“It was a dark and stormy night,” as the old stories used to begin. But this was not a story; this was true—and in our modern times—and in “Pelican Bay,” not far away.
It was about 10:30 at night when a towboat crew reported to the Coast Guard that they had found a capsized dinghy floating in the bay. There was clothing and other debris floating, and they knew there was something wrong.
Nearing the site, the Coast Guard found another boat, a sailboat, also sinking. This boat held a survivor, Jean-Francois Duplaa, the owner of both boats, still clinging to the mast. As he struggled to climb the wet and slippery mast, four and five-foot waves continually crashed down on him. Very little more would wash him away.
No time was wasted! The Coast Guard radioed for a helicopter, and with it came a rescue swimmer, Petty Officer First Class Curt Rohrich. The swimmer quickly fastened the harness from the helicopter to the struggling man, wrapped his arms around him, and they were hoisted into the helicopter together. The rescued man was taken into a hospital for evaluation.
A happy ending to an unexpected adventure! The sailor’s life was saved, and even the sailboat may be salvaged.
It could so easily have ended so differently. What if there had been no Coast Guard crew? no rescue swimmer? no helicopter? What if all his struggles to climb had ended with him still alone on the “dark and stormy” water? There would have been no hope for him as the tip of the mast slipped under the waves. No help-no hope-even if he had reached the very top of the sinking mast.
No matter what his efforts to save himself had been, he soon would have vanished beneath the tossing, tumbling water. What a tragedy for him and his loved ones!
If we only look around, we can see the same story being reenacted in many, many ways. So many of life’s sailors are really struggling to “climb the mast” and reach a higher level of “goodness” in an effort to get to heaven. But if the ship is sinking, what will the effort be worth?
Help and rescue must come from above, from One who is “able to save.” There is One—only One—who came all the way from heaven at immense cost and suffering to Himself, to lift us up to heaven and out of the deadly waters.
You know who it was. You have probably heard about Him for years, but you must accept His salvation so freely offered, for “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)).