Good Deed Day

St Croix: 10-12 Jun 09

Oooops!

Our plans for an early start to Buck Island were delayed a little.  “Darling”, said GS as she poured the morning coffee. “Does that yacht look slightly askew to you?”  “I say, darling, yes it does,” replied Cap’n, the scent of drama budding in the early morning air.

You can see the extent of the reef from this picture.
We were anchored over to the right (not in piture).  From Wiki

Middle reef lay claim to its notoriety and had collected yet another victim during the night.  The action unfolded right before our eyes!  Cap’n Speedo could hardly spare time to fix his trusty cape before he and Bruce leapt to the rescue.  It seemed that no-one else was interested….  The victims were an older chap and his trusty Labrador, both of whom the Cap’n transported to the safety of a nearby marina.  Poor miss labby had to be coaxed into the dingy; she’d had a rough night of it.  Safely dispatched, we watched over coffee as the marina lads tried in vain to pull the yacht off the reef with their beefy runabout.  It was well & truly aground, although in reasonable condition, all things considered.  It was still there when we left for Culebra, the next day.

Cap'n & Bruce to the rescue

Later, we watched a couple of blokes in a dinghy, just a few metres from us, as they tried to row against a fresh breeze and current.  Their engine had stalled and an obliging Cap’n offered a tow.  No thanks, they were going to make it!  As they slowly drifted further and further out into the middle of the harbour…  Finally, a shout gained himself’s attention and off he raced; cape hardly dry since last good deed.

Our third good deed was in fact to ourselves.  Yes, we forgot the dinghy engine key in our eagerness to cast off for a snorkelling adventure.  Yes, that same fresh breeze and strong current sure made for some energetic paddling before we made it (slowly) back to WJ3.  Of course, the GS’s helpful (Ed. aka skipper: not helpful ) suggestions were not well received. He described it more as “whining/moaning”!!  Anyway, there’s noticeably less flab on our arms these days…