It probably was not about the "race" but about the love of the sea. You could see it in pictures at the end of the race. An old man and his love of his boat all-the-while meeting the challenges of the sea winds along with his complete embracement of the wild blue.

It was my Puff the Magic Dragon adventure - sailing a race to Pensacola and coming back via the waterways to the Gulf again. From my work in relief in Hancock County it was like morphing into another world for a little while and embracing all the benefits the rest of the real world has everyday - not that everyone takes off across the Gulf from Gulfport Mississippi headed to Pensacola, Florida, in a 36 foot sloop to race a dozen or so other dream chasers.

And so it was - sights and sounds not seen in the humdrum of driving the highways and byways of the land based scenic tours.

And at LouLou's, on the waterway out of Pensacola, there they were - a duo playing to the noon time crowd and singing Puff the Magic Dragon. Yes, it was true - Mr. Puff never will leave us. A little bit of that magic dragon of dreams remains in all of us including the ole man.