Against the Sea II: Tales On and Under the Sea Page 8

  The radio squawked to life. “Attention, all maritime traffic. Attention, all maritime traffic. The United States Coast Guard, in conjunction with the United States Weather Bureau, issues the following advisory...”

  The Captain turned up the volume. He could use the advisory as an excuse to head in immediately. The forecast was no different than many he had heard before. The wind was already picking up out of the northeast. Without a doubt sloppy weather was ahead. The deck was lurching more violently than earlier in the day. Rather than consider the relative danger of the elements, he thought only of the vomit that might have to be cleaned from the cabin. Not every customer was as well-seasoned as he and his crew. Big Stoop and Tiny would naturally complain, but that was part of the job.

  A quick glance out the pilot house showed all lines were finally aboard. The Captain put the clutches into forward gear and pushed the throttles. The engines rumbled into life. He swung the wheel to point in the direction of shore. At the moment land was nowhere in sight. The compass ahead of the wheel clearly indicated the right direction. With the waves and wind behind, he advanced the throttles. The rough sea disappeared even though the waves were as tumultuous as before. The boat easily rode either a crest or a trough which minimized most of the pitching and roll. The trip in would take at least an hour if not more. As the Captain settled into his chair in front of the wheel he took another drink. After a while, all the torture of the day melted away into a rosy glow.

  “Cap, may I speak with you?” Tiny paused at the entrance before entering the pilot house.

  “What’s on yer mind?” The Captain turned the wheel to compensate for an excessively large wave.

  “I heard Stoop’s going to be leaving.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “He did.”

  “Don’t believe everything ya hear.” The Captain smiled. “Half of everything is made up ‘n the other half is a lie.”

  “But he sounded serious.”

  “Still, don’t believe it. At my age you know when someone is bluffing or not.” The Captain stood up and stepped away from the wheel. “Go ahead and take it.”

  Tiny’s face lit up in a big grin as he took the spokes of the wheel into his hands. “Thanks, Cap.”

  “I’ve been thinking.” The Captain sighed deeply. “I’m goin to need more help running this boat. I want to start training you to substitute for me when I have other things to do.”

  “What about Stoop? He’s a lot older with more experience than me. I’m only seventeen.”

  “You’ll be eighteen soon enough.” The Captain put a hand on Tiny’s shoulder. “Besides you’ve shown a lot more interest in the boat and like you said Stoop might just want to leave. I know I can depend on you. What do you think?”

  Tiny was initially speechless, frozen at the wheel. The boat slid down a wave yawing to port. The Captain took the wheel out of Tiny’s hands and corrected the motion.

  “Stay alert son.” The Captain’s face was grim. “Never fall asleep at the wheel no matter what. Ya know what I mean?”

  “Sorry, Cap. I guess I have a lot to learn don’t I?”

  “There’s nothing time and a lot of work can’t fix.” A smile returned to the Captain’s face. “From now on I want you with me when you have no other work on deck with customers. I’m gonna treat you like my own son.”

  “I’d appreciate that Cap. I’ll do everything I can to learn quickly and do a good job.” Tiny beamed from excitement. He could hardly wait to tell his mother and friends. Imagine someday even he would be called Captain.

  The sky continued darkening with a slight drizzle misting the windows. The Captain put on the running lights and windshield wipers.

  “Get me a cup of coffee...” The Captain spun the wheel to starboard as a large wave plowed into the bow. “...with cream and sugar.”

  Tiny disappeared. The seas were building faster than expected. It was no fun being out in a rough sea exposed to the elements. The Captain mused how nice it would be to sit on dry land in front of a crackling fireplace. There was always something about the chill of a sea wind that pierced the bones to the marrow. Although he did not want to admit it to himself, the alcohol impaired his perceptions. Even so, there was no fear in his mind he could negotiate the rough cut into the harbor. He had done it numerous times before under all sorts of conditions, some of which were perhaps worse than the current one, but the sea was a strange mistress. No two sets of circumstances where ever the same. The sea was always dangerous and fickle.

  The sky continued darkening. The Pelican plowed through the merciless waves. At times, the following sea caught the stern heaving it upward causing it to slew down the slope one direction or another. The Captain automatically compensated with the wheel. The distant horizon remained devoid of any sight of land. The clouds and rain made vision poor at best. So the Captain continued relying on his compass and experience.

  “Here’s your coffee, Cap.” Tiny held a plastic cup in both hands swaying back and forth in rhythm to the rocking boat.

  “Thanks.” The Captain took the cup with one hand not removing the other from the wheel. “I’m gonna be glad when we get in after this one.”

  “Pretty bad is it?”

  “The sloppiest I’ve seen in a long time.”

  The wind shifted bringing a giant wave slamming onto the port side spraying the pilot house. The Captain nearly spilt his coffee trying to compensate with the wheel. The boat would not respond.

  “Damn, damn, damn.” The Captain put down the coffee on the dash and pulled back the throttles. “The damn chain has come off again.”

  “The chain?” Tiny was confused.

  “Yes, the chain that controls the rudder. It’s come off again.”

  “Again?”

