captain Mcgillicuddy comes to mind....
Shrimp boat captain, father, gymnast, humanitarian, adventurer, fisherman, explorer and incredible dancer, these are but a few of the words that can describe the great character of
Captain Chester McGillicuddy.
The son of a sponger, Chester McGillicuddy was born on a sloop anchored off the island of Key West , sometime around the year 1917.At the age of two Chester was put to work by his father, who would tie Chester to a long pole and send him down to "play" with the sponges attached to the reef.Chester was quite talented at "bringing the sponges to daddy", and lead the exciting life of a Key West sponger until the age of 12.
Following his career as a sponger, Chester worked as a fishing guide, leading many a wealthy tourist to their first battle with the mighty tarpon.In his spare time he would wrestle alligators, killing them with his bare hands and subsequently selling the meat.
At the age of 16, it was time for Chester to get his life in order and get a real job.He stowed aboard a freighter bound for the Ivory Coast of Africa, and spent the next 6 years living in a jungle in Central Africa, where he befriended a monkey named Montgomery . Details of Captain McGillicuddy's time spent in Africa are scarce, but it is apparent that he spent much time romancing women, as he is often contacted by young men in Africa who claim to be his son.
By the time World War Two had broken out, Captain McGillicuddy had romanced his way to North Africa , where he traded in his loincloth and worked as a mechanic at a Spitfire air base in the desert.On one August afternoon, the air base was suddenly attacked by German Stukas.After a barrage of bombs, nearly all of the air base pilots were killed or wounded.Not to be defeated by the Germans, Captain McGillicuddy hopped into the cockpit of a Spitfire he was repairing, and took to the sky.Although repairs to the Spitfire had not been completed, Captain McGillicuddy was able to use his large hands to hold together key components of the planes engine during battle.Captain McGillicuddy single handedly destroyed a whole squadron of Stukas, earning him the nickname Lendectuch des Teufels, which loosely translates to "Loincloth of the Devil."
After the cessation of hostilities in Northern Africa, Captain McGillicuddy returned home to his home in Florida . He purchased his first vessel, the Kittenpaw, and spent many years as a successful Captain trawling for shrimp off the east coast of Florida . While details of his life during this time period are largely undocumented, he became quite a legend in the various ports and fishing destinations of Florida 's east coast.
In a series of unfortunate events, Captain McGillicuddy lost the Kittenpaw to the sea's angry grasp in 2004.
Now boatless and with entirely too much free time on his hands, the good Captain has joined the ranks of Florida Impressions to share his insight and thoughts.
More:
http://www.orangemane.com/BB/archive...p/t-13879.html
Originally Posted by Resinhead
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