The plan was to have no agenda: putter out of Dauphin Island early, hug the coast, stop whenever, explore wherever, dock in Biloxi, nightcap at the casinos. The next morning, head back east; putter some more, visit some barrier islands, fish a little, take some pictures along the way.
Mother Nature had other ideas.
Captain George Cunningham, photographer Major Adam Colbert, and MB publisher Jocko Potts spent a couple of days dodging storms along the Mississippi Sound, braving rough waters and loving every minute of it.
“That was an adventure, man, ” says Major, a Birmingham native making his first trip to the area. “At every single turn I experienced something new.” Major, dubbed “Gonzo” by Jocko, left a corporate job in Miami to pursue photography. Nothing about the scruffy, long-haired 28-year-old throwback says “corporate.” He’s an outdoorsman and a storyteller. Walking the shore, in a camouflage vest and carrying camera equipment, he looked like a gonzo journalist from the ’60s covering Southeast Asia, thus the nickname.
Gonzo gave us a first-hand account of the two-day jaunt along the Alabama and Mississippi coasts:
“This was the first time I got out of the boat. I didn’t know how shallow it was. George had jumped out – little did I know it was only up to his waist. We walked Petit Bois island. I discovered little island bugs that like to chew on you if you slowed down too much.”
“That guy was having a good time. He was talking to himself, carrying on. It was him and some pelicans. He was just babbling.It looked like an interesting conversation.”
“This was at the end of our trip, after we’d shut it down for the night. She’s one of the locals that live around George’s house on Dauphin Island.”
“Every time George got in the water, he would go be in peace. It was cool because he seemed at home on and in the water. He’s pretty spry too. Kind of like a merman. He’s got those big ol’ feet.”
“I was up in the front of the boat. Jocko was hanging on to the side. He made a good picture. He looked like a pirate.”
“George was constantly fishing. He first caught a bunch of shrimp, and then started pulling in speckled trout right and left. That one came home to Birmingham with me and I shared it with my lady. It was delicious.”
