Nobody's Dying Tonight

He wanted to make the change right away. The friction that Jen had created over the course of her time on the boat had worn on him and he wanted the peace of his boat back. But he thought he might be overreacting and being too demanding. So, despite his better judgement and instinct he decided to keep her aboard a little longer and make the trip south with the two women.

It was that decision however rational it may have seemed at the time that had set them on the path that lead to the wreck.

***************

Chapter 5

He grabbed the microphone for the VHF and looked at Laurine as he spoke. "Listen to what I say and repeat it for me and keep repeating until you get a response."

He keyed the mic and spoke into the handset. "Mayday, Mayday. Mayday. This is Sailing Vessel Osprey, Sailing Vessel Osprey, Sailing Vessel Osprey. Our position is 22-58.13N 071-55.4W. We have struck a reef and are taking on water and sinking by the stern. Request assistance in relaying message to rescue operations."

He repeated that twice and was about to start a third time when an accented voice responded. "Osprey, Osprey, Osprey, this is Carnival Breeze, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Breeze, please repeat the nature of your distress and position."

He handed the mic to Laurine. "Do your best to answer his questions and keep in touch with him as long as we can." She nodded and began to speak. To his shock, the officer on the Carnival Breeze picked up on Laurine's accent and asked if she spoke French. As it turned out, the officer was French and Laurine was able to open the communications much easier using their native language. They could use the lucky break.

Next, he turned to Jen. "Start gathering gear" He said "Pull our survival gear out of the locker, get water, bring up anything personal from below that you want to save. Keep it to a minimum, concentrate on things you can't replace or things that will save your life and get them on the table in the salon." She started to object, as was her way and he cur her off with a wave of his hand and a curt command. "Just do it Jen, this is important and I don't have time to debate with you."

He moved back into action. His mind was redlining -- running at 7000 RPM firing off ideas more quickly than he could consciously acknowledge them. He went below first to his room and did a quick damage inspection. He opened the engine bay inspection door below his bunk and shined in his light. He could see water bubbling up from a hole where the sail drive used to be. He didn't waste any more time with inspecting damage. He was just confirming what he had suspected and with that went back to work and grabbed personal items that he wanted to save.

He grabbed his wetsuit and he pulled it on quickly. If he was going into the water, he wanted every advantage he could bring to his side of the equation. Even though the water temperature was in the 70s you can still get hypothermic and he did not know how long they might be on their own.

He came back to the salon. Laurine spoke up. "He understood and said he will relay our position and situation. I've tried a couple of times but, I am not hearing him anymore."

"You did great." He said, "Viva Le France!" He smiled and threw his arm around her shoulders and hugged her as he took the mic and set it aside.

"Ok." He said "We've done all we can to get attention and had some good luck with the Carnival ship. I have no idea how long it may take for a rescue to get to us. I expect that we will be on our own for several hours, likely all night. Since we're up on a reef, they can't get to us by boat. I'm fairly certain that they are going to have to come for us by helicopter and I have no idea if the Turks have any type of Coast Guard or rescue crews let alone a helicopter."

"I'm going forward to pull our life vests out of the locker. You two start bringing our survival gear to the foredeck and lash everything to the mast. Most important things first. Get the life raft up there, it will likely take the both of you but, if we need it, that's where it will do us the best.

Once again Jen broke in to try to assert her views. "Why are we wasting time dragging the life raft around. We need to get into it right now!" She was clearly afraid and very agitated. Her eyes were wide and her voice was strained and screechy as she raised her voice trying to be authoritative.

He took a deep breath before speaking. He needed them to work with him and he needed her rational. "I don't think we can get into it off the stern, the reef will just tear it up. We stand a better chance on the foredeck."

"Let's just get in the raft" Jen said, "or snorkel to the beach."

They could see the outline of the island clearly. He felt his anger growing and he shot back before could catch himself. "Be careful." He said thru clenched teeth. "I just may let you!"

He took a breath and let go of the anger It's not helpful he thought. "No one is fuckin' swimming off this boat do you understand me?!" He looked straight into her eyes to make sure he had her attention.

