The Boy, the Boat and the Entertainers
Listen to this articleThe year 1969 lives in my heart as one of the most eventful and memorable years of my life. That year I experienced my beloved New York Mets winning the World Series, I attended the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair and witnessed its roots, I turned 15 and on live TV I saw the first man walk on the moon. In that year, I experienced many physical and emotional changes. I grew over five inches and my voice changed to baritone.
In February of that year my parents booked a trip through our neighbor and good friend, travel agent Sayer Beakes. The trip was for a full week in St. Croix, an island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A beautiful resort had just opened and we were one of the first to occupy the new hotel.
Hotel On The Cay was located on a small island in Christiansted Harbor called Protestant Cay. Christiansted is the capital of St. Croix. It was [is] a gorgeous resort, only a short boat ride to the bustling city harbor.
The Virgin Islands have a storied history, being discovered by Columbus in 1493. Rum was produced from the sugar cane grown there and in 1917, the United States purchased the islands from Denmark for $25 million dollars. I was there alone with just my parents and my adopted aunt and uncle, the Buds. Being the only kid in the group, I took many side trips and hikes around the island by myself.
As it turned out, the resort had a few small sailboats available to use. Thinking that these small vessels would be an easy operation, I jumped in one and pushed off towards the harbor. As I got situated with the rudder tiller in hand and the sail filling with the wind, I noticed I was just moving sideways and not forward. I tried to adjust everything as I approached the concrete seawall of the dock area. I abruptly collided with the large wall. I was stuck and seemingly out of luck. Then I heard a firm voice come out of nowhere.
“Young man, you have to drop the centerboard !”.
His voice was colored with a poetic Danish accent. I had no idea what he was talking about. He was a good looking tall man with grey hair walking his two dogs.
“Thank you sir, but what exactly do you mean?”
“Pull that pin out of the slot in the middle and it will drop down. Just be sure when you get close to shore that you pull it up again.”
I pulled the pin, the board dropped and he promptly pushed me off the wall. The wind caught the sails and I was off into the turquoise bay. Looking back I waved and shouted, “Thank you sir, you really saved my life!”
He waved back with a huge smile on his face and wished me happy sailing. It took an hour or so to get a feel for it. My false confidence was taking over. Just then, the Buds looked from the shore and waved. “Hey guys, want to take a ride?” I shouted.
They gamefully agreed, climbed in and we were off to circle the small island. All was well until we turned windward and a huge gust filled the sail. Without any warning, and in slow motion, the boat flipped completely over. As I surfaced from below, I saw only Mr. Bud’s arm bravely holding his new, still dry straw hat above the water with the rest of his body bobbing below the water. We all came up laughing, righted the vessel and limped into shore. Luckily, no harm was done. The Buds were sweet and laughed about it all day.
That evening, all of us dressed up and went to dinner at a beautiful pub and restaurant called, “O’Hara’s.” The interior had tiki torches and candle lit tables. The walls were decorated with posters and photos of Hollywood movies and movie stars. As we were sitting waiting to order, I looked over at the bar and spied that dapper gentleman that had helped me with the sailboat. I excused myself from the table and walked over to thank him again.
“Excuse me sir, my name is Sam (my nickname), thank you for saving my life today!”
He let out a huge laugh and shook my hand. Behind the bar was a strikingly beautiful red haired woman and next to him, on a bar stool, was a large, tall rugged looking man. He in fact looked very similar to one of the men in the posters. The Danish gentleman told the others about his rescue and they all enjoyed the moment. They smiled as I shook their hands too and started back to our table. As I approached my group, there were stunned looks on their faces and silence. When I sat down, Mrs. Bud chimed in, “Sam, do you know who those people are?”
“Well, the grey haired gentlemen helped me with the sailboat in the harbor, the rest are his friends.”
The whole table and some of the surrounding tables all laughed.
“Sam , the grey haired man, is a musician, comedian and entertainer. His name is Victor Borge from Denmark. The red haired lady is Maureen O’Hara. She is a very famous movie star from Hollywood. She actually owns this pub.”
“That’s amazing ! I can’t believe it.” I responded.
She added, “The craziest thing of all is that the other gentleman there is John Wayne. He and Ms. O’Hara have been in many movies together. You just met three of the best known entertainers in Hollywood!”
I was stunned, Looking around and I saw their faces on many of the posters. The waitress came over with a round of drinks from the bar. “These are from Ms. O’Hara and ‘The boys’ over there!”
We all waved “thank you” and toasted them.
For months after, my parents and the Buds couldn’t stop talking about that night. For me, experiencing the warmth and humanness of these talented and famous people was everything. The best moments in life are those spontaneous and innocent ones. Like meeting your soulmate, feeling the wind in your sails and seeing a shooting star!
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Epilogue
Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne enjoyed a strong friendship for over 40 years. They were in five movies together that showcased the strong chemistry they had together. John Wayne, of course, is a Hollywood icon making more than 140 movies. In 1968, O’Hara married a longtime friend, famous aviator John Blair. They ran a seaplane business in the Virgin Islands. Our family took one of his flights back to Puerto Rico from St. Croix. Sadly, a few years later, Mr. Blair died in an accident with one of these planes.
Victor Borge was named “The Clown Prince of Denmark.” He was a classical pianist, comedian and entertainer. While he resided in St. Croix, he contributed a great deal to local charities. In Copenhagen, there is a square and park named after him.
