Theme Song: “Rescue Me,” Fontella Bass
I was drenched in sweat from digging heliconia plants on our island, so the rough seas and accompanying breeze were a welcome change on what should have been a 15-minute boat ride back to Bocas Town. About midway there, though, our motor stopped as it slammed into a wave.
After several attempts to restart the motor we called for help. The sky was so beautiful we didn’t mind the wait. Virgilio called into town for a rescue boat. Pictured here are the actual photos I texted to my wife, Barb, back in Michigan while we were lost at sea.
There was no sign of the rescue boat, but even with the darkness approaching, the balmy air and soothing rhythm of the waves kept us in good spirits.
Soon it was pitch black except for the faint lights of Bocas Town in the distance. It felt like something between fact and fantasy as we bobbed in the dark balmy Caribbean.
The rescue boat searched for over an hour without success, despite our repeated attempts to wave them down with our flashlight apps. Just as we were getting hungry, Virgilio was able to get the motor started! Yay!
It took us less than ten minutes to make it to Bocas Town. We celebrated with burgers and fries!
As it turned out, the rescue boat had run out of gas looking for us and was stranded. Virgilio headed out to sea and successfully rescued the rescue boat!
Sometimes our project feels a bit like being lost at sea, but we continue to be optimistic. Hopefully we will have a happy ending just like in the fairytales.
Have you ever been stranded on a boat? How did it end?