"The boat is our best chance. We are up on the reef, and I'm not sure how deep it will get when the tide comes in but, I'm hoping the reef will keep us from sinking and provide the best target for any rescuers to find." He was trying to calm her and use logic to make her understand that she needed to cooperate now -- not fall apart.

"We'll have the raft and all our gear forward and ready, but we are not going into the raft until we have to climb up and into it!"

Laurine nodded and grabbed Jen. "Help me." She said and he was happy that she was holding it together so well and was proving herself extremely flexible and reliable in this tough spot.

He pulled the raft out of the survival gear locker and brought it out to the cockpit. "Ok ladies, I'm going to get our life jackets while you bring the gear forward. Use the harness vests and tether onto the Jack lines. I don't want to lose one of you overboard in a slip."

He went forward to the generator locker in the bow of the port hull. He had a bag of six offshore life vests that he kept there. They were just too bulky for the survival gear locker in the salon and most time the crew used the integrated vests and harnesses during any overnight passages.

He pulled the door open and lashed it to the lifeline. He leaned himself in and grabbed the bag of vests and pulled it. He wriggled back out of the hatch, pulled three vests free and crab walked back toward the cockpit. The women had gotten the life raft to the bow and he checked its security before continuing aft. When he reached them, he handed each the big life jacket. "Get these on." He said.

He had intended to be cruising for an extended time. His plans had him heading west to the Pacific in the early spring. He had a few items "hid" that he thought he might need and did not want to have to declare.

He went to the stove and pulled out six screws that held it in its place. When free, he pulled the stove out and laid it on the deck. Behind the stove was his stash -- two rifles, ammunition, and gold and silver coins. He thought about the rifles for just a moment and discarded the idea of trying to salvage them. He packed them for Pirates, and they held sentimental value -- if a rifle can hold sentimental value. The M1 Garand was his uncle's -- carried thru World War II Europe and brought home in 1945. He silently cursed his luck and reached in and grabbed a plastic waterproof box that held the gold and silver. He would be able to salvage that.

"Power." He thought." Got to preserve the batteries for as long as I can, need to check the charge on the hand held VHF, we'll need that to communicate with the helicopter if it comes...WHEN it comes." He mentally corrected himself. With that he clicked off all the CBs except the navigation lights, the steaming light, and the anchor light and one light in the salon. He put the VHF in its cradle and plugged the charger into an inverter to top off the radio.

He grabbed the handheld Garmin. He opened the battery case and slipped in the two AA batteries that were stored with (but not in) the GPS. Once installed he turned the unit on and brought it out to the cockpit to get a view of the satellite constellations. He looked up at the sails. The wind wasn't helping and each time the sail grabbed some wind the boat would shudder and lurch with the gust. He grabbed the furling line for the headsail and wrapped it around the winch. When the line was ready to run, he cranked the sail in and locked the clutch.

Next, he went to the main sail. He centered the boom then released the clutch for the halyard and let the sail fall of its own weight to the sail bag. The boat settled down somewhat and now they only had to deal with the surges from the waves.

He began his mental checklist

"How long have we been at this?" He thought. "Went down for sleep at 7 pm, had my alarm set for 9 but hit the reef before then -- so say 830 ish. He looked at the clock "Nearly 10. High tide at 1 AM. How much more water are we going to take on? Will we stay on the reef? Fuck if we get floated off, we're sunk for sure." Again, he dismissed non-productive thoughts and focused on the important.

Survival gear, -- raft, vests, lights, flares, water, food, radio, GPS; all gathered with the raft up forward, lashed to the mast and the electronic gear still in the salon.

Personal -- he looked through his dry bag and checked -- medicine, dry clothes, money, passport, computer, phones, tablet, ships papers and logbook. He folded the flaps and sealed the bag. He would keep that with him from now on.

Communication -- EPIRB still on, flashing, transmitting. SSB, dead, he had turned off power to save it for the lights. VHF, ship set, dead -- same as the SSB. Handheld charged and ready. Last known contact was about an hour ago.

