Lost a dear friend

Well I like to keep these blogs light and upbeat but sometimes that is not possible.

This week we lost a very dear cruising friend (best friend) to a sudden illness which took Barbara Thompson in virtually a blink of an eye. It was a shocker to us and all our friends who knew her.

We first met Barbara and her husband Jim at Matthews Point marina in 1992. We had a Catalina 22 and they had a Compact 23 and were berthed in the slip next to us. It wasn't long before we started to cruise along the same gunk holes together. They took to Andy and Kourtney like an aunt and uncle. Andy was 12 and Kourtney was 10. We shared some adventures over those short weekends at Matthews Point.

Over the years we all moved on to other boats -- always bigger but still hung out in the same places. Several times we vacationed together taking a week or more to go to Wrightsville Beach or Ocracoke and back doing both inside routes and outside routes.

There was many a night when would gather together on one boat or the other to chat, play games like Barb's favorite FARKLE, and Mexican train. It was all fun.

We would go out to eat together and just hang out -- true friends.

Barb was very opinionated and she had a knack for addressing my bravado and succinctly putting me in my place. I didn't really mind, it was appropriate. One anecdote I rmember was a time when I actually shocked her. We were in the marina in adjoining slips and I was eating a fine Salami Sandwich. Barb would never eat a cured meat. Well her dog Missy was nosing around me so I gave her a piece of Salami -- Barb was just aghast and pretty much speech less. I couldn't believe it -- a dog no less! It was like I poisoned her dog.

After 25 years it is hard to think of all the great things she did with us. It all felt so natural. She will be greatly missed.