Throughout World War II, Fugate’s Patio
Bar had been a popular gathering place
for both residents and visitors to Boca
Grande. When the four men arrived at the
bar, it was already crowded with mingling
townspeople, tourists and a few servicemen.
Many of the sailors from PC 449 and the
minelayer were enjoying their shore leave
a few blocks away at the United Service
Organization facility, hosted in the town’s
Community House. By tradition, seafaring
men had always been welcome in Boca
Grande.
In less than 24 hours, the youthful sailors
of the visiting sub-chaser would put out to
sea. Perhaps they would engage a skilled
enemy aboard a technologically superior
vessel – an enemy who was as determined
and as capable of destroying them as they
were the enemy.
That evening, a sultry breeze swirled
through the star-capped courtyard patio, its
warmth sweetly-scented with the fragrance
of the tropics. An undertone of romance
resonated in the moonlight ambiance of
the open lounge. Soft music played on the
jukebox, encouraging fraternity and dance
amongst the bar’s patrons. Suddenly, Ensign
Brouwer noticed a strikingly beautiful
woman enter the courtyard with a young
sailor in tow. She was attired in a white silk
dress that admirably revealed her slim,
curvaceous fi gure. The woman wore a white
gardenia tucked behind her ear, island style,
which not only complemented her outfi t,
but also contrasted spectacularly with her
long, raven tresses. She was, without doubt,
the most stunning woman his eyes had ever
beheld. Her beauty literally knocked him
over.
Helen Sprott had hastily departed the
USO dance at the Community House after
a love-smitten sailor, at least 10 years her
junior, had completely monopolized her
evening. So as not to reveal where she lived,
and shake off the amorous young sailor,
she ducked into the crowded Patio Bar
under the guise of purchasing a soft drink.
Although the ruse failed, her predicament
garnered the attention of Brouwer, who
ardently inquired of Capt. Johnson, “Who is
THAT?”
She was Sara Helen Sprott, assistant
deputy collector of customs for the Port of
Boca Grande, and the second youngest
of seven daughters and a son belonging
to Capt. William C. and Anna L. Sprott. The
John and Helen during the time
that they met.