Page 94 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2024 LIMA

CRUISIN’ WITH THE BLUES
STORY BY MARGIE GOLDSMITH | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSEPH A. ROSEN

or years, friends have been urging
me to go on The Legendary Rhythm
and Blues Cruise, an eight-day sail‐
F ing with top blues musicians play‐
ing on ten stages from morning till 4am. No
one has to buy a ticket to any show -- it’s
all included. You can sit in the front row
whenever you want because no seat is re‐
served. You don’t need an umbrella be‐
cause this festival is indoors and on
covered decks. My friends said I’d be crazy
not to go, but I hate big ships. They seem
so impersonal, like a Las Vegas casino
floating in the water.
I had more reasons not to go. I have
type 1 diabetes and my insulin needs to be
refrigerated. The staff assured me every
cabin had a mini fridge. I have serious health
issues and have been in hospitals too many
times. Would there be a doctor on board?
Yes, there was a full medical facility. What if
something unforeseeable happened -- would
I be able to fly home early without losing
money? Yes, said my travel insurance com‐
pany.
Still, I was hesitant. There would be 2,400
other blues lovers onboard, and I was going
alone. Would I be lonely? What if I hated the
cruise? But this wasn’t just any cruise; this
was the famous Legendary Rhythm and
Blues Cruise. So, in spite of my concerns and
because I love the blues, I signed up.

Young African American artists who play
Blues. L to R. of front line: Stephen Hull,
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Sean “Mack”
McDonald, Mathias Lattin, Dylan Triplett

94 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2024