"Just sit right back

And you'll hear the tale

Of a lovely lady

And a man named Brady,

A tale of a fateful trip,

One day when the lady met this fellow,

Aboard this tiny ship..."

Carol Martin's diary:

June 23, 1964

Honolulu is definitely the nicest place that Tim has been stationed so far, but I'm not crazy about always having to resettle. Yes, I know that that was what I agreed to when I married a man in the Navy, but it is hard with three small girls. And Marcia was very fond of her school in San Diego. I hated to uproot her again.

The other girls are too little for it to matter much. To be honest, I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself, always having to make new friends. Even for an extrovert like me, that isn't easy. I get attached to people and then have to say goodbye.

But for now we're in beautiful Hawaii. It's funny to think that it's been a state only a few months longer than Jan has been alive. Of course, the Hawaiian culture is very old, and fascinating. I want to see as much as I can, although it means taking the girls along, even the baby.

Tim told me about his old friend, Captain Jonas Grumby. They met during the war. (Tim joined up at 16, lying about his age. Luckily, the war was almost over by then.) Capt. Grumby has a little tour boat here in Hawaii, and I think that would be fun, for me and the girls. (Tim will be busy with work of course.) The tour takes three hours, which is a long time for Cindy, but I'll bring plenty of diapers and toys and so on. She probably won't get much out of the tour of course, but Marcia and Jan should love it.

Right now, we're sitting on the beach. Marcia and Jan are building a sand castle. Jan is very good at it, especially for four and a half. Bill always calls her Francine Lloyd Wright and jokes that she'll grow up to be an architect. There aren't very many female architects of course, but I remember seeing Hearst Castle and that had a woman architect. As for Marcia, she's mostly doing the decorating, putting shells and little stones and whatever else she can find on the beach. And I'm doing my best to keep an eye on Cindy, making sure she doesn't swallow sand, even if it does look like sugar.

Our tour leaves in an hour, so we'll have to go back to the hotel soon and get our things. But for now I'm enjoying the sunshine on the beach and trying to get a tan. (I'm tempted to buy a bikini, but I don't know if that would be proper for a mother of three, even if I'm not yet thirty.)

First mate's log:

June 23, 1964

Docked in Honolulu. Picked up fifteen passengers- Mr. and Mrs. Howell (very rich couple), Ginger Grant (the movie star!), Professor Roy Hinkley, Mary Ann Summers (farm girl from Kansas, not sure how she got here), and two families (Mr. and Mrs. Brady, their three little boys, and their maid, and Mrs. Martin and her three little girls). Most of the kids are too young to charge them fares, but I can see it's going to be a noisy trip. Weather report is clear and sunny. The sea is calm.

The Skipper's calling. Gotta go.

June 24, 1964

I can't write much right now but I feel like leaving some kind of record. I hope that we'll survive this, but if we don't, well, maybe someone will find my diary.

I'm trying to be brave for the girls' sake. Even little Cindy is scared, although she doesn't understand what's happening.

There's another family on board, a couple and their three sons, who are about the ages of my girls. They also brought their maid, who's been a big help, to me as well.

There's a terrible storm. The ship's captain says there was no mention of it on the weather report. He seems brave and sure, and I'm doing my best to trust him. Mr. Howell is more skeptical and I hear him grumbling to his wife sometimes. Yes, Thurston Howell IV and his wife are on board. I've never met a millionaire before of course, and I certainly didn't expect to meet one on this humble vessel.

There's also Ginger Grant the movie star! Marcia, who's seven, asked for her autograph, before the storm started. She obliged, but now I can't help wondering if we'll ever see Marcia's scrapbook again.

The other two passengers are just ordinary people, like me. There's a professor and a farm girl. She, Mary Ann, seems very nice. Well, most of the people do. But it is difficult being on this small boat with sixteen other people. The children are all small, so they don't take up much room, but they certainly add to the chaos.

We have to sleep and eat in shifts, although the babies, mine and the tiniest Brady boy, of course nap when they can. I hope the food holds out. The crew provides free lunches as part of the tour, but the sandwiches and so on won't last indefinitely.

"Mommy, will we see Daddy again?" Jan asked last night when we were supposed to be sleeping.

I didn't want to lie to her but I didn't want to add to her fear. "I hope so, Darling, but not right away," was the best I could manage. Oh, Tim, I wish you were here! I can't help envying Barbara Brady, who has her husband with her. Mike Brady seems so calm and rational, but also very sweet with her and the children. I can just imagine how awful it is for Tim, waiting for us back in Honolulu. I'll send word to him as soon as we reach land.

The storm is getting worse. I'll write again when it's calmer.

June 24, 1964

Wow, there's a real storm brewing out there! I'm trying to help the Skipper and keep the passengers calm, but it isn't easy when there are so many of them, including little kids.

The storm wasn't on the forecast. The Skipper can't explain it. But I don't blame him. He's doing the best he can.

Believe me, it doesn't help to have rich people like the Howells on board, when they're used to traveling in style. Even on a regular tour, that would've been a challenge. But they're not all bad. I saw Mrs. Howell loan a couple of her furs (she and her husband brought a bunch of clothes) to the kids to use as blankets.

Oh, Peter Brady's throwing up! Gotta go!

June 25, 1964

The storm continues. I could stand it if the crew could just get a signal on the radio. But we're cut off from everyone. Marcia told Greg Brady that her daddy would come save them because he's in the Navy. But Tim would have to find us first.

There are only two crew members, the Skipper and his first mate, Gilligan. I'm not sure if that's his first or last name, but that's what he wants everyone to call him, even the children. He's clumsy and not too bright, but he is very good with the children, making them laugh when they're scared.

June 25, 1964

I asked the Skipper, when none of the passengers were around of course, and it wasn't easy to find a moment like that, but I asked him, "Skipper, tell me the truth, do you think we'll die?"

And he said, "Little Buddy, you saved my life in the Navy, and I don't think you saved it just for me to lose it out here."

When Greg Brady asked me if I thought we'll all die, I said, "Nah, the Skipper knows what he's doing." Greg is eight but he looked like he didn't quite believe me.