Seeking Safe Harbor: Suddenly Everything Changed (The Seeking Series) (15 page)

R
ON, Glen, Denise, and Millie went below to put what they had collected on deck into storage bins and lock or tie everything down.

“What can I do?” George asked.

“Open the starboard side storage bin near where you’re standing,” Zach said from where he was strapping the back part of the mainsail to the boom. “There’s a twenty-five foot cable with snap hooks at either end stored there. We need that and two of the four harnesses stored with it. Bring out the two harnesses with the shorter lead lines.”

Stronger waves were already hitting the
La Sirena
from the front and the boat was beginning to rise and fall more sharply than it had been only minutes earlier. Stacey activated the electric windlass that controlled the jib sail, rolling it up. When she got the sail at the front of the boat rolled up, she headed back to the cockpit. George brought out the cable, and she took one end to the forward mast to hook it to an eye bolt attached to the mast two-and-one-half feet above the deck.

“There’s an eye-bolt like this one on the mizzen mast!” She yelled loud enough to be heard above the howling sounds the winds. “Attach the other end of the cable to it.”

George went back and attached it. He had to pull hard on the cable to get the hook into the eye bolt because the cable was just long enough to fit tautly between the two masts.

Zach finished tying the mainsail down so that about one-fourth of it was showing above the boom. He took one of the harnesses from George and strapped it on, then hooked the snap hook at the end of the lead line to the cable Stacey and George had connected to the masts. He pulled on the cable to make sure it was taut. After yanking hard on the line to be sure it was fastened securely, he went back to tie down the mizzen sail the same way he had tied down the mainsail. The line from the harness to the cable was just long enough to allow him to work at the far end of the mizzen boom.

When the mizzen sail was tied down like the main sail, he returned to the cockpit and turned on the engine. “Ron and Denise,” he called down to the salon, “you need to join us up here.”

When they joined him, along with Stacey and George, in the cockpit, Zach discussed the “game plan” for the upcoming storm. “I judge it to be a big one. It looks like it’s coming right at us from the east, so we can head right into it and maybe not be blown too far off course. We might even make some headway.”

Ron laughed. “That’s about the brightest spin I’ve ever heard anyone put on a bad situation like this.”

“It’s bad, no question about it,” Zach admitted, “but we need to keep our wits about us. We’ll keep the engine on and head straight into it. I’ve kept as much sail up as I dare, and that should help stabilize us. If any more sail is exposed, it will probably be ripped to shreds. From now on, everybody wears a harness when above decks. We have four, but unless there’s an emergency, there will never be more than two people on deck at any one time. The other two harnesses are in this storage cabinet here.” He pointed to the bin where George had retrieved the cable and harnesses.

He held up the harness he wasn’t wearing. “This one and the one I have on have shorter lines. As you can see, we’ve come up with a cable that is attached to both masts. We snap the hooks to the cable and they can slide freely from one end to the other. That way, we can move almost from one end of the boat to the other, but if we slip and head to the side, the cable is taut enough and the lines are short enough to stop us from going overboard.”

Ron studied the line for a second, and then looked forward. “That’s all well and good, but if something happens at the front of the bowsprit or with the dinghy, are the leads on the other harnesses long enough for that?”

“Yes, but if somebody goes over the side in the weather we’re expecting, even wearing a harness that’s attached to the boat may not save them. They will be in the water, and it may be too difficult to bring them in. Even if we can, it may take too long to get them out of the water before they drown. Losing a dinghy or part of a bowsprit is not worth risking lives, so we will only use the harnesses with the shorter lines unless there is a dire emergency. There will be two people on deck at all times, both in the cockpit most of the time. One will be on the wheel and the other will be watching for emergencies. Everyone else will be below.”

“Doing what?” Ron asked.

“Hanging on for dear life, I expect,” George tried to joke.

“Not too far off the mark,” Stacey replied. “And I’m glad you have a sense of humor about it. You are going to need it during the next day or two. We’ll take turns sleeping below and make sure we pick things up if they’re shaken loose from their place. And, of course, we’ll try to take turns using the head.”

“The head?”

“When a boat is thrown around the way this one is going to be, even the most seasoned sailors have a hard time keeping things in their stomach,” Zach told him. “When it happens to you, don’t be ashamed. You won’t be the only one. But, George, right now I’d like you to stay up here and take the first watch with me.” He opened the storage bin on the other side of the cockpit and pulled out a raincoat and pants. “It’s going to be wet from now on, so we’ll all wear rain gear. Put those on, then that other harness, and attach the harness to the cable.”

When George was ready, Zach had him take the wheel while he put on his rain gear.

“Okay, we’re all set. You’ve all seen what we're doing, so do the same thing when you’re on watch. There are two more sets of rain gear in a clothes locker below. Ron, Stacey will show you where they are. You and Stacey take the next watch. We will do two-hour watches during the storm. As captain and mate, me and Stacey will be doing double duty. We won’t get much sleep, which isn’t such a big deal. I’ll do the third watch with Denise, and Stacey can do the next one with George. Then, I’ll do one with Ron.”

He directed the next comment directly at Ron. “Either Stacey or I will always be with you.”

“I have no problem with that,” Ron replied easily. “Up until this storm hit, being a prisoner with this group has been enjoyable.”

“Glad you feel that way, but don’t forget that’s what you are. One more thing. Glen and Millie will stay below to take care of provisions. Is everything clear?”

After everyone nodded, Zach turned back to George. “All set?” The hotel man checked once more to make sure his harness was strapped on tight and that it was connected to the cable. He nodded.

“Good,” Zach said, checking his own gear. When he was satisfied, he turned to his wife. “Stacey, you and Ron better get below now and try to get some rest.”

