled alongside the Castaways from the launch spot to the lighthouse at Key Biscayne. In addition, the launch was supported by a City of Miami Firetruck and a City of Miami Fireboat.

·      A City of Miami Police boat also joined the launch, featuring a Columbus alum and nephew of Lou.

·      To help honor Ralf’s memory and commemorate the paddling of the firefighters with the Castaways, internationally renowned Miami-based artist Romero Britto stepped in to offer an amazing show of support. Romero took one of the Castaways-paddled kayaks and created an incredible work of art, naming it “Journey.” The “Britto Boat” was with us at launch. OB took some ceremonial strokes in it and Journey subsequently made the trip with us via the Road Crew.

·      Castaways on “East of Midnight:” Viceroy, El Toro, Vino, Hemingway, Hebrew, Recon, Omar (the Rookie), and Tire Iron. That’s OB, Lou, Pino, Scholer, Berger, Pete, Omar, and Patrick.

·      Also launching with the team was Danny Perez – Junior Castaway. Danny, after pushing off from the beach, rested his paddle on the deck to get settled. Then, he couldn’t reach it. 15-yards from the beach, launching for the first time with the Castaways, Danny sheepishly asked for help in reaching his paddle.

·      At Bear Cut, it’s noticed that one of the tandems paddled by the firefighters is pointing stern forward. The two guys, with a radio blaring, are paddling the kayak backward. But they are smiling.

·      Under overcast skies, the crew paddled to the first break of the day in the shadow of the Key Biscayne Lighthouse. The firefighters, the fireboat, the police boat, and Danny bow out.

·      On to Soldier Key for lunch. A light breeze kept the team cool on the crossing.

·      The crew made its way to Sands Cut but left the cacophony a little early because of a storm brewing overland to the east. As a result, the team made landfall at Elliott Key at 4:30 pm.

·      Ray Rodriguez, Carter Burris, and the “Water Wing” of the Road Crew brought the team dinner and drinks and decorated the kayaks with trophies.

·      That evening, much to OB’s delight, American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.

·      OB struggled to erect his tent, after figuring out the tent poles had rusted. Pino let him borrow a tent, but that one didn’t work either. He ended up going through three tents before getting one from Lou to stand: 4th time was the charm. We made foreclosure jokes about tents.

·      Lou went into his tent saying he was going to write e-mails, but within minutes, he was snoring.

·      It rained, but only after the team was in their tents for the night.

Day 2 – June 7th

·      Got up before dawn. Ants and no-see-ums were bad. Wanting to be on the water by 6:30, we got on the water by 7:00.

·      Omar is the new Delay, making coffee.

·      Paddled out to normal break spot. Good push to Card Sound Point.

·      Eric got nauseous, but there was very little roll on the water. When we reached Card Sound Point, he took a nap on the sand – in view of several families in boats. They quickly moved on. Fantastic break.

·      Pushed on to Alabama Jack’s. Road Crew met us and several families joined us. Didn’t get out until 2:30-3. Pushed across Barnes Sound – always a challenging crossing – and paddled directly to the Key Largo Marriott.

·      Peggy and Joe Plumadore (Hebrew’s sister and brother-in-law) provided us with a wonderful home-cooked meal. Pulled pork and macaroni, potato, and chicken salads. Cookies and fudge. It was a tremendous meal on the beach. Again, Road Crew some family members joined. 8-Castaways slept well in 4-rooms.

Day 3 – June 8th

·      After breakfast at Gus’ grille, we paddled to FBO. Met Nicky from Salty Dog Paddlers. Susan Curry, a resident of Marathon, a 60-year-old cancer survivor, the maker of Stouts’ banana pudding, started her adventure with us as a Guest Paddler. Danny Perez was also back as a Junior Castaway.

·      Paddled out to Dusenberry – a first for Suzy – and then on to the Salty Piece of Land. Adam and Omar saw some amazing rolling dolphins on the western side of that spot. Pressed onto Toilet Seat Row with a great push.

·      Days 2 and 3 were sunnier than Day 1, but not terribly hot because of a light breeze going in the right direction.

·      At TSR, Danny was baptized Danny with the name of “The Camel” or “El Camayo.” Suzy was dubbed “Chiquita,” in reference to her amazing banana pudding, as well as, her size and strength. Omar was labeled “Pony Boy,” as a reference to the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film, “The Outsiders,” whose hero played by C. Thomas Howell was named “Pony Boy Curtis.” (On Day 4, we discussed an edit to “Pony Keg,” but Omar stuck with “Pony Boy.”)

·      After TSR, Susie paddled into MM 88 to dump out.

·      Snake Creek, once again, was against us. Hard paddle to reach the ocean side. But it was high tide, so we were able to turn the corner and head straight to the Postcard Inn at Holiday Isle.

