Gabby relieves the Adventure
Delgado was a university student in Veracruz when he first met the Starkells nine years ago. Jeff Starkell, who had come that far with his brother and father, had just returned to Winnipeg, convinced that to continue the canoe trip would be suicide.
Their first attempt at crossing the Gulf of Mexico had nearly killed the three of them. They were grounded in Veracruz for three months, waiting for spring to bring calmer waters to the gulf and in the meantime, were searching for someone to replace Jeff.
Most Mexicans assumed Don and Dana were crazy when they said they had paddled to Mexico from Winnipeg, Delgado laughs. Did he believe them? “Their skin was black and their hair white. It was incredible, but yes.”
Delgado befriended the duo, rescuing them from their stifling, ant-infested hotel and bringing them to live in his boarding house. There, the Starkells learned Spanish and Delgado learned English, and a strong bond developed.
For so many months, Dana explains, he and his father had come to block out everything that didn’t relate to their survival. Now Gabby, as he calls himself, was part of that survival. He helped them get needed supplies, translate for the various immigration officials, and keep them out of trouble in a different country.
For Gabby, the Starkells were the first Canadians he had ever met. Their trip sounded fantastic and more and more he began to think about joining them.
At the time, Delgado says, he was struggling to overcome what was the start of a drug habit. “I was a little bit into drugs. Life was not going well.”
Gabby looked at the Starkell challenge as an opportunity to turn his life around, and build his self-esteem.
