April 1, 2010.

There’s a pair of small French Canadian boats that we’ve been hop scotching along with for several islands. Usually the French Canadians are a little aloof to say the least. The largest of the 2 boats is only a 32 footer. Its not that 32 feet is to small it’s the fact that one boat has 3 kids while the other has 2 children aboard.

So it’s no surprise that they let the kids play in the rigging. The boys on this boat have the bosuns chair attached to the main halyard and then they swing all over the boat depending on how high the halyard has been raised.

It looks like a hell of a good time to me. I’d actually like to give it a try if I were a few years younger. So we’ve been amused by watching the French Canadian Spider Monkey Boys for a while now. Until today that is……..

The middle son is 5 years old and while running down the side of the boat as in the video he caught his toe in a deck fitting and practically tore it off.

Dr. Bob on Savage Son and I headed over to see if there was something we could do to help. The kids toe was a mess. It had been practically torn off. The bone was severed and the toe was hanging by a strap of flesh. There was blood everywhere, he was crying, both his brothers and mother were in near hysterics and they were all blabbering away in their native tongue.

This boat is a 28 footer. Dr. Bob and I are not small people. Add us to the 5 people already onboard and things were more than a little cramped. There was nothing I could do so I was feeling like a bit of a fool for being there, actually an April Fool……