Just Sit Right Back & You'll Read a Tale, a Tale of a Fateful Trip

I never thought I'd be able to say I was stranded at sea but that's what I was today. Stranded at sea.

My cousin, Eva, and I have been going out with our fathers every morning to fish. We load up the boat, head to the dock and off we go! Today, we left around 8 and headed out to island hoping to catch the big one. Nope. Nothing. We go to another island and same deal. Another island, same thing. Eva and I decide to quit on the whole fishing thing and just dive into the water. 

On the way back home our dads make one more stop at a sandbar to try one last time. Eva and I just lay on the boat hoping to dry off before finishing the ride back. We were talking about how if we had to get wet again we'd be pretty upset. 

Well. Our dads return empty handed, get in the boat and attempt to start the motor. That's right. Attempt. It's broken. We have one little paddle that does nothing so we're just kind of bobbing along and going with the waves. Eva asks her dad, "How deep is the water here?" "About 3 feet deep," he says. She jumps in surprising us all. "Didn't see that one coming," her dad says. At first he thought she fell in. I just thought she was crazy. Anyway, she grabs the rope and starts pulling the boat back to shore. She's so brave. I just sat at the very front of the boat watching her. No way was I going in there. Especially after watching 'Soul Surfer' the night before coming down here. 

Then my uncle gets out to push. Then my dad gets out. So I'm just sitting in the boat knowing I should help some how but refusing to enter the water. My dad leaves the boat and gets to shore to find his car, meet us at some boat ramp...I don't know. Meanwhile, I'm still bobbing around in the boat, my uncle is pulling it and Eva is sitting at the other end of the boat. We go under a bridge...still walking with the boat. Then my uncle hits mud. He's up to his waist in mud, water on top of that and hanging on to the boat saying he can't hang on any longer. I honestly thought he was going to drown. 

I don't know how but we finally get to shore. Eva and I had to stay with the boat while our dads worked some stuff out. My mom calls as we are waiting. "What are you guys up to?" Siiigh.

Did I mention I feel guilty for not helping?