BEWARE OF THE GOOD CAPTAIN

WHERE THERE IS NO STRUGGLE

THERE IS NO STRENGTH!!

At the beginning of the 1900's, North Florida was not the tourist Mecca it is today. However, some people began to discover the beauty and attraction of the area. Conch Island is located on the very North - East corner of Florida just north of St. Augustine Beach and just south of St. Augustine Inlet. Actually Conch Island is part of Anastasia State Park.

There was a specific breed of Gull that lived on Conch Island that people called the Conch Island Sea Gulls. This particular breed of gull was different than the gulls we see along the beaches today. The Conch Island Sea Gulls were much larger gulls, they had a much larger wingspan, broader chest area and had a majestic dignified appearance, some people likened them to eagles. In short, they were the largest most beautiful breed of gull.

These gulls lived, nested and raised their young on Conch Island. They would fly out for miles into the Atlantic Ocean, feed on the sardine beds, then return to Conch Island to feed their young and nest.

At the turn of the century the shrimping industry grew in that area. The shrimp boats began to harvest the rich crop of shrimp off the coast of Conch Island. Just before dawn one day, a shrimping captain, we will call him the GOOD CAPTAIN, saw and admired the beauty of the gulls. The CAPTAIN, wanting to do something nice for the gulls decided to dump the remains of his catch (fish heads etc.) on the shore for the gulls to eat. The gulls began to awaken, and people say you could almost understand their body language, they were extremely happy about the CAPTAIN doing them a favor. Now they did not have to fly 50 miles or so out in the ocean for food, they literally had BREAKFAST IN BED! Other Captains saw the gulls feeding on the catch remains, followed suit of the GOOD CAPTAIN and dumped the remains of their catch on the beach for the gulls to eat as well. This went on for a good period of time.

After harvesting the area pretty well the shrimp boats moved on to other shrimping areas. One day the gulls awoke to find no BREAKFAST IN BED! People witnessing the gulls reported they were very unhappy. The gulls began to fight among themselves, they ran around in frustration, swalking and flapping their wings. After an extended period of time, gulls began killing each other and each others young. Witness said some gulls began to try to rise up and fly but could hover only for a short time and began to tire. Other gulls tried to fly out to the old feeding grounds but had aged or had grown to heavy and died in flight. Others made it all the way to the old feeding grounds but were too exhausted to make it back and died returning to Conch Island. The remaining gulls could not find a significant amount of food on Conch Island so they began to die in large numbers. Eventually, all the gulls died out and this breed of gull became extinct!

One question and a moral to the story:

1. Why did the gulls die?

Answer: Because of the GOOD CAPTAIN, being nice to them was not what they needed.

Just because someone is nice to you does not mean they are your friends. Teachers, coaches, employers who do not challenge you are NOT your friends.

Moral of the story:

BEWARE OF THE GOOD CAPTAINS IN LIFE and

WHERE THERE IS NO STRUGGLE THERE IS NO STRENGTH!!