An Amazing Story.

Before leaving us to go back to Ostend the owner of Cuba Libre told us this amazing story.

Apparently in June this year his club had a big get together for all its members. Martine, his wife, said she had a headache from the hot sun and wanted to get something for it from the boat. A short while after she had left, the music started up which seemed to upset doggy Rocco so Mr Cuba Libre decided to take him back to the boat; just before he arrived at their mooring he was met by a person from another boat across the river who asked if he had thrown something into the river to which he replied in the negative. The other person shrugged it off but said he was sure he had heard a loud splash – Mr Cuba Libre continued back to his boat wondering why Martine was taking so long and, as he came alongside, her body bobbed to the surface between the boats - she had apparently had a dizzy spell and fainted as she was climbing aboard fifteen minutes earlier!

Mr Cuba Libre and the other chap managed to lift Martine onto the bank and, with the help of another club member, commenced CPR. Twenty minutes later they were still at it when a large contingent of police and other emergency personnel arrived with Belgian TV in tow! Apparently Belgian TV were making a documentary on rescue services when the call came in about a woman drowning in the canal and so the medical staff took over and miraculously, after a further 25 minutes of CPR, a heartbeat was heard!

After a week in intensive care and three weeks under observation, the hospital phoned Mr Cuba Libre to come and collect his wife as she was making a nuisance of herself. Apart from some loss of short term memory Martine is fine and, after coping with her fear of getting onto the boat, is happily cruising again.

Wonderful!