On June 1st, I drove to Wilmington to visit Sarah's parents. June 3rd was the anniversary of Sarah's death, and every year I spent it with her mother and father, Ruth and Gene, at the cemetery in Wilmington. We'd bring flowers, sit on the bench Gene had installed beside the headstone, and talk about Sarah like she was still in the next room. Ruth always brought sweet tea.
Gene always wore the tie Sarah gave him for Father's Day 2019. I stayed 3 days. Before I left, I told my neighbor Tom Choi to keep an eye on the Sarah Grace. If anything looks wrong, call me.
Tom called on June 2nd at 4:00 in the afternoon. Jack, you need to get down here. What's happening? They're on your boat.
Four guys in khakis and polo shirts are carrying flower arrangements onto the Sarah Grace. There's a woman directing them. She's telling them to remove the fishing rods and cover the name. Vivian is on the dock giving orders into a headset.
There are rental chairs stacked at the end of the pier. A caterer's van is parked in the fire lane. Jack, I think they're setting up the wedding on your boat. My blood went cold.
Not hot. Cold. The kind of cold that comes when you've spent 26 years in the Coast Guard and you know exactly what just happened. Tom, are they covering the Coast Guard decals?
They already did. Both sides. White fabric panels with flower garlands. The auxiliary pennants on the mast.
Gone. There's a white banner up there now. Says Kelsey and Todd in gold letters. The documentation number on the transom.
Covered. The whole transom is wrapped in some kind of white fabric with the wedding monogram. Don't say anything to anyone. Don't confront them.
Take pictures of everything and stay out of the way. I'm making a call. I hung up and stood in Ruth's kitchen for 10 seconds breathing. Sarah's mother was at the table arranging flowers.
Sarah's father was reading the newspaper. The kitchen smelled like cinnamon and coffee and 20 years of Sunday mornings.
Then I called Sector North Carolina, United States Coast Guard. Sector North Carolina operations, Petty Officer Daniels. Petty Officer, this is Jack Moran, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 1207, facility number Alpha Bravo 4721. I need to report the unauthorized seizure and use of my documented vessel, Sarah Grace, documentation number 1247836.
The vessel is also a registered Auxiliary Facility. Her Coast Guard decals, auxiliary markings, and federal documentation numbers have been physically concealed. I have photographic evidence. The line went quiet for 3 seconds.