TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION DEPARTMENT

1) A boater saw a red rubber kick ball, about the size of a basketball,
disappearing under the water and then popping back up on the surface. Getting a
closer look, the boater, realized that the rubber ball was stuck inside of the
mouth of a large catfish. Every time the fish dove, the ball would force it
back to the surface. The boater decided to try to help the fish. He managed to
catch it, but was unable to remove the ball from the fish's mouth. So what did
he do? He took out his knife, and plunged it into the ball. The ball deflated,
fell out of the fish's mouth, and the fish was released unharmed.

2) A fisherman wanted to bait his girlfriend into marriage. He decided it would
be great to propose while they were fishing together, so when she wasn't
looking, he tied his grandmother's heirloom diamond ring to the end of his
fishing line and put it into the water. He then exclaimed to have caught
something, and while reeling in his fishing line, he asked the lady to marry
him. When she answered yes, he went to give her the diamond ring, but to his
shock, the ring was gone, probably taken off the line by a crab.

3) A double-decker party boat capsized when all 60 of its passengers rushed to
one side of the boat as it approached the Hippy Hollow nude beach in Texas. The
captain shouted for his passengers to move away from the side of the boat, but
it was too late. The boat capsized, throwing everyone overboard. The passengers
got more than they were looking for when the nude sunbathers went into the
water to rescue them. In the end, everyone made it back to shore safely.

4) The Coast Guard foiled the second attempt of eleven Cubans trying to drive
to the United States from Cuba. This time they were in a watertight 1959 Buick
that floated on empty 55 gallon barrels. The first time they used a 51 Chevy
pickup truck and were stopped by the coast guard. The coast guard got them this
time as well, off the Florida Keys, and sank their floating car. Relatives
pleaded with government officials to allow them to remain in the United States,
and officials amazed at their ingenuity, agreed even though they were
apprehended at sea.

5) A man in Australia was bit by a small shark that wouldn't let go. The man
swam a thousand feet to shore, walked to his car, and drove to the local surf
club for help with the two foot long shark's jaws clamped on his leg. The shark
refused to let go even out of the water! A senior lifeguard at the clubhouse
said he couldn't believe his eyes when the man showed up with the shark on his
leg. With help from other lifeguards, they poured fresh water into the shark's
gills. That made the shark gasp, releasing the man's leg. Doctors then treated
the leg for 70 needle-like puncture holes, and said the man was lucky the shark
wasn't thrashing as it was biting. Oh, the shark? It eventually died at the
scene.

6) Tourists aboard a sightseeing boat in Chicago were doused with raw sewage as
the vessel passed under a drawbridge. The sewage poured through the steel grid
bridge after a tour bus passing overhead emptied its toilets. The passengers on
the boat were covered. Some people were forced to remove all their clothing.
Police said the sewage went into people's eyes and mouths, so people were taken
to the hospital for tests and treatment. Passengers on the tour boat were all
refunded the money they paid for tickets. Authorities later identified the bus
as belonging to the Dave Matthews Band. The band did not admit guilt, but
donated $100,000 to help keep Chicago's waterways clean.

7) A 34 year old dolphin, that lost 75 percent of her tail due to a mysterious
flesh eating disease, is now jumping again with the help of what is believed to
be the world's first artificial tail. The dolphin, named Fuji, lives at an
aquarium in Japan, and wears a rubber fin that allows her to jump and to swim
at the same speed of the other dolphins. A veterinarian at the aquarium asked a
friend at the Bridgestone Tire Company for help after he amputated the animal's
tail. It took several different tails, and about $100,000, before the right
tail was found. A Bridgestone company spokesman said, "We make tires, so we
already sort of specialize in artificial limbs."

8) Dozens of seats on the Queen Mary II, the world's biggest, newest, and most
luxurious cruise liner, need to be replaced because the weight of obese
passengers is breaking them. The dinner chairs are supplied by a French
company, which claimed passengers are heavier than they imagined. Many of the
broken seats were in the bar and restaurant areas. A spokesperson from the
chair company said that obesity is strictly an American problem, and definitely
not a British or French problem. The company said the weight problem is so
widely spread in America, that many large people prefer cruise ships as a mode
of travel, rather than be cramped in seats on airplanes or trains. A spokesman
for Cunard, which owns the Queen Mary II, denied all the passengers are large
saying "we get people of all shapes and sizes."


Listen to the live broadcast of "Nautical Talk Radio" with Capt Lou every
Sunday afternoon between 4 - 5 EST on the web at www.959WATD.com or on radio
station WATD 95.9FM in Boston and Cape Cod.

You can also listen to the most recent show during the week at www.959watd.com.

* Winner of Massachusetts/Rhode Island Associated Press "BEST TALK SHOW" - 2003
* Recipient of Joshua James Lifesaving Coin for public service from Commanding
Officer
Coast Guard Station Point Allerton - 2003
* Recipient of American Lighthouse Foundation's "LEN HADLEY PRESERVATION
* AWARD" - 2002
* Winner of Boston's Achievement In Radio "BEST INTERVIEW" AWARD*
* Nominated Boston's A.I.R. "BEST PRODUCED PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM"

"Listen to 'Nautical Talk Radio' with Captain Lou on the web by clicking
NAUTICAL NEWS at www.959watd.com. If you are in Boston or Cape Cod set your
radio dial to 95.9FM and tune in the live broadcast on Sunday afternoons
between 4 - 5.