Captain's Choice Ch. 07-08

This story was edited by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks and appreciation. Any errors are mine alone. Previously posted on another site.

Captain's Choice

Chapter 7 A Decision to be Made

I'd pretty much put the matter of the boat being destroyed out of my conscious mind while Ardele and I used the Internet to search out potential replacements. We had made a mutual list of the things that were must-have, should-have, and would like-to-have on our next craft. The more things we listed, the more we realized we were going to need a boat bigger than fifty feet. While we were going to have to make compromises, we were in agreement about what the most important features were.

Late in August, I had a call on my cell from the RCMP detachment in Campbell River. The constable wanted me to know that they had identified the two dead men on my boat and it turned out both had criminal records. They were going to e-mail me pictures of them to see if I could identify them. A few minutes later two mug shots appeared attached to an e-mail on my laptop. I opened the jpeg files and looked at the two men. Ardele was right beside me when their images appeared.

"Well, well, Pat," Ardele said. "Those are two of the guys who chartered from us in July. Surely you remember them."

"Oh yeah. I remember all right. Randy, wasn't it?" I said, pointing to the one on the left.

"Yeah," she said. "I think the other guy was Corey. I'm pretty sure that was him."

I walked to my file cabinet and pulled out my charter booking register.

"Here it is. Booked by Terry Shatzenberg and listed Corey Butler, Fred Lepper, Randy Brezinski, and Chad Lepper. I wonder if all five were on board when it was stolen?"

"You better call the RCMP," Del suggested.

"Right away," I agreed. I picked up the phone, checked the last number called and pushed send.

My conversation with the constable was fairly brief. I gave him the names and contact phone numbers for the five men who had chartered with us in late July, advising him I had reported them to the detachment after they left the boat. I identified the two pictures I had been sent and was thanked for my cooperation.

"I should have guessed it might be them. What the hell were those guys up to?" I grumbled. "And why did they want my boat? ."

"We keep asking the same question," Del replied.

We sat in silence for a while.

"To hell with it," I concluded. "We'll just have to be more careful who we accept in the future."

She nodded agreement, but in truth, I wondered how we would know in advance. I certainly didn't have any clue or hint beforehand that these guys were undesirables other than my niggling thoughts while cruising.

***

The Internet yielded a large number of potential replacement boats; however it was going to be necessary to see some of them in person before we knew what would suit us. Our first objective was to find something on the west coast, eliminating a long transportation problem. That would narrow our search to start.

I was getting a little bleary-eyed looking at boats for sale, and had flopped on my sofa with a beer while Del continued to peruse the possibilities. I had almost dozed off when I heard her call me.

"Pat, come and have a look at this," she called, her back to me, not turning away from the laptop screen.

I rose from the sofa and stretched before approaching her from behind, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Whatcha got?" I asked, looking at a set of specifications.

"It's a 54 foot Bertram," Del said. "According to the specs, it sleeps eight. Two staterooms and a bunk room with four singles. It was built in '82 and is sitting in Astoria, Oregon. It has no engines. What would a pair of diesels cost? They want $199,000 for it as is. The photos show it's in good condition if they're current. It's got all the electronics, plus some extras. What do you think?"

"Let's have a look at the pictures and specs, Del. If we're interested, it isn't that far to go to have a look at it. I can phone around and see what a pair of reconditioned diesels would cost. It's probably not out of our price range if it's as advertised. Hard to sell a boat with no engines, so that may be why the price is so low."

"There's a comparable boat for sale in Marina del Rey that's listed for $358,000 US," she continued. "If we could get the Astoria boat up here and re-engine it for less than a hundred grand, we'd be ahead, right?"

"I'm pretty sure we could do it for that kind of money," I agreed, "but it might need some other work as well, so we'll need an expert opinion. Do you think you could do the survey? You have the education."

"I know the technical aspects, Pat, but I don't have any experience. I don't think we want to take a chance that I miss something important."

"Okay, I understand. Let's do a little homework first and then decide if we want to drive down to Astoria and have a good look at this canoe," I kidded.

