Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day 81 continued: On the ropes
After our afternoon photo session, we headed up to the Happy Arrr Bar on top of Marina Cay where Michael Beans entertains the crowd each afternoon with his harmonica, guitar and witty pirate songs. It's one heck of a parrrrrrty!
Once the sun set and the party died down a bit, we headed to the dock to catch the ferry back to Tortola. Little did we know, the fun was just beginning...
As the boat pulled up, we could tell something was wrong. The captain informed us that the rope at the back of the ferry was stuck in the propellor. A few phone calls were made, but as the minutes passed it became clear that help was not on its way.
Enter the hero of this tale: Michael!
Like MacGyver or MacGruber {if you're more familiar with the SNL parody}, Michael announced his plan of action. All he needed was a bathing suit, flash light, steak knife, mouthwash and a paper clip.
He bought a bathing suit at the Pusser's Company Store. Thank goodness it was still open! And armed with a steak knife courtesy of a nearby charter boat, he jumped in the water.
As you can see from the photo, it was very dark. The water here is probably 15 feet deep. Another boat gave us a few flashlights to shine on the water so Michael could see exactly where he need to cut the rope to clear it from the prop.
It took Michael eight or nine trips under the water before he emerged with the freed rope in hand! Sharon, you should know, he was extremely cautious. By this time a crowd had gathered, many of whom were relying on the ferry to take them back to Tortola as well.
Everyone was so grateful. One group from Boston even presented him with a can of Pringles to show their thanks!
I'm sure by this time next week, after the story has been told and retold, there will be sharks circling underneath the boat and Michael will have used that paper clip and mouthwash somehow. No matter how this story is embellished, in my mind, nothing can top what actually happened. I'm so very proud of him!
As the boat pulled up, we could tell something was wrong. The captain informed us that the rope at the back of the ferry was stuck in the propellor. A few phone calls were made, but as the minutes passed it became clear that help was not on its way.
Enter the hero of this tale: Michael!
Like MacGyver or MacGruber {if you're more familiar with the SNL parody}, Michael announced his plan of action. All he needed was a bathing suit, flash light, steak knife, mouthwash and a paper clip.
He bought a bathing suit at the Pusser's Company Store. Thank goodness it was still open! And armed with a steak knife courtesy of a nearby charter boat, he jumped in the water.
As you can see from the photo, it was very dark. The water here is probably 15 feet deep. Another boat gave us a few flashlights to shine on the water so Michael could see exactly where he need to cut the rope to clear it from the prop.
{That's me lying down on the dock, flashlights in hand.}
It took Michael eight or nine trips under the water before he emerged with the freed rope in hand! Sharon, you should know, he was extremely cautious. By this time a crowd had gathered, many of whom were relying on the ferry to take them back to Tortola as well.
Everyone was so grateful. One group from Boston even presented him with a can of Pringles to show their thanks!
I'm sure by this time next week, after the story has been told and retold, there will be sharks circling underneath the boat and Michael will have used that paper clip and mouthwash somehow. No matter how this story is embellished, in my mind, nothing can top what actually happened. I'm so very proud of him!
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3 comments:
What I love most about this story is that Michael couldn't just jump into the water in whatever he had on - No. If you know Michael, it is no surprise that he had to purchase an entirely new outfit before becomign MacGruber! Hilarious story . . .
A true american hero!
Michael where was your Swiss army knife? A steak knife? Good job!
Mom