3 Hour Cruise
The round faced Skipper stood by the guardrail at the bow of the Minnow looking out over the dock. “Gilligan!” he shouted. No answer. “Gilligan!” louder this time. Still no answer, so Skipper turned and yelled down into the cabin. “Gilligan!” He heard a mumble in reply. “I think our guests are arriving!”
The Skipper greeted the young woman. She had shoulder length black hair and wore a pretty yellow dress. “Welcome aboard the Minnow!” he bellowed, gesticulating toward the boat. She smiled pleasantly, accepting his offer of a hand to help guide her onto the boat. “I’m Maryann,” she told him.
An older couple stepped up from the dock next. The gentleman, wearing a brimmed hat, red sportcoat and a blue cravat, gave his wife his hand to help her aboard. “Here you go, Lovey,” he purred and then pointed to a pile of suitcases at the other end of the dock. He handed Skipper some folded bills. “Have your man fetch those, would you?”
“Uh, yes, sir,” Skipper stuttered. “Right away, Mr. Howell.” Turning back to the cabin, Skipper yelled again. “Gilligan!”
A thin man in a red shirt and white bucket hat poked his head out of the door. “Yeah, Skipper?”
Skipper looked around and reached for his hat. “Our guests have arrived, Gilligan,” he said with exaggerated patience. Gilligan looked at the people gathering on the boat. “Hello.”
“P-please go get the Howell’s luggage,” Skipper pointed down the dock.
“Right away, Skipper,” Gilligan said, dragging a muddy rope out from the cabin. As he crossed to the ladder, the rope wiped against Maryann’s legs and she yelped.
Skipper tripped on the rope and fell into the thin man in a buttoned shirt climbing up the ladder to the boat. “You must be the Skipper,” the man announced, pumping Skipper’s hand and helping him to stand. “I’m Professor Roy Hinkley.”
“Hello?” breathed another passenger, waiting at the bottom of the ladder. She puffed her feather boa and smoothed her shimmering gold evening gown.
Skipper’s eyes bugged out and his hand reflexively went again to his cap. “Miss Grant!” he exclaimed. “W-Welcome aboard the Minnow!” He reached out his arm to help her up the ladder.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Miss Grant!” Maryann exclaimed. “I’ve seen all of your movies!” The Professor looked up from the textbook he was reading. “Hello.”
Ginger looked around for a place to sit. “Here you go, my dear,” Mrs. Howell said, gesturing to a seat next to her. Gilligan climbed up the ladder carrying many suitcases and dragging a few behind him. He thrust them into the cabin. “They all won’t fit,” Skipper said.
Mr. Howell handed Gilligan a folded bill. “Here you go, my good man.”
“No big deal,” Gilligan told him, and dragged a few suitcases up to the helm. He turned to see the guests. His eyes bulged when he saw Ginger. “Ginger Grant!” he exclaimed, pushing the suitcases into the hull, where they slid across and lodged under the ship’s wheel. “It’s great to meet you! I loved you in San Quentin Blues and Dracula’s Women and Mohawk Over the Moon and The Rain Dance of Rango-Rango --”
“Ok, Gilligan,” Skipper interrupted. “That’s enough. I think it’s time we set sail.”
“What’s the weather, Captain?” Mr. Howell asked, peering through his monocle at a newspaper.
“Smooth sailing!” Skipper promised, climbing to the helm.