  “There’s no time to explain. Get Stoop.” The Captain put the engines on idle. The boat lost its forward momentum settling into a drift parallel to the waves. The wind slammed mercilessly onto the side.

  Big Stoop entered the pilot house before Tiny had a chance to leave. He understood something was seriously wrong. It was not the first time he had been offshore with The Pelican when there had been mechanical trouble. If nothing else, this newest problem cinched his determination to get a job on another boat. This Captain did little to maintain his boat. Someday there would be a real disaster he did not want to be a part.

  “Stoop, the chain popped off again. Go fix it.” The Captain picked up his coffee.

  “The chain again?”

  “Fraid so.”

  “Okay.” Big Stoop never intentionally argued with the Captain; however, he did display an expression of disgust which the Captain noticed.

  “Hurry up, so we can get home.”

  Without another word Big Stoop disappeared with Tiny close behind. The problem was probably a broken link in the chain running from the wheel down to the shaft that ran back to the rudder. When he went below deck into the bilge he found that was the case. Using stainless steel fishing leader wire he temporarily repaired the break. In his opinion, it was a poor repair but there was nothing else he could do with the limited materials on board. The repair complete, he reported to the Captain.

  “You need a new chain, Cap.”

  “I’ve been meaning to get a new one but we’ve been too busy.” The Captain tried to keep from slurring. The effect of the coffee had not kicked in.

  “I’m not sure it’s gonna hold up much longer.”

  “As long as it gets us back to dock today that’s all I care about.”

  “Someday yer gonna have a problem out here you can’t handle.” Big Stoop turned his back to leave.

  “Maybe it’s time for you to find that new job you’ve been wantin?”

  Big Stoop turned and faced the Captain. “Are you lettin me go?”

  “You wanna go don’t you?”

  “You’re drunk.”

  The Captain flushed red. “You’re finished, Stoop! I don’t take no sass from nobody, especially the like
s of you!”

  There was nothing else to say. Big Stoop momentarily glared at the Captain, shrugged his shoulders, and exited the pilot house. There was no need arguing a no-win proposition. The motion of the boat settled into a more tolerable ride once the engines began pushing it forward again. The sea continued getting more roiled up with the wind and rain. In the mist ahead there was the first flicker of the lighthouse off the point. The promise of safe haven was closer.

  The engines droned while the passengers huddled in the cabin, some playing poker, other sleeping, and a few sick lying on the deck. A couple stood at the stern smoking while discussing the results of the trip.

  “Ya know fer the money I woulda got more fish by goin to the fish market.”

  “But would you have gotten all this fresh air and exercise?”

  “I don’t call gettin beat up exercise unless I have a good time.”

  “I had a good time.”

  “Sure you did. Ya caught all the damn fish!”

  “You were standing right next to me. We were in the same place at the same time. We were using the same bait.”

  “Ya, I guess it takes two jerks to catch fish.”

  “How so?”

  “One at each end of the line.”

  The two men yucked it up; regardless of the catch they would come out again. Fishing was a passion once enjoyed, forever lusted after, plus the wives were left at home.

  The closer The Pelican got to shore the more landmarks became visible through the mist. The channel markers were easily visible in the distance. The Captain adjusted the direction he followed to compensate for the wind and tide. As the depth of the water decreased the height of the waves increased. He knew he would face literal mountains entering the cut. To complicate matters further the tide was running full out. Wind against tide made mountainous waves even more treacherous. The Captain never thought about the potential danger. No matter what, he had to navigate safely into the harbor. He had done it many times before; this time should be no different.

  As the waves grew in height, the tendency for an overtaking wave to raise the stern forcing the boat into slewing down its face increased in frequency. The Captain was forced to compensate faster and more frequently. He adjusted the throttles to run at the speed of the waves. This maneuver did little to help the situation.

  Tiny returned by the Captain’s side. He stood silently watching how the boat was handled. In a way, the Captain was someone he wanted to be. In his mind, there was nothing the Captain could do wrong. That was a position he wanted for himself. The Captain promised that he too would command that respect someday.

  “Is everything secure for our arrival?” The Captain spoke without looking away from the bow.

  “Everything is ready.”

  “Good. I don’t wanna have to hang around after this any longer than I hafta.”

  “Me too.” Tiny grinned.

  “I think you and I are gonna get along just fine. Next time we come out, I’m gonna start givin you real lessons in seamanship. When it’s sloppy as this is, I can’t teach you the fundamentals. But we have time to do that. What do ya think?”

  “Great.” Tiny laughed appreciatively.

  The wind howled outside the pilot house. If the Captain was concerned, he did not show it. Tiny held on as the deck pitched ever more violently beneath his feet. There was a crackling hiss coming intermittently from the radio.

  “It’s pretty bad isn’t it?” Tiny watched the Captain to confirm his opinion.

  “I’ve seen worse.” The Captain remained unreadable.

  “You’ve been out in worse than this?” Tony was in awe.

  “Yep.” The Captain smiled but did not take his eyes off the sea ahead. “Don’t worry we’ll be in before you know it.”

