Story and photos by JoAnne & Bill Harris
S/V ULTRA
For several months, we had been messaging with a couple requesting assistance on a variety of cruising and travel-related matters. They were also interested in a dinghy we had for sale. However, we explained we were on the lookout for a longer dinghy and needed to locate it first.
Originally this was going to be a humorous story about how, after searching for one dinghy for over a year, we ended up with four dinghies within a month and a half. But the story would take an abrupt twist and become a matter of life and death.
Motherlode of Dinghies
After waiting so long, we were thrilled when friends called to say they had a longer used dinghy available for us. Even with much needed repairs, it was love at first sight. To our surprise, there was an additional used dinghy available. It also had repair issues, but we purchased that dinghy, too. Whichever dinghy fit best into our dinghy davits, we would keep. We knew of a longtime friend who would want the other.
Like Cinderella’s shoe, the longest dinghy fit perfectly inside our dinghy davits.
We still had two dinghies on deck, but upon arrival at our next port, our friend took the shorter, used dinghy. Then we were back to just two.
Hugs, Water and Cold Drinks
We finally met the couple we had been messaging with. They had gotten their boat and picked up a mooring ball one morning near ULTRA at the beautiful West End on the island of Roatán, off the mainland of Honduras.We dinghied over to greet them while towing the smaller dinghy they had been waiting to purchase. They reiterated how happy they were that we had saved our dinghy for them. To that, we said a promise is a promise. They purchased it and also gave a generous donation to our ULTRA Community Projects to help local families in need.
A boat is a boat, and there is always something to be repaired or replaced. Our new friends’ boat was no different; the freshwater pump and refrigerator had packed up. We went back to ULTRA and returned with 40 gallons of drinking water we had made with our watermaker and some cold drinks for them.
Exhausted after their passage, the couple was ready for a rest and we told them we would see them later. We were tired, too, since we had gotten home from a West Bay dinner party around midnight, then arisen at 5 a.m. to play pickleball with the locals.
It was a hot morning and time to take a dip in the sea, which was relaxing until we saw their old dinghy floating by us and out to sea. We jumped in our new dinghy to retrieve it and deliver it back to their boat. Afterwards, we took a nap, since a planned dinner party aboard ULTRA meant another late night. We woke up to find the couple’s dinghy tied to ULTRA’s stern with 2 Salva Vida beers on the floor. On top of their monetary donation, they had also generously donated their old dinghy to our ULTRA Community Projects.
We invited the couple to our dinner party, but they were tired and needed a quiet night. Soon ULTRA was full of people, old friends, fellow cruisers and pickleballers, with drinks and stories flowing. The girls made up a care package for the couple with homemade Pad Thai, dessert, and cold drinks, and the boys delivered it to them. After a full day and night, we were in bed well past the cruisers’ midnight (9 p.m.)
The next day, JoAnne took the wife to town in our new dinghy while the husband stayed onboard repairing the broken freshwater pump. We invited them to go and hear live music with us, but they stayed onboard for another quiet night.
Saying Goodbye and Giving Back
Then it was time for us to sail on to the Bay island of Guanaja to continue our ULTRA Community Projects there for the families who lost their homes in the devastating fire of October 2021. We said our goodbyes to the couple and everyone else. We dropped the hook at almost sunset and had a joyous reunion with cruisers and fellow members of OCC and SSCA that we had not seen in several years.
The following day, we met with Mayor Spurgeon, Vice Mayor Sheray, Mr. Wendall and other members of the municipality to see how ULTRA Community Projects could help further. We worked hard with cruiser volunteers to transport and distribute all of the generous donations of building materials, bedding, and more, then did Art/Cake Day with the kindergarteners. We sincerely appreciate S/V Deep Blue, S/V UJamN and S/V Wild Iris for their help in this endeavor.
It was time to assess what the families needed to move forward. Building materials, tools and house paint are most urgent, so we are working hard to raise money to purchase these items. Together with our volunteer team, it will be amazing to return soon and work hard to rebuild this area as it was before.
The Couple Are Rescued
A few days after our departure from Roatán, we received a message in the wee hours of the morning that there was a sailboat aground: We suspected it was the same couple. We quickly got in touch with our local contacts and the authorities and tried several times to reach the couple by phone, WhatsApp, and VHF radio, but without success. We posted to see if anyone else had seen the couple and if they were safe. After what seemed like an eternity, the couple contacted us and confirmed in fact that it was their boat aground and that they had been rescued and were safely onshore.
They explained that bad weather combined with fuel problems had led to their boat’s demise. It went hard aground on the rocks and took on water. During the night, the bilge pumps were still keeping up, but they waited until daylight to safely depart. It was a harrowing story of how the inflatable dinghy we had sold them just days before safely carried them over the jaggedy rocks with a tiny outboard motor. Once ashore, they were taken in by a friendly island family. Unfortunately, the dinghy that saved their lives floated out to sea and has not yet been located.
We never know who we will meet next in this life and what stories will come out of it. This story ended with the couple safe and a wonderful community coming together to help them. To the families who helped in the rescue of the couple and opened up their hearts and their homes to them, we and the couple are truly grateful. To all of those who messaged us about this emergency and then quickly assembled and assisted, we are truly grateful. This love and compassion for others makes the world go around. Feel The Love!
They say it takes a village, however, in this case it was an island. This is not the first time we have assisted with an incident like this and we ourselves have had close calls. It could happen to anyone, at any time, and anywhere. The wonderful couple wished for us to thank everyone who helped them but asked us to kindly not publish their names. We respectfully granted their wishes.
Note: The dinghy the couple donated to us, the fourth dinghy, we donated to another local friend who is always volunteering to help us within the cruising community and is also in need. ULTRA is now back to just one dinghy onboard.
Bill and JoAnne Harris cruise aboard their homebuilt trimaran sailboat, ULTRA, along with their Siamese kitty, Sailor. The couple are the Ocean Cruising Club Port Officers and the Seven Seas Cruising Association cruising hosts for Honduras including The Bay Islands. Through their ULTRA Community Projects and their SSCA Clean Wake Projects, they along with their volunteer team give back to local families in need as well as the environment. If you wish to donate, please visit: www.paypal.me/svultraharris or contact them to volunteer.
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