Lost in Paradise

I've been back in St. Martin for a few days now, and Skye recounted this funny story, which I think is well worth sharing. Here's an excerpt from a VHF radio interchange between a cruising couple (L)ost and a locally anchored vessel (O)perator:

Lost female voice...

L: "Hello?"

(pause)

L:"Hello? We called you yesterday. Is our slip ready?"

(pause)

O: "What party are you calling?"

L: "You."

O: "I don't think so. Are you trying to reach a marina?"

L: "Yes. We called you yesterday to reserve a slip."

O: "Well, you didn't call me. You're on a VHF radio, broadcasting to all radios monitoring channel 14 in this area. Normally, when you use a radio, you first announce the party you are calling, then you state the name of your vessel and once you've connected, you switch to another channel."

L: "I don't understand."

O: "Where are you?"

L: "We're right out front."

O: "Can you describe where you are?"

Lost switches to a male voice...

L: "We're by the fuel dock." (there are about a dozen fuel docks within radio range)

O: "Which fuel dock is it?"

L: "I don't know. The sign just says, 'Fuel Dock.'"

O: "Ok. I'm going to help you. You're probably looking for a marina in the area. Do you know the name of the marina?"

L: "No."

O: "Let's figure out where you are now. Where have you come from?"

L: "Guadeloupe." (by this time, many listeners must be astonished that these folks got this far!)

....