"Who are you going to call?" she asked.

"Damned if I know as far as the engines go, but Baldur Gerhard did the survey on Captain's Choice before I restored her and his assessment was right on the money. I'd want him to look this boat over too before we made a commitment."

"Yeah, of course. I know who does know about engines. Hec Taylor, my old boss at Inlet Towing could put us on to the right people."

"Great, give him a call. You know what we're looking for. According to the specs, this boat is about thirty metric tons, or 65,000 lbs displacement. That should give them an idea of what we'll require. The draft is a little over five feet and we'll want a cruise speed of twelve knots at least. I'm guessing we need six or seven hundred horsepower. If we can keep the consumption rate down below fifty gallons-per-hour at cruise, we should be okay."

Del was scribbling notes and nodding as I talked. She ripped the page off the pad and pulled out her cell phone, punching in a familiar number. I went back to the laptop and looked over the specifications and features on the boat once more. She was right. It had everything we needed for charter work. It had a crane and inflatable with outboard on the bow deck and plenty of room for another on the transom.

In addition, there was plenty of room to fish from the stern on this model. Apparently there was a live bait tank built into the deck at the transom, along with an ice locker. It wasn't a sport fisher design, but it had some of those features that we could use when needed. In addition, there was plenty of room on the command bridge for the crew to bed down if we stayed out overnight. We had accommodations for six to eight clients for overnighters. That was a bonus.

I was getting excited again. This looked like a good possibility. If we could get it cheaply enough and bring it up to our standards, it would be an ideal charter boat. Even if we didn't, I knew where we could buy one just like it in California. I'd have to pay a premium, but I'd have a boat that on surface examination was just right for our needs.

Most of the Bertrams for sale were on the east coast, with a couple in the Great Lakes. I carefully examined both the Astoria boat and the Marina del Rey boat for differences. They were only a year apart in build date, so the structures should be similar. The electronics were quite different with seemingly more modern equipment on the Astoria boat.

There was no indication of why the engines were pulled on the boat, but I assumed it was to have them rebuilt. They would have been nearly thirty years old if they were the originals and maybe the owner ran out of money.

Del had been on the phone for some time before returning to the living room.

She was smiling as she approached.

"Hec says we should be able to pick up some very good rebuilt engines for less than ten thousand each with a trade-in. He said we should only buy rebuilt by manufacturer-approved shops. That way we'll have a warranty. If he's right, we'll have a lot of room to bring that boat up to our standards."

"What about new?" I asked.

"He thought, depending on brand, that you could double that estimate, or more. He said he hadn't bought new in a long time. He was trading in his tired units for re-built, keeping the cost down. He's been happy with that."

"Okay, that's a big help. Looks like the Astoria boat is the first one we want to look at," I said.

"Let's do it," she grinned.

"I'll call the number and see when we can view it."

It turned out that we could see it almost any time as long as we gave the broker a "heads up." We decided that sooner was better, so we planned to drive to Astoria the next day, leaving early in the morning. We should be able to see the boat by late morning the day after. I called the broker back and told him when to expect us. He called back a few minutes later confirming that he and the owner would be waiting for us to arrive.

We stayed in Longview, Washington, overnight before crossing the Columbia to the Oregon side and making the run down to Astoria. The broker had given us good instructions and my Blackberry GPS led us right to the site. The boat was out of the water, and we boarded by ladder after Ardele and I had inspected the hull, the rudder and props.

We learned that the owner was a sixty-something widow whose husband had died unexpectedly some months ago and left the boat's refit unfinished. Although a number of people had advised her to have engines re-installed before trying to sell it, she wanted no part of that. I got the sense that any reasonable offer for the hull would be accepted.

"What do you see," I asked Ardele.

"It's in good condition, Pat. The galley could be updated and some of the furnishing and fabrics need to be replaced, but I don't see anything major so far."

"I agree," I nodded. "The hull has been cleaned and bottom painted. The props and rudder look good externally - don't see any signs of abuse or damage. And, a bonus, did you see she's even got a bow thruster."

