My father used to live in Florida. Deep into Florida. On the southwest side on a little island off the coast of Ft. Myers. One summer when I was in college, I flew down to visit him. We did a bunch of fun stuff while I was down there. One of those activities included going out on his boat. It was a little boat. Not sure how to describe it other than it went fast and had one seat on the other side of the driver’s console. There was a canopy over the part where you drive. Gosh I’m terrible at knowing these things! I sat in front of the dashboard/steering wheel area and my dad drove, obviously. He was working on getting his captain’s license. I was partially shaded by the canopy and kept my legs propped up on the bow (got one right!) of the boat.
We cruised through the canals and channels from his house out to the Gulf of Mexico. We cruised around for a while and eventually came up on a group of fishing boats. Apparently there was a big marlin fishing tournament coming up that weekend and these fishermen were getting in some practice. We tagged along and watched them.
My dad kept offering me sunscreen, but I kept refusing. And I kept my legs propped up on the boat, out from under the canopy, in full sun, on the open water, where the sun’s rays are more intense. There was one fisherman who appeared to have hooked something big. It was big enough that he couldn’t quickly and easily reel it in. So we floated by and watched him struggle with whatever he had hooked. We wanted to see it as much as he did. But after a couple hours, we gave up and headed back in without ever seeing what it was that he had caught.
All total, we were out on the boat for about 3 hours. My legs spent an equal number of hours out on the bow. Out from under the canopy, in full sun, on the open water, where the sun’s rays are more intense. Without sunscreen.
I remember that my dad and I came home and took showers and got dressed to go out to dinner after that. We drove into Ft. Myers and ate somewhere and then decided to play miniature golf. All I can say is that by that point, the sunburn had really set in on my legs. From the tops of my thighs all the way down to my ankles. I was burned to the point of being crispy. Playing mini golf was quite comical when it came to bending down and picking up our balls. My dad had trouble because he had a bad back. I had trouble because even my knees were burned and bending them was excruciating.
Excruciating is a good word for it because once the sunburn really had time to develop, my legs were not just red. They were so red they were actually slightly blue and purple. I will never forget that pain. I had to sit down like those ladies who are 9 months pregnant and can’t really bend to sit. I couldn’t bend my knees to sit either, so great was the pain. Once it started healing…and peeling, I remember I had to practically smack my husband’s hand away so he wouldn’t peel me. He didn’t go on that trip with me by the way. He only marveled at my stupidity when I got back. And oh how stupid it was to repeatedly refuse that sunscreen. I will absolutely never refuse again. Getting sunburned to the point that my skin turned blue and purple is not something I need to have happen twice. I got it. The sun is brutal in the summer, especially when you’re on the open water, where the sun’s rays are more intense.
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