….literally.

No, I’m not talking about the economy, I’m talking about The Yellow Submarine, Amble’s boat in Boca Chica. Orignially, it was named Miss Mollie, but her previous owners had sunk it, so we jokingly call it The Yellow Submarine. Well, two weeks ago, she tried her hardest to find the bottom of the ocean once again.

After capturing an amazing sunset, we were on our way back from Palenque with Adam the photographer. We had issue with the bilge pump earlier in the day, but it seemed to run fine all afternoon. The boat seemed to lean a bit starboard, but we thought it was just due to the weight of the photo equipment. A few minutes later, I glance to the stern and notice that our empty gas tanks and cooler were floating in water. Yup, we were sinking!

I immediately grabbed the cooler and began bailing. Nobody seemed as worried about it as I was. Ben was laughing which made me wonder if this was some sort of employer test to see how I’d react under pressure. Granted, the path to Palenque is never too far to swim to land, but I wasn’t really up for a workout and we didn’t want to lose The Yellow Submarine, much less our photographer’s expensive equipment.

We were able to bail enough to keep the boat afloat and make it back to the hotel dock. The leak was gradual but she was definitely taking on water. We had to get her out, but the boatyard was closed so Ben and I took turns waking up to bail and pull the boat with the tide closer to the beach where it would be safe when the tide subsided. This morning, Carlos the boat guy dragged her away and the verdict is pending.

Perhaps we shouldn’t call her The Yellow Submarine.