It all started with a request: help bring about a boat proposal on the Chesapeake Bay.
My coworker, Eric Richardson, was asked to help a friend of a friend, someone he had personally never met, who wanted to propose to his girlfriend on a boat in Tilghman Island, MD. Eric works here at PropTalk Magazine, so it was assumed he would know who to call in Tilghman. He did.
The boat was all arranged, with champagne and flowers no less, but then inclement weather moved in, and the rental boat company sadly had to cancel the reservation. So, Eric was wondering what he was possibly going to do. He offered to set this whole thing up, after all. He headed to Marker 5 for a drink while he pondered his options and struck up a conversation with a gentleman at the restaurant, Chris Mack.
Eric told Chris how his carefully thought-out plan was about to fall through and how disappointed he was, when Chris said, “I have a boat!”
I recently caught up with Chris who was more than happy to help bring about a happy ending. He says, “When something like that happens, it’s just perfect timing. I thought, ‘anything I can do to help save my soul.’
“When you’re out on the water, you help people. That’s the rule of thumb,” added Chris. “No one is left behind.”
Chris checked the weather to make sure it was safe and then everyone headed out on his Sportsman center console to Sharps Island Lighthouse. “It was great,” says Chris. “We were right there at Sharps Light, and they had two random strangers in front of them… things like that never go off exactly as planned, but I think that makes it so much more memorable.”
What does Craig, the man who proposed, have to think about this serendipitous meeting?
“I knew my fiancé Robbie’s happy place was on the water and that she absolutely loves being on boats,” says Craig. So, when we decided to take a few days in the Tilghman/St. Michael’s area, I knew that was where it was going to go down. I had to find a boat and a captain—check. It was all set up but then I received a text... there was an issue with the boat rental about 90 minutes before departure!
“Before I could respond to our captain, he found another solution. I was a bit nervous because I did not know what to expect with the new boat, but lo and behold, it was even nicer than what was planned. Once on the boat and departed, I was not that nervous.
“All of a sudden, we had a new captain in ‘Captain Chris’ and our previous one was first mate! I discovered the real story after the proposal when we were celebrating. It only added to the day, and we are so happy with how it all turned out. Thank the heavens for Eric and Captain Chris!”
So, I know this hasn’t been the easiest year (or two). But if you really look, you’ll find that this past year has also been full of great stories like this. Random acts of kindness; strangers coming together for no other reason than to help each other out. To bring about a happy ending. We could not be more thrilled for Craig and Robbie and everyone who came together to make this proposal happen—congratulations!
By Kaylie Jasinski