Here is The Captain in conversation with the three-man crew of the sailing vessel Restless. (Each of the three is a retired U.S. Navy captain, which may explain their penchant for matching uniforms.) It looks like a friendly conversation among four old salts, and on one level, it was. But the picture doesn't tell the whole story.

Recall that, en route to Prince Rupert, the Merry Fortune had some trouble with her fuel pump and found herself adrift. The Captain put out a call for help on VHF channel 16 before realizing he could hand-siphon diesel to the engine, which brought the Merry Fortune safely into port.

VHF channel 16 is an international distress frequency. All seagoing vessels are advised to monitor this channel. Furthermore, because a vessel in distress can't depend on the timely arrival of the Coast Guard, nearby vessels have at least a moral, if not a legal, obligation to render assistance if they can.

The Restless was in the vicinity, and answered the call of the Merry Fortune. However, when The Captain requested a tow into Prince Rupert Harbour, the men of the Restless begged off, claiming they had only enough fuel to get their own vessel to port.

Like the Merry Fortune, the Restless was on her way north to Glacier Bay, and we seemed to encounter her crew in every port en route. Whenever the Prince Rupert Affair came up, the men of the Restless never wavered from their story. However, on one occasion, they did present us with a large quantity of fresh fish, saying they'd caught far more than they could eat or freeze, and would we accept some? We did. It tasted fishy to me.