Physical condition -- get some food out of the fridge. Have everyone eat something and drink as much water as they can hold -- been running on adrenaline but that will fade soon, and we need fuel in our bodies before it does. He grabbed at containers of leftovers, fruit, and some dry protein bars and put them on the galley table and told the women to eat and drink their fill now then rest. He knew the time was coming when they would have to make the choice to leave the boat and save themselves. He knew he had the strength of body and most importantly the will, but was not sure about the women. He had to remember to let them rest, they wouldn't sleep but, they can sit quietly and prep for the efforts to come.

Another random thought buzzed thru his brain -- this one caused a slight smile, a wry smile but a smile all the same -- a line from a favorite song "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours."

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Chapter 6

He looked heavenward -- "In your hands Lord -- Help me. What else can I do??"

Rest for a moment.

He sat down hard on the floor of the salon with his back up against the Nav Table and closed his eyes for a moment. The boat was being battered by waves but as yet, the boat was holding its position and the water level, while rising was rising slowly. He wondered about the tide. It was coming in, "What is that going to do to the boat." He wondered.

"Ladies." He said. "While we have a few minutes I think we should talk about how a rescue operation may take place." He was thinking back to his experience in the Navy and while he "knew" what to expect he also knew that the women didn't so he started to tell them how the rescue would proceed once the rescuers got to them.

They both looked at him and he continued. "I don't think they can send a boat for us. The reef and the wave action make it just too dangerous and besides, I don't even know if the Turks and Caicos has any rescue organization."

He stopped and thought a moment before going on. "I'm thinking they may have to bring a US Coast Guard Helicopter in from the states. Miami probably. But that won't be quick or easy. They'll either have to land to refuel a couple times or have a tanker to support them. Either way, that will take some time. But let's not dwell on that right now. Let's talk about what will likely happen if they send a helicopter."

Jen spoke up and said sharply. "What do you mean if? Why are we waiting here. I don't understand why we don't get in the life raft and paddle toward shore!"

He started to reply but thought it wasn't worth going over again. She wasn't thinking clearly and he knew by this point that there was little he could do to convince her. He continued on as if she hadn't made her outburst. "We have the hand held VHF. It's charging and we'll use that to communicate with the helicopter when they get here." He said when instead of if to help calm them women.

"My guess is that they won't use a "horse collar" to lift us. They'll probably figure that we won't get it on correctly. So, I think that they'll use a rescue basket." He said

"What is a horse collar?" Laurine asked.

"It's a slang term for a strap that you wrap around your body under your arms then clip onto the hoist cable, then they lift you up. But like I said, I don't think they will be doing that with us." He answered.

"I think that they will put a swimmer in the water. It will be his job to get you to and into the basket. Now here is the hard part." He said keeping his voice low and measured.

"Since we have a mast and all these wires all over the place, they can't get it too close so , I think they will have to hover maybe 50 or 100 yards off from us and that is where we will get into the basket."

Laurine made an involuntary cry and was tearing up. He knew he had to keep her confident and engaged. "That's standard, nothing to worry about." He said with a calming voice. "The swimmer will get us there. You just have to remember to do as he says. They're the pros. We're the knuckleheads that need saving so let them lead the way.".

Jen started to complain again. "How long do we sit here? How do we know if anyone is even coming? Why are we waiting? I still think we should swim for it."

He was getting tired of this. Logic was not sinking in so there seemed to be no way to get the point across any more clearly than he had been doing.

"You're right, I don't know if anyone is coming or when. But we are staying with the boat till it quits us. We'll go in the raft when the big boat just won't support us anymore." He answered and she started to reply but he cut her off with a wave.

"Let me finish going over this. It's important." He went on looking right at Jen. "When you get to the basket, he is going to load you in then signal the helo. A hoist operator will lift you. The basket may spin. If the operator is good, he'll be on top of it and stop the spin but even if he doesn't, don't get scared, don't try to stop the spin, don't try to get out. The operator will sort it out and get you in."