·      We beat the Road Crew to the destination and crashed a family fishing in our landing spot. The guy was covered in tattoos and had a grill.

·      Rum Runners was closed. Like, forever!

·      We stayed in the El Capitan and enjoyed dinner at Shula’s 2. Patrick’s niece Amanda and her husband Travis joined the gang, as well as, the Road Crew, which features Diana Perez, her family, and Lou’s family: Marisa, Vic and Dani.

·      Shula’s 2 was a great meal and then we all passed out.

Day 4 – June 9th

·      Got up early for day 4. Good morning paddle. Flat paddle. Made it to a new look, Hungry Tarpon for brunch. Met Mark there and presented him a sponsor shirt. Incredible meal, as always.

·      Had my first Bloody Mary there – it’s called “Trailer Trash.” It featured a shrimp, 3-olives, beef jerky, bacon, green bean, lime, and lemon. It did the job.

·      Amanda joined us for the meal. Suzy rejoined us for the paddle at this point.

·      Almost lost my sunglasses on exit. Had dropped in water, but found under the swimming tarpon. Paddled out and around.

·      Again, sunshine but not too hot. Light breeze, mostly the right direction.

·      Pino nearly capsized trying to leave the Anne’s Beach break. From the cockpit, arm in water holding bottom, he yelled, “Can someone help me get erect?” After much laughter, several paddled over and helped him right his boat.

·      Good paddle through the bridge. Shot through this time. Pushed hard to Fiesta Key.

·      Then the long paddle to Pete’s Paradise. For the record, it’s past 3-markers. The black and white checkered one. Every year, we forget how many it is and someone falls victim. OB told Omar, “It’s just past that first marker.” Then it was the second. Nope, it’s the third.

·      At PP, Omar warns Pete about a ledge around the pool we are all sitting in. Pete says, ‘I’ve been here before. I got this.” And then bam: he slipped, fell, and splashed. Great break.

·      Flash forward. Peggy yelled at us upon arrival at the Gulfview Waterfront Resort. Lou had texted her while we were at Pete’s Paradise, saying we were “at the Long Key Viaduct.” She and Joe drove back and forth across the bridge trying to find us, not knowing our break is two miles off the bridge to the gulf side.

·      From PP, it’s the long paddle past two more bridges. It’s a long open stretch and there are lots of currents. Suzy dumped out at Conch Key.

·      We are greeted by the Horvat family at the Gulfview. So wonderful to be welcomed by such great people. Road Crew is set up in the tiki and the Castaways end up in the pool. Great time.

·      We came up with a plan to buy FBO. OB would sweep the floor. Adam would sell kayaks. Anthony would be the business manager. Omar would open the movie shop on-premises. Pino would run the Caribbean Club next door. Lou would be the financier.

·      Decided that instead of Sparky’s, we would go to Cabana Breezes as a potential future sponsor.

·      We have agreed that Peggy and Joe next year will cook another home-cooked meal, where we can enjoy the Gulfview and hang out with our friends there.

Day 5 – June 10th

·      Bad storm hit overnight. I slept through it. Others were awoken.

·      The tandem has been tee-peed. Assumed it was Road Crew. It was actually the Horvat kids! Rain made the TP go everywhere. The prank worked to perfection.

·      Leann’s coffee house brought us an awesome breakfast of muffins, fruit, and juices.

·      Flat opening. Hazy day. Vaca Cut going in the right direction. Shot out like a cannon.

·      Suzy rejoins the team at the big tree past Vaca Cut, the ocean side of Marathon.

·      Bumpy paddle to Sombrero. Got there at 10:45 am.

·      Road Crew brought Britto boat. Every Castaway got in it, while Pino took pics with a professional camera.

·      Lou has since put together an amazing display of the photos and presented them to Britto. He has on his wall next to photos of Bono and the Pope.

·      Publix provided lunch. We did not have access to the big pavilion because of a kids camp. We had a smaller one by the playground. Horvat’s came out to see us. Amanda did too. Suzy’s friends came out, including a couple that later flew over us in a by-plane as we crossed the 7-mile bridge to take pics.

·      We got on the water about 12:30 pm. Full skirts and jackets. Suzy’s husband Richard followed in his boat, so she wasn’t alone. Coast Guard boat also escorted us at the end of the crossing. Plus the biplane flew over.

·      Very bumpy crossing, but not too bad. No one went over and everyone made it to Molasses safely. Several boats on site. Found a good spot. Richard joined us with a really, really good bottle of rum.  We drank it whole. A nice long break.

·      Line at Molasses from me to Berger: “You gave me a career and I gave you this. Two great things that will last a lifetime.”

·      We got in boats to leave break. OB capsized. Lou, Hebrew, and I had not gotten in boats. Everyone else was out there helping him. Current pulled them towards the bridge, but they were able to get back to the break spot and reset.

