S/Lt Head was in charge of charting a passage across the reef to the
stricken S.S. TUSCANY to 'rescue' the stranded crew members. Two work-boats
were launched, one to carry our team, the other to stow the crew and
their immediate belongings on the return trip. I was 'volunteered'
to be the 'advance' scout to find a way through the rocks on the reef,
which didn't seem like a tough order, there were dark rock shapes and
white sand in between - what could be difficult about working through
that? So I jumped in, with life jacket inflated.
After navigating the
boat-train through the most difficult section, I found myself confronted
with small breakers on the far side that made it difficult to stand
on a rock or swim to the boat, so I deflated my life jacket (sorry
Captain), so I could at least have some control over my actions. It
was about then that I noticed the half dozen fins crossing at right
angles to our path and about to cross the stern of the last boat. I
didn't wait to find out how friendly the sharks in this region might
be and Christ might have been able to walk on water - I think I ran across
it! I launched myself into the trailing boat just before the arrival
of those fins.
On return to our ship, I noticed on the Quarterdeck
a broken 'boat-hook'. Now I am not sure what timber is used to make
these stout poles with the unique 'boat-hook'. on the end, but it would
be damn difficult to snap one. So I asked the seaman handling it how
it had happened. "Err . . . we were doing a crossing earlier and
pushing of from the rocks, when one of the "rocks" turned
out to be a giant clam and snapped it." I
had been jumping from dark spot to dark spot, assuming them all to
be rocks,
not half an hour earlier!!
See? NEVER volunteer!! But then again, how many people could claim
to have stood in the middle of the China Sea?