Stacey started down the ladder to the salon, turning to go down using the handgrips at the side of the ladder. When she turned, she was facing the cockpit. As she took the first step, she looked over Zach’s shoulder at the ocean behind them. She stopped dead, a look of concern on her face.

“What is it?” asked her husband.

Pointing over Zach’s shoulder, she said, “I thought I saw a light back there.”

They all turned, but none of them saw anything except dark waves.

“It might have been lightning,” Zach offered. “It doesn’t make much difference right now, anyway. If there is another boat out there, it will be blown miles away by the time the storm passes. Now get below.”

Stacey went down the ladder quickly, with Ron right behind her. When they were below, they grabbed onto handholds where they could find them as Stacey headed to the aft cabin and Ron to the bunk on the starboard side of the salon. Glen and Millie had just finished securing plastic dishes in a locked bin, and they, too, headed for their bunks.

In the cockpit, Zach slid the hatch cover closed as the rain started to fall. It was small drops at first but quickly became bigger, and the wind pushed them at an angle so that the faces and raingear of the men on deck were soon wet.

The boat rocked more and more, and George held firmly to the wheel. Zach grabbed the taut cable the harnesses were attached to for support. Feeling the storm, both of them looked up and gripped even tighter, bracing for the shock that was about to hit them.

All they could see ahead was a wall of water as the storm’s first massive wave raced at them.

T
HE thirty-foot wave lifted the more than sixteen-ton
La Sirena
like it was a toy. Luckily, the comber wasn’t breaking yet, so it didn’t toss the sailboat backward in a frothy deluge. The bow shot up, the sharp movement throwing anyone not holding on to something solid around like a rag doll.

At the crest, the boat leveled off for a second or two, and then slid down the other side of the rapidly moving wave. The bowsprit dug into the water for a moment, but the stern dropped down as the wave passed and the bow bobbed up, water streaming off on all sides.

“That,” George observed at a full shout over the sounds of screaming winds and crashing waters, “was, ah, exciting.” He fell to his knees and the wheel turned a little, but he still held onto it.

Zach rose from his seat and re-tied a bungee cord that had come loose on the mainsail boom, eyeing the compass as he worked. “Try to keep it as close to forty-five degrees as you can,” he called to George over the noise of the storm. “But always head directly into a wave when you see it coming.”

Below, in the V-berth, Denise grabbed Millie’s arm when the older woman started to fall out of bed. “Hold on to something at all times in a storm, Millie,” she advised.

“How long is this going to go on?” the white-haired woman asked.

“Hate to say it, but a long time, I’m afraid.”

“One good thing is my hair can’t get any whiter worrying about it.”

“I don’t think worrying would do any good, anyway.”

“Never does,” the wizened woman of more than eighty years observed. “You’re smart to figure it out when you’re young. Follow that line of thought and you’ll avoid a lot of unnecessary heartache in years to come.” A smile crept to the edge of her lips. “It’ll keep your hair blond, too.”

The concept of years to come caused both to think about the situation they were in now. The bow of the boat started to rise again, and their thoughts returned to the more immediate situation. Holding on was the only concept either of them cared about at that moment.

On deck, George strained to turn the wheel. By the time the next wave hit, they were on course and drove directly into it. The boat shuddered and the bow again turned up into the swell, but this time George didn’t allow the wheel to turn as the boat plunged into the watery valley between that wave and the next. He soon learned how to stand, legs apart and leaning into the wheel, so as not to fall. He fought to maintain control, so as not to allow the raging storm to toss the boat around at will.

He learned that allowing a wave to hit the boat broadside was dangerous and often capsized boats. It was true any time, and in these circumstances, with waves as big as those that were pounding them right now, it would probably be the end of them all. If one of these monsters turned the boat over, getting righted in a sea as turbulent as this one would be impossible. He needed no further prodding to keep the boat heading directly into the waves.

The wind and waves continued to grow stronger. After twenty minutes, Zach relieved George at the wheel. For the remainder of the two hours, they traded places every twenty minutes. When Zach wasn’t at the wheel, he moved as best he could around the boat to ensure everything was tied down.

Despite the battering the boat was taking, everything, including the diesel fuel barrels tied to the aft rail, were holding. By the time Stacey and Ron relieved them, Zach was convinced that everything on deck was as secure as possible. He knew that until the storm let up, it was best if the crew’s only chore was to keep the boat, and themselves, above water.

“I’m in total agreement,” Stacey responded when Zach shared his thoughts with her. George took off his harness and handed it to her. She put it on and relieved him at the wheel. He immediately slipped around the side of the wheel and headed for the ladder to the salon. Zach and Ron were right behind Stacey. Even though they were within three feet of one another, they had to yell to be heard over the storm. “It’s getting too dangerous to leave the cockpit,” Stacey added.

Ron, a seasoned seaman, also agreed. “Even here, anyone without a harness might go overboard.”

“So, you’d better take mine,” Zach said. He removed the harness and handed it to Ron. As Ron was putting it on, Zach started to follow George. He looked up and saw that another bungee cord that held the main sail to the boom had come loose. In order to reach around the boom and sail to retie the cord, he stepped up onto a seat that was the cover of one of the storage bins at the side of the cockpit.

It was something he had done dozens of times. This time, though, a gust of wind and a rogue wave hit the boat from the port side as he was reaching his arm up. That knocked him ahead a little, toward the middle of the boat and he grabbed for the boom. The force against the port side of the boat caused it to lean to starboard, and Zach’s feet slipped on the wet seat. He started to fall, and his arm couldn’t get all the way around the boom and sail. He reached desperately for the boom or sail, anything that he could latch onto, but everything was wet and slippery.