Again I am in Saint Augustine, in the harbor, newly arrived from the ordeals of Charleston. On board the WANDERING STAR and having a great time again. One of my neighbors was THOR a 25 foot sailboat with no mast but two inhabitants.
Fred was newly separated and had just moved from the bread truck he had been using as his residence. It was in that same junkyard that he met Yitka. She was living in a Chevrolet Impala. She was newly arrived from Western Europe with no identification. They bonded immediately and moved into the sailboat at anchor with no mast.
Fred was a carpenter working for a local builder for cash. Yitka was and still is a waitress at a French pastry shop. They played as hard as they worked. One of the problems was Carpenter Fred would sometimes forget whom he had taken ashore. He would then take the dingy back to the boat to entertain the new girl, leaving Yitka stranded on shore.
About here I should mention something about Saint Auggies harbor. The current is very swift. I met them in winter and although Florida is not the same as Michigan, I still think winters here are cold.
Back to the dialogue. After these lapses in Fred's memory, I would hear a pounding fist on the hull. I would rise to find Yitka clambering on the boat from my dingy. She would have freezing water streaming from her naked body with her clothes neatly tied in a plastic bag. It was my task to get her a towel, get in my dingy, determine if Carpenter Fred was alone and forgetful or just forgetful. According to the case Naked Yitka would sleep in the forward stateroom or be delivered to THOR in the morning.
Now if you are passing through Saint Augustine and come across Carpenter Fred be sure to say hello. You can identify him easily. He rides motorcycles. As with so many riders he bears a scar or two. Fred took out most of his calf. He thought the scar, which was extensive, looked incomplete. Fred decided what would be perfect was a tattoo. He tattooed a zipper around the scar. I have to agree. It does look more complete. Naked Yitka is harder to identify. If you see a naked swimmer in the wintertime, swimming upstream, perhaps it is Yitka.
