THE TALE OF THE "BETTY O"

 A MOSTLY TRUE STORY ABOUT SOME ADVENTURESOME BOYS, AN ANCIENT TUB, THE SEA AND FISH

 Aye, and this is a mostly true yarn, well mostly, about a really small troop of boys, from what's that Troop? Why yes, it was Troop 464 , it was, wasn't it?  It's a tale of an ancient tub named the Betty O, the open seas and about fish that were caught, and fish that were caught and let go and fish that were caught and got away. Got away!  Now what kind of a tale is this?

 You know just yesterday, I met an eighty year old lawyer who forgot to retire but who remembers the Betty O with great clarity.  "Why back in 1933 we boarded the Betty O for a cruise around Catalina Island .  We all just stood on the open deck because there was no shelter on her.  Just the Pilot's cabin perched above the deck, that was it, but she was fun and we had a good trip."

 " Eight O'clock in the morn sharp" said the cap'n.  "That's when we pull the ropes from the moorings at Dock 52 and head for open seas."

 And so it was that the adventuresome little band from Troop 464 was at the dock and waiting early as could be.  Then all the other fishermen and women of all ilk were lining up, fingering some very impressive deep sea tackle and patting their chests with great bravado, some twenty five or thirty, at least, along with our little group consisting of one Cheeze - Paul, a couple of Test Tube Monkeys - Kevin and Warren, and a bunch of the Rocking Chair crowd that included; One Karen, a Dave, a Hutch, a Scott and our instructor, Phil from last Wednesday night.  The Cap'n said "Is that it?" and Karen replied "Uh Huh" and Cap'n said "Well where's that ceremonial tee shirt you said you were bringing me, you were."  Karen opened her ample back pack full of the twelve essentials and all sorts of goodies.  She carefully extracted a neatly folded grey Trop 464 shirt and handed over to the Cap'n.  Cap'n Mike beamed a toothy grin of satisfaction from ear to ear and said "You'll have luck today, you will."

 Names of the parties were called and groups lurched forward quickly to grab the sweet spots on the ancient old tub.  Most of them haggled over just the right place on the poop deck.  Now why do they call it that?  Finally, toward the end of roll call, the first mate called out " Troop 464 !" and we all scurried on but just not sure where to stand, so w hung around the galley cabin and watched the crew assemble equipment.  Soon we briefly stopped to take on what seemed like an enormous load of little fishes, sardines and small fishes, wiggly little fishes.

 Soon, we cleared the break water and headed for open seas. Calm seas, or so it seemed.  The old tub just pitched and yawed and rolled with a rhythm that made one feel, "Yes we are at sea."  Then the waves came crashing over the bow and that surely became the place for a young mariner to be.  We rode the waves for what seemed like endless hours; pitching, rolling, yawing and pitching, rolling and yawing, but wait.....is that old Hutch turning Green?  Old Hutch headed for amidships, muttering something about “I shouldn't have had that cup of Betty O coffee this morning, I just know that I shouldn't have, Oh boy."  But soon we heard the anchor clattering down and the Cap'n shouting: "Let's go Fishing!"  Quickly, the fisherman and women all grabbed their rigs and "squided up" and released into the deep.  "Cap'n sez it's Rock Cod on the bottom that's what he sez, he does,"  said the crewman.  Just knowing the novices that we are, the Mate and Phil began giving our little party instructions about hooking up Squid bait and how to release the line "Keep your thumb on the bobbin and don't let it tangle, you got a lot of line to let out" said Phil.  Soon smallish and not so smallish fish began hitting the deck. The troop just stooped and looked aghast.  Dave said "This is surreal, Look guys their tongues are popping out and their eyes are bulging out!"  Yes, that's what happens when one yanks a creature from his home on the bottom, right to the top so quickly.

 Mean while Old Hutch was sitting on the engine cover amidships, all green and holding on to something to be safe.  Then it was Paul, hanging over ropes upchucking everything he ate for the last week.  Not to be outdone, Kevin began doing the same, except his must have been the last two weeks worth.   Warren pipes up "I think he just puked on the Squid tray!”  Old Hutch was sitting behind them watching, and turning greener.

 The banks, a place miles out to sea where the water is 300 feet deep and a sandy bottom, were fished a while and Cap'n Mike pulled the anchor and moved and then moved again.  Then the Cap'n took us to the lesser water where the Sand Bass live.  "Okay everybody, they're about 30-40 feet down", yelled the Cap'n.  Above us, the crew began throwing "Chum" (bits of cut up fish, fish guts and blood) over our heads and into the water.  Now as it were the Scouts and the Rocking Chair people were all standing in a row along midships  and down the line it went; Warren shouts "I got a big one", Paul yells out "Me too, Warren", then Dave and then Karen.  They all hauled in big ones.  Kevin and Scott were still finding that magic spot and old Hutch, well old Hutch was getting a little less green.

 Yes, it was a day of fishing.  Gunny sacks full with fishes, some still wiggling about, Rock Cod, Grouper and those big Sand Bass.  The Mate was getting impatient, "Come on now get those fish over here to clean, Hurry up now!" and so the Scouts did.  It was fish fillets, and fish heads and fish guts and a dense cloud of sea gulls and Pelicans.  Seeing the Pelicans, Phil began to chant “Oh why is it that a Pelican can hold more than his belly can."

 Meanwhile, while the Scout boys and Rocking Chair people were wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of fillets and fish guts, Old Hutch got his line out and finally caught his big fish on the move.  It was a golden fish, a really big fish and as Hutch hauled it in, the fish began to plead "Oh please Mister, release me and I'll grant you three wishes."  "Three wishes?" said Hutch.  "Oh yes, but just three wishes" said the big beautiful, golden fish, all sparkling and pretty.  "Well" said Hutch (well actually he muttered), "Oh God, I wish I wasn't so sea sick, I wish I wasn't so sea sick, I wish I wasn't so sea sick, why I'd be able to think straight and get me some good wishes."  "That's it" hollered the fish.  "You got your three wishes, and now I'm outa here."  You know, dear reader, I took that huge bag of fishes that warren caught, home for Elaine to cook that night for dinner, and I couldn't eat any of them.  I was still sea sick.  That fish was a darned liar!