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The Ballad of the Stranded Whale Watch Ship

Like the protagonists of a certain '60s TV show, passengers on a three-hour tour out of Boston Harbor got more than they bargained for. 

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Mark Garfinkel/Boston Herald/AP
Passengers stand on deck of the whale watch boat Cetacea as it docks Tuesday morning at Long Wharf in Boston. The boat snagged a communications line during a whale watching excursion about 15 miles off the coast of Massachusetts late Monday, and had to spend a night at sea before divers freed it Tuesday morning.

(With apologies to Sherwood Schwartz.)

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale.
A tale of a fateful trip
that started from a Boston port
aboard a whale watch ship.

The Cetacea is a catamaran,
says the company brochure
163 set sail Monday
for a three-hour tour.
A three-hour tour.

But as the ship was heading back,
a communications line
got caught in the Cetacea's prop,
which it did entwine.
Which it did entwine.

The ship was stranded overnight
some 14 miles from land
The crew provided blankets
And snacks they had on hand.
And snacks they had on hand.

Coast Guard divers freed the boat
At no time was it imperiled
The ship returned next morning.  
reports the Boston Herald.
Reports the Boston Herald.

The Cetacea's safely back in port
And the tourists are all smiles
With 500 bucks ...
A refund too ...
A voucher for their next cruise.
While journalists, 
who can't just write straightforward prose,
are putting theme songs in the news!

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