The rescue

It was a lively transatlantic cruise. At the height of summer, it was full of tourists having fun in the Caribbean seas. The day was perfect as it always was in that place, especially at that time of the year. Nothing could go wrong.

The captain was excited about his first trip working in a tourist ship. All those years of coast guard work were behind him. He no longer needed to patrol, pursue pirates or take risks. It would be enough to ensure people’s safety and fun.

Oh, how she loved that sun and those waters. And now, especially, he loved the lightness of his new obligations. He saw children running around, families enjoying the day, couples in love and drunk singles partying.

A week had passed and the most serious incident was that there was a lack of lobster in the restaurant. Okay, they were in the easiest place in the world to resolve this issue. In a short time, a fishing boat from the region was contacted and quickly supplied the giant ocean.

Everything seemed to be going well. Until one day the captain, resorting to the old habits of surveillance, began to see how things were around him. Its powerful telescope caught a movement on a distant island. Curious.

A closer look in the direction of the small island showed that there was a man in tattered clothes, long beard and long hair. Strange, he didn’t remember any accident reports. Although, by his apparent state, that poor castaway had been isolated there for some time. It was time to act.

Soon, he informed the crew about the new mission that crossed their way. The crew tried to get the captain to change his mind. After all, they were transporting passengers who paid to follow a tourist itinerary. It was better to just warning the coast guard, so they would deal with the problem. It seemed that they did not remember that one of the most legendary members of the Caribbean coast guard was right there in front of them.

Okay, said the captain. He understood that he had a commitment to passengers. So he prepared an emergency meeting where everyone on the ship gathered on the main deck. In a passionate speech, the captain showed everyone the need to change the route for a greater cause. Or else, they would have to leave the poor man out in the open, perhaps for a few more days, waiting for the coast guard.

The reaction could not be more encouraging. The passengers practically unanimously understood the small sacrifice that the situation demanded. It was really time to make a detour and soon the ship turned to port. Through the powerful lenses of his spyglass, the captain saw the animated reaction of the castaway who immediately started waving his arms to get the ship’s attention. He must have been desperate. How many ships had passed by without realizing someone who needed to be saved there?

Soon they were closer to the island. They were treacherous waters with stones hidden on all sides, the captain soon realized. It was no surprise that an accident happened in that place. But in order not to happen another accident, it would be more prudent to descend with a rescue boat instead of reaching the island with the huge ocean liner.

The captain himself was in the rescue boat and saw that the castaway was still gesticulating furiously, even as they got closer and closer. Poor man, he must have been really desperate. Finally, they landed on the island and everyone was surprised by the story they heard.

That man had been on the island for over a year, after an accident on a small adventurous expedition among elite people in the business world. He himself had learned to fly his boat and was shipwrecked alone in those waters. The captain introduced himself as a former crew member of the coast guard and reassured the man, saying that soon, he would be back in his former life.

Then, the castaway made it clear that the captain had not understood the situation. In fact, he had never been so healthy in both ways, physically and mentally. Island life was all he needed, he was eating better, he no longer had any symptoms of stress. His hair had even grown back.

The captain then asked about all the gestures to draw attention as soon as the ship changed direction. The castaway then smiled slightly and said that the captain still had a lot of coast guard in him. In fact, the desperate arm movements were precisely for the ship to take its course. Instead of going to that island to rescue someone who had already been rescued by the island itself.