Cast: Speaker, and two or three extras.
Costumes: The speaker will dress like a common sailor. The extras should try to look a little military-- like wearing a military hat or helmet, etc.
Introduction
(Extras stand with head down and eyes closed)
Some years ago I lived on the north shore of lake Superior . This was an interesting almost wilderness area about 30 miles from the Canadian border about 8 miles north of Grand Marais Minnesota.
Part I. The Storm and a Lost Boat
One night there was a bad storm and great crashing waves developed on the lake.
(Cue: storm ,extras make big waves with their arms.)
One of our boats was torn loose from its mooring and drifted out into the lake.
(Cue: torn, extras hold hands to the side of their heads)
It drifted south towards Grand Marais down the shore about 7 miles. Someone called us and told us the boat had drifted into a cove about 7 miles south of our home port. The cove was lined with high cliffs and there was no easy way to get to it except by the water.
(Cue: water, extra do rowing motions)
Part II. Start of a Perilous Voyage
(Extras stand with heads down and eyes closed)
Later in the afternoon, after the storm the night before, my uncle and I decided to try to retrieve the lost boat by launching another boat to go and tow it back. Our other boat was a small open boat with an inboard 4 horse power engine. This is less than some of the lawn mowers you use today. So about 3pm we launched out into the still heavy waves.
(Cue: launched, extras snap to and salute.)
Part III. Courage turns to fear
Once we got out into the lake I was a little afraid at first because of the awesome size and power of the waves.
(Cue, afraid, extras hold hands up in prayer or hands over eyes.)
But after awhile I got used to it and was kind of enjoying the trip.
(Cue: enjoy, extras hold arms crossed on their chest and look from right to left)
Part IV. The Voyage out
We had about 7 miles to go downshore to the cove but we made it pretty fast because we were moving with the direction of the waves.
(Cue, waves, extras bend at knees repeatedly to simulate motion of waves)
Part V. The Salvage
We reached the cove and ran up to the beach where our lost boat had run-aground. We attached a long rope to the stranded boat and our boat to get ready to tow. We launched out again onto the lake, out of the cove, with our boat in tow.
(Cue, launched, extras snap to and salute)
Part VI. A Strange Problem Developed
We were towing for a while when it started to seem that our progress was kind of slow, especially against the waves this time, but we thought something else was wrong. We looked back and could not see the boat. But the tow rope was still taut.
(Cue, looked, extras hold hands above eyes and look to the right)
So we decided to pull the tow rope in and find out what was happening. It was hard to pull it in as it seemed very heavy.
(Cue, pull. extras pretend to haul in a heavy load on a rope)
Part VII. Problem discovered
When we finally got the boat pulled close we discovered that it was full of water to the gunwales. We had forgotten to put the drain plug back in before we started towing it.
(Cue, forgotten. extras hold hands against head or smack forehead with one hand indicating a stupid mistake.)
Now we still had a long way to go, pulling a boat full of water and against the waves! A real battle!
(Cue, battle. extras snap to and salute)
Part VIII Passing Bird Rock
Finally we reached Bird Rock. Now in Minnesota, birds are very mean and tough and they did not like us getting so close to their rock so they started dive bombing us.
(Cue, birds, extras duck down while holding hands above their heads and looking up.)
Just kidding guys. You can stop ducking.
Part VIII Fishing and bailing
After we passed the rock there was not a lot to do except bail water out of our boat once in awhile when we would run into a wave and ship a little water. So we decided to fish a little bit between bailing water.
(Cue, fish, extras pretend to fish by pulling imaginary pole back and forth.)
First one man would fish while the others would bail water.
(Cue, bail one extra starts bailing water.
Then another man would bail while the others fished.
(Cue, another man. One extra stops bailing and starts fishing while other extras start bailing water. (switch roles back and forth several times)
In the meantime people on shore were getting worried about us since we had not returned yet. One man with some friends drove back and forth on the highway while his friends looked for us.
(Cue, drove back and forth, one extra pretends to drive while the others holds binoculars and look from one side to the other.)
Finally they spotted us and reported back to our friends and relatives-- “Those crazy fools are fishing out there in that storm!”
(Cue, fools, extras throw up their hands and role their eyes upward in disgust.)
Part IX The storm gets worse
The storm was getting worse now and as we passed the rocky point, great plumes of water would spray up as the waves hit the rocks.
(Cue, plumes. extras throw up their arms as if plumes of water rising.)
There was thunder and lightning now as well as a strong wind. We had to stay in pretty close to the rocks to save time and gasoline.
(Extras hold hands against ears then stand with head down and eyes closed)
Part X Darkness and the last of the gasoline
By this time it was quite dark and we had put the last of the gasoline in the engine tank.
Usually people who run out of gasoline on Lake Superior are never seen again. The water temperature even in the summertime is only 38 degrees and you cannot last long in the water if your boat goes down.
(Cue, never seen again,, extras snap to and salute)
Part XIII Landfall
(Extras hold hand above eyes and look arround, then put heads down with eyes closed)
Finally we saw the lights of the boat house near our home. It was time to try to make land. This was a perilous maneuver because we would have to turn the boat sideways to the waves and of course there was a chance of getting swamped.
(Cue, swamped, extras hold there hands over their eyes.)
We could not make the dock and had to beach the boat a short distance from the dock.
(Extras hold their heads down and close their eyes.)
Part XIV The welcome home.
We made the beach and pulled both boats up as far as we could.
(Cue, pulled,, extras pull on rope)
I was not prepared for the group of people that had gathered at the boat house waiting for us.
(Cue, people, extras snap to and salute, then go back to holding heads down with eyes closed.)
Our relatives and friends had been concerned about us and had even had the Coast Guard out looking for us, but they could not find us.
(Cue, looking ,extras hold one had over eyes and look back and forth.)
Part X The next day in town
(Extras hold heads down and eyes closed)
The next day my uncle had to take care of some business in town and almost everyone we met asked us if we were the crazy guys who went out in the storm.
(Cue, crazy, extras hold hands over mouths and pretend to laugh.)
Part XI The end
(Extras hold heads down with eyes closed.)
That’s the end of my true life adventure. I was 15 years of age at the time and I will never forget it. It was a dangerous and foolhardy adventure but it was also the experience of a lifetime.
(Extras snap to and salute, then leave the stage.)