It’s not just a slogan. The tenants of brotherhood were foremost in our pledging Theta Chi. How else do you get over 70 guys to live together and operate a complex fraternity house? But there is much more and harder to describe.

Larry Fortress and I have stayed friends throughout our lives. Larry has been on Uproar several times in the Caribbean and Florida. Through the book of face, I reconnected with Jay Peterson, also a sailor. We met for a lunch in New Orleans two years ago. Rick Loheed and Jay were high school friends and sailed together. Rick and I reconnected. He is still immersed in boats and sailing as a profession and hobby.

The idea of all getting together on Uproar grew from a few emails to meeting all three at the Grenada airport on May 15. Strangely enough, Lisa opted out of the Theta Chi Cruise. She and Pearl flew back to Milwaukee a week prior.

Our first night was spent at the West Indies Brewing Company. This is the only brew pub in the Eastern Caribbean. We enjoyed not only great beer but were treated as family by the staff. We must be getting old, there were complaints about the ½ mile walk to and from the pub. Or perhaps it was the tropical heat.

Early the next morning we sailed to Carriacou. Cruising with guests is quite different from our regular cruising life. We spend a week or several in most anchorages. With guests, we move almost every day to give a full Caribbean experience. After a quiet afternoon in Tyrrel bay, we had dinner at the Slipway. The Slipway is our favorite restaurant in the Caribbean (along with Zanzibar in Martinique). Roxanne is a first class chef, Dede always gives us great service and Nakka makes rum punch “pirate strength” especially for me. Team Theta Chi raved about the food and fun ambiance.

The trip continued to Sandy Island for snorkling, a quiet night in Anse La Roche, Union Island to clear into the Grenadines, Tobago Cays for snorkeling with turtles and rays. Then on to Bequia. We spent three nights in Bequia. Larry flew out of Bequia but Rick and Jay sailed with me back to Union Island and on to Carriacou. The passages between islands were ideal. Some were on the boisterous side but it was the kind of sailing we enjoy.

Enough of the itinerary. Telling old Theta Chi tales was accompanied by a draining of Uproar’s rum and wine locker along with a few cases of beer. The four of us together could trigger more memories and stories. A few songs were sung, hopefully not loud enough for nearby boats to hear. One-by-one we would tap out of the evening stories, often past midnight. With a house of over 70 brothers, we had no shortage of material! Over the years, some of the more bizarre events are hard for even me to believe but the four of us brought them back to life.

We had dinner at the Fig Tree in Bequia. The Fig Tree generously hosted a cruiser’s pot luck for Christmas as they didn’t have staff to serve a dinner. We so enjoyed the gesture and return when in Bequia. Kristen, our 21 yo server yelled at me as I walked up the steps, “Wet paint on those steps!” That joke was just the start of a great meal and her endless entertainment. Kristen has the personality of half-a-dozen ladies her age. The next night we dinghied up to Bar One, floating bar at Princess Margret Beach. Kristen showed up later with hugs all around. She virtually ignored her boyfriend, hanging out with us. Hey! We still got it!

The guys just loved the contact with locals. It isn’t hard to make friends in the Caribbean. We all bought scrimshawed teeth pendants from Richie King and Clifford who dinghied up to Uproar. Jay bought a beautiful half-hull of a famous Bequia whaling boat. Jay was delighted to see a Dynamique 62 in the anchorage, a boat like one he owned.

Uproar has only three, double berths. Jay generously offered to sleep in the cockpit….until it rained, then he curled up on the setae , barely long enough. The boat looked like one of our rooms at the House. Clothing snorkeling gear and bags were everywhere. No problem.

Getting together with old friends reminded us of something else. We are getting old. We don’t move around like we used to but are doing OK. Even after 47 years, we are still brothers. We cherish our experience at Theta Chi, Theta Chi for life.