A Major Slip-Up

Spilled sunscreen causes chaos in the cockpit.

- Doug Pike

Dave owns and captains almost 50 feet of sport-fishing boat and charters mostly tourists with a handful of loyal locals. Three summers back, he left port carrying one deckhand and two couples looking for another good day with Capt. Dave.

The Gulf of Mexico was wrinkled but not sloppy beyond the jetty. Dave sent his hand, Greg, below for a quick nap; he'd worked nine straight days between Dave's boat and another.

While his clients slathered each other with sunscreen in the cockpit, Dave propped his feet and chatted with friends on the radio.