Chapter 55

"Time to be moving," encouraged Tracy. "We need to fill up with diesel in St Thomas before they close the pumps for Christmas." And so on Saturday afternoon we sailed the last 8 miles into St Thomas's main port of Charlotte Amelie going straight to the fuel dock. I was learning by watching Tracy about keep our floating circus on the move and the precautions she took - this for instance was her last chance for clean fuel for many miles and dirty fuel was by far the biggest cause of diesel engine failures. Into my notebook went ⑥ Find out how to get clean fuel.

We were right beside 4 huge cruise ships, here to give their passengers a day's duty free shopping I guess because the number of passengers had to be in the thousands for each one so they can hardly have planned for them all to drop into a café! From being the biggest boat around we were dwarfed into insignificance!

Tracy had a pre-arranged a marina berth for us nearby so once secured there Tracy, Bruce and I had a tidy up in preparation for visitors while Sheila and the Worths made some last minute buys ashore. By the time everyone was back on board munching on pizza as we looked out over the harbour, people were turning on the Christmas lights they had strung in their rigging.

This was going to be my first Christmas away from home and I felt disorientated. There were so many things about Christmas I took for granted that weren't happening, like Christmas songs from speakers in public place - Noddy Holder where are you? Christmas is supposed to be cold, bleak, wet and windy not warm with blue skies and palm trees! The voices from the other boats are almost exclusively from American 'snowbirds'who migrate south from the USA following the sun.

It seems that WorthIt II was to be the hub for Michael and Sam's snowbird friends who were holidaying in nearby villas. It started fairly gently on the Saturday evening with two couples joining us for drinks nibbles and chat in WorthIt's saloon. On Sunday though, the boat quickly filled so that by 2pm when we cast off from the marina, there were in addition to the 8 of us another 4 couples and 4 assorted teenagers aboard. Bruce and I did what we could to help Sheila beside moving WorthIt 4nm out to Buck Island for an afternoon of snorkelling and scuba diving om the wreck of the Cartanza Señora.

The only sort of shark attacks I'd ever imagined were like those in the Jaws films but it seems things don't always go that way. Sheila and I were the only ones on board and preparing food when we heard cries for help from one of the sugar scoop stern platforms. Bruce had hauled one of the teenage scuba divers that far up from the wreck and seeing the problem Sheila and I managed to get the boy half out of the water on his belly. There was no room for Bruce to get out of the water past the boy's prone body so he left Sheila and I to get on with things while he swam to the other hull. The boy wasn't breathing and was too heavy for us to lift to the main deck so in the cramped space I used a very old artificial respiration technique of alternating pressure on his back and lifting his elbows to keep him going until help arrive. As luck would have it the before Bruce even got to us the boy was coughing and spluttering so all that was left for Bruce and I to do was help him up the steps and for Sheila to excuse herself and get back to the galley.

"Don't you dare tell my parents what happened," the boy begged. "If they find out I will be grounded for life!" Which is why the afternoon continued as though nothing had happened. Swimmers gradually tired of bothering the fish, showered and changed into dry clothes so by 17:30 WorthIt II was back securely in her marina berth where at 18:00 the guests were served in Sheila's words, 'Homard sauté à la crème'.

"Well little lady this is mighty fine," one of the guests exclaimed to Sheila when she next approached the table, "but I know my seafood and this is 'Lobster Newberg'".

I'm not sure if it was the implied criticism of her culinary knowledge or being referred to as 'little lady' but Sheila exploded. "Don't you dare talk to me as though I don't know what I'm doing in the galley. If you knew what you were doing as a parent you'd have taught your son to have a bit of respect for sharks so Bruce and Venus wouldn't be waiting on you this evening without a word of thanks for saving you son's life!"

That's why the full story came out as told by the red faced boy. How on finding a harmless nurse shark tucked under a ledge he had vigorously prodded it to get it out for a better view. In fleeing the shark had head-butted him in the solar plexus and with a flick of its tail ripped the respirator from his mouth leaving him winded and gasping in water.

The boy was correct in one thing as he was immediately grounded until he left for college at 18, to take effect once they got back to Texas. There was however an unexpected bonus effect as the social gulf that divided the Worth's and their friends from we crew dissolved for a few hours. It was after all Christmas Eve…