  The latest advisory from the radio ordered all small craft vessels into the nearest port of safety. There was an approaching front detected that would make all sailing dangerous if not near impossible. To this warning the Captain pushed the throttles forward hoping to beat the worst of the storm in.

  Within one hundred yards of the inlet Tiny felt more comfortable. He expected to be out of the weather in short order. He wished he was of legal age to drink. Fortunately, he had an older brother who was more than sympathetic to his needs. He could hardly wait to have a stiff one.

  The tide was at full ebb with the current pouring furiously out the cut. Opposing the tide were the wind and waves. There were literally mountains at the opening of the inlet. The Captain veered toward the side closest to having the wind at his back. It was to starboard. Out of the current The Pelican eased up to the mouth of the cut. The calmest water and least current were always at the sides. Barely twenty-five yards from the starboard jetty the Captain eased the bow into the cut. The current immediately caught the boat pushing it violently away to port. The Captain quickly compensated by spinning the wheel to starboard. When there was no response he accelerated the port engine while pulling back the throttle on the starboard one. Even so the current continued to have its way.

  Tiny watched with an ever increasing sense of doom. He held on hard enough to make his knuckles turn white. Big Stoop appeared out of nowhere behind the Captain.

  “Problem, Cap?” Big Stoop had to grab on to a hold to keep from being tossed to the deck.

  The Captain, teeth clenched tight, said nothing as he fought the current. There was a visible patina of perspiration on his brow. He put the starboard engine into reverse while pushing the port engine full throttle forward. The starboard engine stalled. Frantically, he spun the wheel all the way starboard. The wheel did not stop at its expected stop but kept spinning.

  “Damn!” The Captain noticed Big Stoop watching. He was chagrined to be in a position he had been warned about by this man. The worst possible situation had occurred.

  “The chain’s broken again.”

  The Captain said nothing as he tried to get the starboard engine running. The momentum of the boat plus the action of the wind and waves put The Pelican in the worst part of the current. The mountainous waves tossed the boat around like a woodchip. It was ever increasingly impossible to stand upright on deck. The passengers began shouting and screaming in panic. Tiny blanched white. For a brief moment, the Captain and Big Stoop glared into each other’s eyes. The unmistakable “I told you so” was exchanged.

  The Pelican was now breach to the current and wind. The deck lurched sixty degrees bringing water over the rail. The passengers began looking for life preservers. There were only four and they were locked up in the pilot house.

  “What now, Cap?”

  The Captain responded to Big Stoop with a wave of his arm dismissing him from the pilot house. There was nothing to do but let the current push them out to sea where they could repair the steering so they could try entry again.

  The boat lurched to nearly ninety degrees Tiny lost his grip falling heavily to the deck. The Captain resolutely continued trying to start the starboard engine without success. He heard shouts for help. He regretted his mind was not clear enough to assess the situation better.

  The next lurch went beyond ninety degrees but the boat returned upright. However, the following action of wind, wave, and current rolled The Pelican upside down. The situation was hopeless, the boat was lost. The boat had flipped so fast that even the existing life preservers were not available for use.

  Finding themselves swamped with water it was everyone for themselves. One of the customers had brought his own lifejacket which he put on early to the derision of the others. Several clung on to him as they swam to the surface. The Captain grabbed Tiny and pulled him out of the pilot house as the sea poured in. The port engine came to a stop as water entered the engine room.

  There were shouts for help from almost every direction. Big Stoop was a great swimmer. He had been on the swimming team before he quit high school. He swam to the nearest person who was struggling to stay afloat.

  “I don’t want to die!”

  “Neith
er do I.” Big Stoop grabbed the man and started to swim toward the shore. Unfortunately, the current was too strong. They were being swept to sea.

  The entire incident was observed from the lighthouse. It would be a battle against time to save anyone from the cold merciless sea. One by one, tired and exhausted the customers sank below the water never to see light again. The man with the lifejacket fought off several men who tried to take the jacket for themselves. He floated safely away out to sea with the hope he would survive the worst.

  “Cap, I can’t swim.”

  “Just relax and we’ll ride it out until help comes.” The Captain felt invigorated by the cold water. All the effects of his previous drinking disappeared.

  “Cap, I’m scared!”

  “Bein’ scared doesn’t help. Just relax and you’ll be okay with me. Help is on the way.”

  “I’m gonna die!” Tiny began to cry. “I’m too young! I haven’t lived!”

  A giant wave crashed over the pair putting them under water. The Captain lost his grip on Tiny. When he came to the surface Tiny was nowhere around.

  “What have I done?” The Captain looked skyward and gave up. He slid beneath the waves never to be seen again.

  The sound of engines was music to Big Stoop’s ears. He started shouting to aid whoever was coming in his direction. The man he was holding up in the water was barely conscious which happened to be the way he wanted it. The boat found him first.

  Of all the passengers and crew on The Pelican there were only three survivors. The Pelican itself went to the bottom a total loss. The man in the lifejacket and the man Big Stoop carried afloat were the only passengers to survive. Big Stoop was the only part of the crew to make it safely ashore. Only one other body was ever found; several days after the accident, Tiny was found on a nearby beach.