Does a good captain always go down with his ship? Well, Adres Lopez was hoping it wouldn’t have to come to that. But when it did, Lopez decided that a smart captain is the one that stays alive.
Originally, Lopez planned to ride out Hurricane Irma on his beloved boat, Run Running. It was his home and he wouldn’t leave it.
But when it came down to it, and the sea and the ship raged against each other, Lopez got out.
Abandoning ship was the easy part. Immediately after, he was struggling to stay above whitewater. But somehow, he made it 100 yards to Clarington Island where he clung for dear life to a tree for what seemed like hours. And when the water rose again, he dove back in and made it to dry land. He was alive.
Losing his boat was losing his home, and he swears that when he can repair his dinghy, he wants to go back and find her.
How’s that for being a good captain?
Sidenote: If we call boats “she,” and we call the ocean “she,” does that mean…that Lopez escaped a cat fight? ...Asking for a friend.
Photo by Sofia Viglucci of the Miami Herald