What was your “night to remember”, and how far back was it?

My first music festival. Three days of dancing, camping, and partying.

For me, seeing Throbbing Gristle in concert in Chicago in April 2009 (and by chance meeting Peter Christopherson in a cafe near the venue before the concert).

Shaking Al Jourgensen’s hand after a show in Ventura and being invited to hang in the tour bus. 1991

^ Did you hang out, and did he get to 2nd base or further? ;-}

He took off after the invite and I waited for an hour before I gave up. My ride was waiting. sigh. Dude took my shrooms too. I think he had a better night than I did, but the memory is priceless.

Back in around 1995 there was terrible weather here and I was hanging out with my roommate. Bored out of our minds we decided to go to a rave in Portland at LaLuna. We scraped togeter enough money to get the bus to Portland (120 miles away) for the rave. But we didn’t really have enough money to get back home.

So in a stroke of brilliance it was decided that we would buy some paper that looked close enough to blotter at Kinkos. So we bought the paper for five cents. But we needed it to taste like something. So before we got on the Greyhound we bought a small bottle of Windex.

So on the bus up to Portland we both go back into the bathroom on the bus and gave the paper a few spritzes with Windex. This was a huge mistake. It smelled really strong. Luckily the bus was mostly empty.

So we survived the bus trip and had something that looked like typical LSD back then. It was exceptionally hard to find perforated stamped stuff back then. Most of it was blotter cut in uneven tens.

So we head to La Luna. Normally a quick walk across the Burnside bridge. It should have taken 30 minutes. But there was massive flooding in Portland and the bridge was raised. So we had to walk to the Steel Bridge. So that took about three hours to get to the rave. But it was still going on. We didn’t have the money to go in so we planned to peddle our fake LSD outside.

It took about five minutes to find a few frat boys looking to buy. Between them all they wanted 50 hits. So 100 bucks for us.

Here is the problem. They wanted to try a few hits while their buddy went to the ATM for the cash. We should have said no. But we didn’t. But LSD takes a while to kick in. Unless they said, “This tastes like Windex” we had a good half hour before they could really question it.

So we are standing out with these guys that were much bigger than we were. One of them said that he started to feel it and the other agreed. The funny thing is I looked at Bryan and he looked terrified. Not that we would get caught. But that we had poisoned them.

This is when perhaps the biggest mistake of the night occurred. During casual conversation Bryan asked about how to get to the greyhound station with Burnside Bridge closed. He mentioned that we had a bus to catch at Greyhound. They mentioned the very long route we took to get there.

So the friend eventually shows up with the cash. They are not aware they just paid 100 bucks for Windex and paper.

Knowing that they were told our exit strategy we were terrified. There is no way they wouldn’t know they had been ripped off by the time we could get on the bus home. That was the longest walk of my life. At every headlight we would hide in bushes until they passed. And once we got to the bus station we were safe since there was a security guard. It isn’t like they could complain that we sold fake drugs.

I forgot.

It was at least 100 years ago, when some dinky boat rammed my starship.
Pissed me off so much, I perforated their hull with my laser.

Most recently was when I was about 100 miles of Ascension Island and I was hit by a monster of a storm that took out some rigging and hardware, and a lightning strike wiped out all my antennae and some electronics. It was a long 36 hours with no rest.

More pleasant was the night of December 21st, 2012. In return for giving a friend a ride from Key West to the Yucatan, she took me into the interior to a Mayan pyramid—one of many scattered along the peninsula hidden from all but the most tenacious by thick jungle—where we climbed to the top and spent the night staring into the night sky glistening with polychromatiic shattered glass on black velvet.

@Espiritus_Corvus Most recently was when I was about 100 miles of Ascension Island and I was hit by a monster of a storm that took out some rigging and hardware, and a lightning strike wiped out all my antennae and some electronics
What were you sailing, sloop, gaff rigged schooner, yawl, etc.?

Summer of 2013, spent two months on Mount Desert Island for a school project. That’s where I got to know my now-boyfriend, Matt, and one of my other closest friends, Josh.

We had some unfortunate luck with the weather for about 2 straight weeks; rain all day. A big bummer when you’re in a place where the main attractions are all outdoors. I will never forget the evening that that trend broke. My two buddies I mentioned earlier and I were out for dinner when the sun peeked out. It was stupidly late in the day to begin a hike, but we were so stir crazy from staying inside. We drove into the park and started a climb. It was already starting to get dark and the rocks were slippery with all the recent rainwater. Matt has a prosthetic leg and this was the first time I’d gone hiking with him. I was really impressed with how well he maneuvered. It obviously slowed him down a little bit but he always found a way to make it over each rise.

