It starts with the fisherman calling in to the Coast Guard to report that he is taking on water, he is the only one on the boat, but he just wanted to let someone know about his situation. The watchstander asks if he is in distress or needs any Coast Guard assistance. The man says no, but the Station puts him on a communications schedule where they agree to contact one another every half hour.
When the watchstander reports the call up the chain, since the Station has a boat underway doing some training, the Chief decides to send it in the direction of the lobsterman. The next time the watchstander talks to the fisherman, he says that the water is still coming on board, but it's not that bad. The watchstander asks if there are any other boats in the area that might be able to help, but there aren't any. The fisherman thinks he can get things under control fairly soon.
Ten minutes later the fisherman calls the Station, and says that, maybe he could use a little help, if it's not too much trouble. When the small boat gets on scene a few minutes later, the fishing boat is nearly swamped and the man is just about to abandon ship into his raft (if he had one).
It's all about perspective. Someone who hadn't spent most of their life on the water, or had a different view of the current circumstances, might have asked for someone to rescue them at the first sign of a little leak.
I don't consider myself a godless heathen, but I don't consider myself a religious person either. However, I also don't think that I need to be saved. I try to treat everyone with respect and concern, as I would like them to deal with me. It's that whole golden rule thing.
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