"I talked to the woman and she said they had four children, all grown now, of course. That was the reason for the bunk room. They bought the boat new in 1983, so they've had it almost thirty years. She said there weren't that many places that they wanted to go. There isn't much sheltered water around here unless you go up the Columbia."

"Yeah, no doubt about that," I said. "Anyway, I like what I see so far and I think this is a good opportunity. How about you?"

"I agree," she nodded. "Let's get Mr. Gerhard down here and have him give us an opinion."

"I'll call him now," I said, pulling out my cell phone.

I arranged to pick Baldur up at Portland International the next day and bring him over to the boat. It was fortunate he was available that quickly.

"Baldur, nice to see you again," I said as we met in Arrivals.

"You're welcome ... nice to see you, too."

"This is my partner, Ardele Quinton, my invaluable first mate in our charter operation," I smiled, turning to Del.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Quinton".

Turning to me, "I was very sorry to hear about the loss of your boat, Patrick. Your restoration made it a crime to have it destroyed."

"Good choice of words. It was a crime. We identified the two victims as criminals with a police record. They and three buddies chartered us a couple of weeks earlier."

"That is frightening," Baldur said, showing alarm.

"We'll try and be more careful in our screening of potential clients, that's for sure. Now, to the subject - we're looking for the ideal boat to carry on our charters. This boat has no engines installed. Our visual inspection showed she's in good condition. But I won't pass judgement on it until you've surveyed it."

He nodded. "I'll give it my best effort, Mr. Hamelin."

Ardele and I left him alone to work. We sat by the little espresso shack on the edge of the property with coffee and a muffin. Later, we sat in my car until we saw Baldur climb down the ladder. We walked over to meet him.

"Well, what do you think? First impression?"

"I don't see anything that gives me concern," he said. "The hull is sound and in good condition. The engine room is clean and looks like it has been kept that way all along. Nothing in obvious disrepair - the hydraulics and the generator need to be operated. I'd say this would be a reasonable buy at the right price."

I looked at Ardele and saw a big smile on her face. Baldur's comments were music to her ears. It confirmed to me that she really wanted this boat. I didn't see any reason to disagree.

"Well, that leaves us with three decisions," I said. "Where do we buy engines? Who installs them? And, how do we haul her to Vancouver?"

Baldur laughed. "That I can't help you with. However, I have seen large boats brought in on barges. This boat is too big for trucking or rail."

"That's right!" Ardele said immediately. "Inlet could barge it back. They tow log barges here a couple of times a month. We could get them to bring it back."

"Okay, you can check that out with your old boss," I said.

"I'll bet he knows who could do the installation, too," she said confidently.

"Then, that just leaves us the question of where to find the engines," I grinned. "Back to the Internet, I suppose."

We drove Baldur to the airport, the three of us in an upbeat mood. Baldur's day trip would be profitable for him, but equally worthwhile for us. There is no substitute for peace of mind when buying a big asset like a boat. I had already arranged financing based on the payout of my insurance policy.

Before leaving the boatyard, we contacted the broker and made an offer of $175,000 US, cash. I was prepared to haggle, but within a half hour my cell phone chime rang and we had an agreement for sale. The broker would fax the documents to us and we would get a ten percent deposit to them immediately, with the balance when we took possession. For all intents and purposes, we now owned an engineless boat.

There was no problem arranging for Inlet Towing to pick up the boat and derelict engines in Astoria and bring it back to Vancouver. In fact, when we found the engine installer, our new boat would be delivered directly to them. Our only concern was to get the boat picked up no later than the end of September as the weather along the exposed west coast of Washington could become problematic.

We hemmed and hawed about which engines to purchase and finally went with rebuilt Volvo six cylinder turbocharged units producing a rated 330 horsepower. Apparently the original units in the boat were V12 Detroit Diesel units with twin turbochargers, detuned to 350 horsepower from 450. The fuel consumption would rival one of Inlet's tugs. We would still have the power we needed, but with less weight and reduced fuel consumption.