I heard the call of a hermit thrush for the first time as the sun was setting. The sound – already one of the most interesting bird calls in North America – was eerie in the dark; usually you don’t hear birds at that time of day too much.

We had two flashlights between the three of us, so we moved slow. I’d shine my flashlight ahead of myself go a few steps, then turn to shine it for Matt to follow. Josh and I were operating on pure adrenaline and the happy hormones that come with exercise. Matt was the only one who was sensibly nervous.

The fog was incredible. Jordan Pond is pretty good sized, but we could only see the first few meters. We were climbing at a pretty steep grade but you’d turn around and the place you just came from would be invisible, so we couldn’t see how high we were. I later redid this hike in the light and was shocked to see how much more nerve-wracking it is when you can see.

Our hair was soaked from the fog by the time we got to the top. We took a few drenched pictures.

It was on the way down that I finally started to get nervous, mostly about animals. I insisted that we make a bunch of noise to scare animals away, so we chatted idly or sang the whole way down. But everything was fine.

It was such an amazing night. We had lots of other great ones during that trip but that one stands out in my mind as the happiest. We’ve been inseparable since then.

@Hypocrisy_Central: The SY Compass Rose, formerly the Last Chance II, is a 1989 Hunter 42’ sloop, stern cockpit. Her mast was re-stepped and hull redone in 2011.

December, 2012: She is strong and fast with new rags and rigging, a 62hp Yanmar, an 8kw generator, new batteries and new wind&solar regeneration as well. She handles easily solo. She has a fully appointed galley, a stateroom and can sleep 8 comfortably—by my standards. There are 4 tons of lead in her keel with a 5’ draft which makes her good for where I want to go and what I want to do. She’s usually Bermuda rigged—no gaffs, just big clean triangles—sometimes with a jib, or even a spanker when the wind is hard to find. The last guy rigged her with fore&aft floods on the mast and in the hull which makes her awesome when lit up at night. (Impresses the fishes to no end). Although I don’t use a third of the amenities when out solo, I’m hardly roughing it. Those days are over. I’d rather spend my time on deck rather than down cleaning the galley, so I usually eat right off the BBQ (hibachi) at the stern rather than at table below. I made this trip (Florida to Dominica) last winter in a naked 1973 Morgan 36’ and did just fine. Charley Morgan made a nice boat. But now I live year-round on my vessel and it’s nice to have things like A/C so your work clothes don’t rot in the friggin Florida humidity.

March, 2015: I left Cedar Key, Florida on Thanksgiving Day, 2012, stopped for visits in Tarpon Springs and last minute maintenance in Chokoloskee. I stayed with friends for a week in Key West before finally leaving the States for the Yucatan on the night of 18 December and arriving in Ria Celestun the day of the Newtown, Connecticut massacre, the 20th. SInce then I’ve sailed as far south as Grenada, with long stays on the small island of Dominica and farm-sat on St. Lucia. I was stateside twice since 2012, a short visit to Texas last summer to see cousins, then to pick up a vessel in New Orleans for delivery to Miami. During Christmas I delivered another vessel from point of purchase in Grand Bahama to it’s new owner in Miami. SInce then, I’ve been sailing south with a short stop on Dominica, the farm on St. Lucia, Barbados, then south across the equator to Ascension with one stop off the coast of Brazil, the minute island of Meos. Now I’m on St. Helena off Angola/Namibia while the Rose is in for repairs back at the yard in Ascension. I have no idea where I’m going next.

The SY Compass Rose, formerly the Last Chance II, is a 1989 Hunter 42’ sloop, stern cockpit. Her mast was re-stepped and hull redone in 2011.
Make note to self to hate @Espiritus_Corvus for having such a handsome vessel and so much fun on it ~~~

I don’t know if I have one. I have had many nights that were a lot of fun and/or memorable in a very positive way. I’m not sure if one was so spectacular and unique that it qualifies.

I went to a Robert Plant concert in my teens and it was fantastic. I went with my sister.

My first date with my husband we went to dinner and talked talked talked talked. I was so happy during the date and for hours after that night.

With my husband most recently was during our vacation last summer. We went to upstate NY and it wasn’t so much a special night, but many things we did on that vacation went great and I was really happy that he was surprised with some things and seemed really happy with a lot if the choices I made for us. He is interested in military things and asked to go to West Point while we were there. He had no idea I booked the hotel on post and he loved it. We had fabulous weather the whole vacation. After West Point we stayed in the Catskill mountains, and the hiking took our breath away. We traveled to a few other places in NY. It was really great.