·      We then pushed on to Bahia Honda. Suzy dumped out at Veteran’s Park, thrilled to have crossed the 7-Mile Bridge solo.

·      At Bahia Honda, the lead group went to the wrong pavilion in the swimmers’ area. The tandem was last and went to the right one. Unfortunately, everyone else had to move back.

·      Road crew joins, along with Carlos, a teacher from CCHS. Then, a jolt of energy to the team – Delay shows up!

·      Gang took us to Hyatt Place – the Faro Blanco Resort in Marathon. Rooms sponsored by Mike Lawrence. Every paddler had their own room. Meal at Lighthouse Grill on site. Lobster mac and cheese was sinful. “Every healthy thing had something unhealthy in it.”

·      Road Crew provided us with monogrammed laundry bags. Provided water, beer, Gatorade, and ice at every stop. Bananas with inspirational messages. Lots of fruit. Awesome additions to the team.

Day 6 – June 11th

·      Enjoyed the complimentary hotel breakfast at Faro Blanco – and then Road Crew arrived early to take us back to Bahia Honda. Our boats are found safe.

·      Suzy rejoins us at Bahia Honda. With Delay’s arrival, he jumps in the tandem with Lou. Patrick goes solo the rest of the way in Lou’s boat, the Babalouie.

·      A fine paddle to Munson Island. Low tide shows itself ahead of Little Palm Island. Patrick and Berger decide to hug Munson Island to reach some mangrove tunnels and the channel by the south side of Little Palm. We got stuck in the muck but made it through. The tunnel was full of fish and birds.

·      An incredible meal at Little Palm. Key deer came to the table.

·      A good paddle out to Monkey Island. Quick break and then on to Tarpon Creek. The current was against us in there, but not as bad as normal. The pool current at the break wasn’t ripping.

·      Then on to our friends at Sugarloaf Lodge, which had a new dock. Many jumped off the dock into the deep water for a refreshing swim.

·      Omar’s family provided a wonderful home-cooked meal, which we enjoyed at the tiki by the pool. Orange pie!

Day 7 – June 12th 

·      Final paddle of the East of Midnight Tour commenced roughly 7:30 am.

·      Carrie’s husband Doug met us on the water. Out near Shark Key. He remained with us the rest of the way, delivering water and Gatorade.

·      Pushed hard all the way to the break at Cow Key Channel. Spent a good amount of time eating out of the bags and draining resources.

·      Time for the final push to the White Street Pier and the landing at Higgs Beach.

·      We arrived at the White Street Pier a few minutes early, but the waves were too bumpy, so in we came. The City of Key West had a fireboat there spraying us upon arrival.

·      Once again, the LGBT Pride Party was being held on the beach, so we came ashore to 200-cheering people. The DJ was blasting tunes and doing play-by-play of the arrival.

·      A wonderful and humbling welcome from friends and family, as the team donned their orange East of Midnight jerseys.

·      We enjoyed time in a pavilion with friends and family. Once again, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Frigo provided libations and food – and then we broke down the gear and went to check-in at the hotel.

·      We had a sponsored dinner at the former Finnegan’s Wake, the Backspace Bar and Kitchen – and it has since closed.

Day 8 – June 13th

A wonderful closing ceremony with friends and family at the Southernmost House. 

Here is what was said:

Welcome to our 2015 sunset ceremony…

For 15-years, a group of friends have paddled from Miami to Key West… and then together… they’ve put the paddles down… and stood shoulder to shoulder with friends and family by the water… with flowers in hand… and tears in their eyes…

Because we don’t fight cancer alone… we fight it together…

Each year, the Castaways Against Cancer work to raise money. And we ask every donor, who gives us a dollar or more, to give us the names of their loved ones who have battled cancer… survivors, those who are battling right now and those who have passed on… these are the names that make up our “in honor” list… these names are listed in perpetuity on our website… and every year, when we land in Key West, the names of part of this closing ceremony…

All of the names from each of the 16-journeys paddled by the Castaways are here on this “in honor” list… tonight we honor their struggle…

As a reminder, our mission is to honor those who have fought the fight… and to help find a cure… the raising money is “the helping to find a cure part…” the paddling… and this ceremony are.. “the honoring those who have fought the fight” part…

In a few moments, we are going to ask you to toss your flowers into the ocean… we do this for a couple of reasons:

•           The flowers are beautiful symbols of our loved ones who have battled cancer

•           We release the flowers into the water as a sign of hope

•           The water symbolizes our desire to be cleansed of this struggle someday

•           And we do this ceremony at sunset… because – east of midnight - we know the sun will rise tomorrow… and we will continue the fight… and with every new day… there is new hope for a cure…

This officially closes the “East of Midnight Tour…” and Come Monday, work begins on our 17th-annual trip… the “Proof of Life Tour.”