What do I know of the mysteries of the sea? Having sailed from the furthest reaches of Timor Leste, rocked across the Atlantic twice, and swam those beautiful Gulf of Mexico waters off Grand Isle, I can say that there is always an air of exhilaration…and dread. Especially when you swim or sail over places such as Titanic. There is a chilling reality knowing the dead rest on the ocean’s cold floor…or not.
We wrote “The Mariner of Caminada Pass” on May 21st, 2020. It was published by Cloven Hoof and is available on Amazon Kindle in e-book and paperback. The story has been submitted to HWA for consideration in the Bram Stoker Award Competition. The tale of a son trying to solve a mystery concerning his parents swam to life after my latest trip into the treacherous Red Sea. While I didn’t care for the inhospitable desert weather and those twenty odd security check points, I was in awe of the isolated beauty and hospitality of Saudia Arabia. The great crew on the Ocean Duke kept all our challenges laughable and stress-free. The stories of Russian, Polish, United Kingdom, and Norwegian culture were a treasure trove of unforgettable and humorous tales.
In a final word, this tale of Pierre Santiny would never have come to surface had it not been for my father and his love of the sea. Seems every chance Dad got when my siblings and I were young, was spent in and around Grand Isle with Dad’s best friend Karl Thayer. The swimming, storytelling by bonfires, and fishing were some of the best times we had with him.
I never got the chance to tell him “Thank You” for those memories before his untimely, and suspicious death. Hopefully, on whatever shore in the Beyond he has landed, he hears these words.
A legendary mystery is told in the community of Grand Isle. The aged mariner may proclaim, “And on the first winter breaker…of Grand Isle’s coldest winter, Pierre Santiny plunged into the sea and was seen no more.”
Then, the teller of the tale may pause with haunting eyes as the fires crack in the bonfire, the sea roars, and the wind howls with possibly an ancient chime. With a whispering voice on the third crash of a wave they may even say, “But none on the island will ever say he died.”
DEDICATION: To Dad, who always taught us the wonder and mysteries of the sea. –JL
Jeffrey LeBlanc 