Our Friends and Their Boat

We are staying at a very nice resort on Little Corn Island.  We figured a few days of pampering and unlimited quantities of hot water were just what we needed.  One of the amenities at the resort is to take a wooden sailboat to the outer reef for some really good snorkeling.  While the snorkeling was outstanding it paled in comparison to the boat and its crew.

 

 

First a little background.  The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is vastly different than the rest of the country. It is very isolated from the power structure which is all on the western side of the country.  Add to that the inhabitants are a mix of Caribbean blacks ( from the slave trading days), Miskito Indians and Nicas who were looking to escape.  The native language is usually English, then Creole, then Spanish then Miskito. It is crazy.  Imagine, combining Jamaican English, with Gullah, with Spanish with Navajo.  Suffice it to say, communicating is a real challenge.

 

So back to the boat.  This sailboat is a typical fishing boat of the Miskito Indians.  It was hand made by our crew.  It is incredibly primitive.  There is no keel, just a long heavy plank that is moved from side to, side to provide a counter weight.  When needed, someone climbs out on the end to provide more weight! 

 

 

Our little crew made this themselves and sailed it on a two day journey to Little Corn Island.  This is a first for their community.  They are so proud.  I mean really proud. They told us all about it in a gumbo mixture of languages and dialects.  Ruth was really taken away and charmed by the guys.  They are like kids from Peter Pan.  So much so she wanted to take another trip on the boat just to take pictures, as we forgot our cameras on the snorkeling trip.

 

 

That afternoon she decided to paint a small watercolor of their boat.  It was quite simple but she did a really good job capturing the colors of the sea and the spirit of the little boat.  She was careful to make sure the name and logo of the boat were portrayed correctly.

After the second ride she gave the little painting to the "captain".  Keep in mind the entire crew is comprised of 5 guys in their twenties who had never left their little village (country as they called it).  The captain said thank you and that was that.  Later that afternoon, we were talking about the boat and Ruth said she hope the guys liked the painting.  I think she was a little embarrassed of it because it was "just a simple little watercolor".

Fast forward to dinner.  As we entered the restaurant the general manager was quick to pull Ruth aside to say the boys were ecstatic about the "painting" she did for them.  She had never seen them so excited.  They were begging her for a frame, any frame to put their painting in.  She said it was precious to see the guys so excited.  They even told her to remove the charge for the boat ride for payment for the painting.  That was a big deal since we were the only paying ride for that day!

I say all this because it really is the small acts of kindness that really connect human beings.  These boys have nothing, other than their precious boat and their friendship.  Ruth was sensitive enough to see and feel their pride, that she was touched by it.  She went the next step and acted on it.

While the boys have their painting, we will forever have the memory of that day with some Miskito boys who shared their boat with us for an afternoon.