"Now here's the order, Laurine, you'll go first, followed by Jen and I'll bring up the rear." He said.

"Why?" Jen challenged.

He was getting very tired of this constant useless nagging. "Because I'm the Captain and I set the Fucking order." He stated flatly.

"Now unless you have something positive and useful to say, please, just rest your tongue and let all of us get a moment to relax." He finished.

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Chapter 7

He looked at the time. They had been at this since around 8:30 PM, it was just after 10 now. "Can we make it through the night?" Time to check preparations again.

He got up and walked back out of the salon to the cockpit. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness and stepped up from the cockpit to the deck. He looked over the side and shined his spotlight beam into the water. He could see the top of the reef and guessed that he was resting in about five feet of water. The tide would add about another two feet to that. He looked back at the stern steps. They top step was still out of the water, but the rest of the hull steps were awash. He watched as the waves crashed onto the steps, every third or fourth wave would crash with increasing force and send spray flying thru the cockpit and soaking him. In his wetsuit, he didn't care about getting splashed.

A thought of despair creeped into his consciousness. He worried that there would be no rescue helicopter. The Turks and Caicos were a holiday destination with beautiful beaches and resorts but, even in Provo just a block back from the resorts the people lived in incredible poverty and the government did not have the infrastructure or the organizational depth to support a Navy or Coast Guard, not in the sense that he knew the US Navy and Coast Guard.

He shook his head again to shake out the thought -- not helpful -- "Write a strongly worded letter to the PM when you're ashore." He thought. "Not now."

At that moment a large wave smashed into the transom and completely covered him in a blanket of thick green water and rocked the boat.

"The water is coming up!" It was Laurine. He eyes were wide with fear.

He shook the water out of his face and stepped back into the salon, pulling the door shut behind him. He looked at the steps leading down to the starboard hull. It had been below the level of the top step when he walked out. It was above the step and rising.

Jen was getting frantic and was pacing and talking to herself animatedly while biting her thumb.

The water was rising on the port side too, not quite as fast but instantly noticeable.

"This is it." He thought. "Time to unass and move forward and get the raft ready."

Another big wave hit the stern and rocked the boat and caused a surge of sea water to rush in over the steps now and into the salon proper. The women yelped -- not a scream but, not words, an unconscious reaction of fear and panic.

"OK ladies, time to move." He said. "We're going forward to the foredeck." He grabbed the VHF handheld radio out of its cradle and headed to the salon door. He opened the door and water immediately rushed in; the cockpit was fully awash now. The women yelped again. "Come on." He said and began to help them move thru the water -- nearly hip deep by now.

They got up onto the deck and made their way forward. The waves were coming in larger now and the boat was screaming in its death throes as the fiberglass hulls were torn on the reef and rocks.

They were huddled up on the foredeck. It was warm at least, in the 70s so at least they weren't freezing. They may yet drown but, they wouldn't succumb to hypothermia. "Cold comfort." He thought.

The boat was being hammered. Each wave smashed them and rocked the boat. "We have to get into the life raft." Jen cried." She's losing it he thought, calm her if you can.

"Ok, Ok." He said "I know, you're worried but we're still better off here on the big boat until it completely quits us. I don't know if we are going to get pushed off the reef or not but, if we are able to stay stuck here, we're a much better target for any rescue vessel here on the big boat. And, you may not believe me but, more comfortable too."

"I don't know why we just don't get into the raft. The boat is sinking! Are you crazy?!" Jen cried out again. This time it was Laurine to the rescue. Without a word she sat next to Jen and put her arms around her and hugged her. "Women are so smart." He thought. "Here I resort to logic and get nothing for my trouble and she just quieted Jen with a simple hug." Truth be told, he'd rather strangle Jen right now as opposed to hugging her and he silently thanked Laurine's insight.

Spray and thick blankets of water were getting thrown across the foredeck with each wave hitting the boat as the tide continued to build, an involuntary moan escaping lips each time the waves smacked them.