On Saturday, me & my intrepid, fellow Florida chipper decided to confirm &/or debunk a rumor regarding a new rack of chips that were said to in play on the Big M day cruise boat that departs from Ft. Myers Beach. Up early at the crack of dawn, we headed across Alligator Alley to the gulf side of the state. We had not sailed on this boat in quite some time & as we came over the bridge that connects Ft. Myers Beach to the mainland, there she sat, but it was unfamilar to our trained eyes. Our hearts began pounding & anticipation rose as we parked the car, got our VIP boarding passes & headed onboard. On the gulf side of the state, day cruise boats must travel 9 miles before reaching international waters, so our wait lasted approximately 1 1/2 hours before we could find out anything. Once the captain announced that we had reached that magic line in the gulf, the slot machines were turned on & the tables were allowed to begin play. Much to our surprise & great disappointment, the original rack of chips were still being used! Here we were, stuck in the gulf for the next 5 hours, with storms heading every which way. It was going to be a long trip for a number of people, including the odd looking greenish Let it Ride dealer. It turns out that the Big M goes into drydock for 3 weeks every year or so during the tourist season. Earlier this year, to avoid loosing any revenue, another ship was brought in as a pinch hitter. It was a ship from up north named "Horizon Cruises". They did use their own rack of chips which were as nondescript as the ones on the Big M. The crew, boat & chips returned to their port as soon as the Big M came out of drydock. That's the story of the "new rack", & whoever started that ugly rumor I have one thing to say, A major plague should visit your house & may your first born child marry at the age of 45 & have no children!
Both of us signed up for slot cards & picked up 1 or 2 that were left in the machines as the gulf kicked up 12 foot waves. It appeared to be the same card that they had been using from the start but surprise, surprise. When I got home my fellow Florida chipper had left a message that informed me that a radical design change had been made & that I had not noticed in my haste to get off the ship. The card no longer says "Moss Marina" That has been replaced with "Ft. Myers Beach" & the boat's telephone number. WOW, now that's radical. I have none to trade as I really thought that nothing had changed. Until our next adventure.