acean
Private Sailing Charter Aboard “Victoria” Beautiful 42’ Sailing Ketch Sailing from East Greenwich
• Full Day & Half Day Charters • Block Island Weekends • Sunset Cruises • Air Show Sail • Special Events
Peter B. Dupré U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain
401.742.3978 royalcrustaceancharters@hotmail.com
RoyalCrustaceanCharters.com
There’s only one way off this plane – and you won’t regret it
Great Grindas! A Rhode Island Favorite for almost 20 years Sandwiches, Pizza, Calzones, Salads, Soups and Goodness 5947 Post Road North Kingstown 401-885-0707 Open 7 Days a week
Special Offer With this ad Large Sandwich for the Price of a small OR $1.00 Off a small 30 SO RHODEISLAND | June 2011
It is on your bucket list, it is conveniently located in Middletown, and it offers an incomparable view of southern Rhode Island. So why not make this the summer you finally face your fears and feel the amazing rush that is skydiving? Skydiving is a one-of-a-kind experience that stays with you for a lifetime – that I can personally attest. I decided to take the faithful jump several years back to celebrate my birthday. At Skydive Newport they make sure all you need to show up with is the guts; no prior knowledge, experience or abilities are needed. The day starts sitting in the parking lot of the airport going back and forth with your friends, wondering whose idea this was in the first place and what drove you to such insanity. Then the conversation turns to whether you should actually go through with it or not, with statements as, “I mean, all we would lose is the deposit, and what’s a deposit when we have our lives, right?” But then you’ll muster the courage, open the car door and take the first steps towards the building, leaving the rest of the group to either find some bravery themselves or be forced to endure chagrin for what could be years to come.
Once you’ve finally pushed each other inside, it’s time to quickly sign your life away on the liability release and get your training. One of the great things about Skydive Newport, but also not the most stomach settling, is the training only takes a total of 15 minutes. No long, boring lessons or tests to pass – just a meeting with the instructors, a quick run through of the procedure, and it is time to suit up. Now, you may be a little wary of the idea that the training for jumping out of a plane could be so quick and painless, but don’t worry – so will hitting the pavement. (Kidding of course.) The reason behind this crash course is because your first jump will be a tandem one. Through the passenger/pilot system the center offers, you can make your jump harnessed to a highly experienced instructor with greater safety than ever. Once the training session is over, it’s time to throw on your jumpsuit, slip into your harness and board the plane. Think the seats are cramped on today’s commercial airliners? Once you climb into a Cessna 182 strapped to another human being, you will be begging to return to the luxury of having only your knees touch the seat in front of you and just the person’s elbow next to you
occasionally knocking into yours. The ascent gradually takes you 10,000 feet into the air with a view that makes the adventure worthwhile all by itself. On a cloudless day you can see all of Aquidneck Island, the surrounding lands, and the beautiful waters around them. That nice feeling about how beautiful the landscapes are and how peaceful everything looks gets completely wiped away when the instructor announces you have reached the jump zone. The time has come. There is no turning back. The instructor opens the door and you attempt to put your first foot out on the ledge of the plane, but it gets violently blown around by the high-speed winds. Your natural reaction is to run and hide when death comes knocking and you contemplate pulling your leg back into the plane, but that’s when reality sets in: you are strapped to another human being – not just any human being either, a human being who lives for jumping out of airplanes. Before you can turn around to express your fears or say your prayers, he’s pushing you right out the door. Cursing his name and wishing you were strong enough to fight through the wind to strangle him, a surreal feeling takes over. The thought of plum-