However, it also meant we needed new transmissions and that was going to be costly. We chose Twin Disc units, since their reputation for durability and reliability was very good. What we saved on the purchase price from asking to actual on the boat didn't cover that cost. However, it seemed sensible to have a reliable drive train to match with our engines, so the money would be well spent.

We swapped out the two well-worn mid-sized Northern Lights generators in trade for a single 20kw Mariner, again saving space and cost. The new unit was well shielded for sound. We also planned on a small emergency generator if the main unit should go down for some reason. We knew the boat had a small bow thruster and happily it was in good condition - very handy for docking in tight places. It also had trim tabs and they were functional and more than adequate.

Our new boat was very little more in weight than Captain's Choice, but with at least a hundred and fifty horsepower more, we should get a couple of knots more speed at cruise. It was never going to be a water ski boat, but it should move along just fine for our purposes. These boats were built in Florida for Atlantic coast water conditions. Our quieter, sheltered waters on the inside of Vancouver Island would seldom if ever test this boat's seaworthiness.

That brought us to what we should name her. Early on, I thought I would just call her Captain's Choice and be done with it. But after a while, I began to have second thoughts. There was something about my Dad's old boat that demanded I retire that name. It was special to me and I didn't want to dilute the memory of it. I already had the new B.C. registration number to be painted on the hull but I had nothing for the transom, waiting for some inspiration.

***

Ardele took the ringing phone. "That was Hec. The barge is in - they'll unload the boat close to high tide at 6:40 am tomorrow. Weather was fair - no reported issues, but we might want to have your insurance adjuster there to inspect."

"Great news. I'd like to meet your old boss. He's been a big help to us."

"He said he'll be there at about nine after he gets some work done."

"Okay. I hope all we find is some scuffing on the bottom paint from its cradle. Once we sign off on the delivery, hopefully the installers can start work on the engines and transmissions."

"You still hope to have it in the water by December?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's my wish. It will only take a couple of weeks to get the furnishings and galley equipment installed. I'm hoping that we'll have our sea trials in early December."

"Getting excited about it, huh?" she grinned.

"Yeah ... I am. I didn't think it was possible after what happened, but I have to admit, I'm really looking forward to this boat, this adventure."

"You better get to work on a name, then," she warned, waving her finger.

"I'm open to suggestions. Most of the ones I've come up with are pretty obvious."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like Del-icious," I chuckled.

"You wouldn't dare ... would you?"

"I might."

"What were some of the others?"

"Double Dip, Ardele's Pick, Second Try, and a few more that aren't worth sharing."

"This is your boat, Pat, not mine," she said with a frown.

I was shaking my head. "No, Ardele ... she's our boat. Partners, remember?"

"You're serious about that?"

"Yes ... very serious. Maybe I wouldn't have replaced Captain's Choice if you weren't pushing me. The pleasure of being with you this past year is what told me this is what I wanted to do. Without you, I'm not so sure."

That seemed to be a shock to her and I could see the confusion on her face. I wasn't sure myself exactly what I was telling her, but it was more than just a compliment to an employee. We were intimate and living together. I wondered if I was admitting to myself that I had fallen in love with Ardele. I had no idea. I'd never been in love before. I just knew that she was very important to me.

"Does that bother you?" I asked her. "I mean ... that you are someone who is very important to me?"

"I don't know," she said, still registering surprise. "I don't know what to think."

I stepped closer to her, taking her in my arms. "I'm not very good at this, am I? I want to tell you how much you mean to me, but I don't really know how. I've never had anyone like you in my life before. No one that gave me the feelings that you do."

She didn't answer for the longest time until, "What kind of feelings, Pat?"

"I think about you most of the time. If I'm trying to decide something, I wonder what you'd think. If I'm going to do something, I want to know you'd approve. This whole business of buying the boat and everything that went along with it. None of it would have happened without you. You found the boat. You knew where to go to haul her back here. You were the one who convinced me that we should replace Captain's Choice in the first place."

"Are you having second thoughts?" she asked.

"No! That's not what I'm saying. I guess the truth is, I find I'm always trying to please you. To do things that will make you proud of me ... or happy."