by Renee Hart
About the time he realized that he hadn’t discussed the watch times, Lou came into the wheelhouse looking bright-eyed, with a cup of coffee in hand. Relieved at the sight of her, he stood up and stretched before passing her his seat.
“I guess I should have known you’d know the watch schedule already,” Ray said. “I was just trying to figure out how I was going to wake one of you to take over for me.”
“No worries, Captain. This ain’t our first rodeo as I’m sure you can see for yourself. Go find your bunk and leave this to me.”
With that, Lou turned to take a look out at the sea sparkling in the half light. This was her favorite time to be on watch. She listened as Ray quietly took his leave behind her. If he was feeling dismissed, well, it wasn’t personal, she thought.
***
Adrian showed up for her watch right on time. She brought Lou a fresh cup of coffee knowing her sister wouldn’t go back to sleep. The two of them would have some quiet time before the Captain was up, she figured. It had been a while since they’d had a chance to catch up on each other’s news.
“Thanks, Sis for dialing me in on this gig. I really need to earn some money if I’m ever going to have my own plane,” Adrian said.
“Well, if you hadn’t come along, I don’t think the Captain would have sailed with just me, and the other crewman walked at the sight of me. The Lindy Lee is so busted up, there’s no chance of getting her back in the water this season. I’m in the same boat as you. I need the money.”
“Have you considered that maybe the Lindy Lee isn’t meant to go back out again,” Adrian asked quietly. “I know you love her and feel an obligation to Dad’s dream, but maybe it’s time for a dream of your own…”
Adrian’s voice trailed off at the look on her sister’s face. Lou wasn’t given to crying, but she sure looked on the verge of it this time.
Taking a long slow sip of her coffee, Lou avoided looking at her sister’s face. She’d thought a lot about the question her sister had just asked, but the real problem she found wasn’t the boat. In trying to figure out her next step, she was surprised to realize she didn’t actually have a dream of her own.
She’d been so busy living her father’s dream that she’d never taken the time to find one for herself. Now, here she was past thirty, with a busted up boat and nothing else to show for her life. Heck, she didn’t even have a bank account or a place of her own. She spent her time on land drifting from her friend’s places to her sister’s house in Homer like a ship without an anchor.
“Good morning,” Ray said from the door of the wheelhouse. “Ready to grab something to eat and get back to work. I made some oatmeal…well, actually I boiled some water. The oatmeal’s that instant kind.”
He missed the grimace Adrian cast at Lou as he turned to go out. First order of business when they got back to port was to get some real food on this boat, the two women agreed without a word spoken.
***
Their second day matched the success of the first and Ray was pleased with how smoothly the two women kept things running between them. They seemed so in tune with each other that words weren’t necessary for them. More than once, he saw one of them hand the right tool to the other for the task at hand without a sound. He marveled at their ability to do that.
They took a quick break for lunch and ate cold beans straight from the cans. Washing them down with cool water, they did a quick assessment of the day’s catch so far, and decided the hold would be filled in one more day if their luck held and they’d need to head into port to off load it.
“Are you two twins,” Ray blurted out. “I mean, I’ve never seen two people communicate without words the way you two do.”
“No, we’re not real twins. Actually, though,” Adrian laughed, “we are Irish twins.”
“Oh, so you’re Irish,” Ray said looking confused.
“No, we’re Irish twins.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’re only ten months apart in age. That’s what some people call Irish twins. We just grew up doing everything together. That’s why we can almost work together as a single person. Until I got married, I’m not sure we’d ever been away from each other more than a couple of days our whole lives.”
“You’re married,” Ray asked, looking at Adrian in surprise.
“I am, five years already and I’ve got twins of my own…real twins, a boy and a girl. They’re three and a half.”
“Are they with their father,” Ray couldn’t help but ask.
“No. My husband’s with the Coast Guard. He’s on a two month training mission out on the Aleutians. The twins are with their grandmother back in Homer.”
Ray felt like he’d stepped off land onto a loose dinghy and looked for a way back to solid ground. He pitched his empty can into the trash bin and tossed the spoon into the sink.
“Well, that was fun. Let’s go see what we can drag up this afternoon,” he said before turning to head topside.
The two women looked at each other and grinned before following his lead. Soon they were hard back at it and the fish were practically jumping into the boat on their own accord. It appeared Lady Luck had come along on this ride.
***
Their third day was a repeat of the first two and the hold was filled to the brim by late afternoon. Ray decided to make a run for the cannery in Homer so they could off load first thing in the morning and be back out by early afternoon. He related his plan to the crew and they made ready to get underway. Leaving them to secure the last of the gear, he went to the wheelhouse to radio in his schedule and make a couple of calls.
There was a long way to go before he made up his late start, but they’d put a dent in the problem. Now he just needed to keep this going for a while. He sat down at the wheel and checked his heading and the weather. It all looked good for a late evening arrival. Adrian had asked permission to spend the night at home with her kids. Lou said she would stay and help him to unload. He was grateful for that. There was no reason the two of them couldn’t handle the job. The woman worked as hard as any man he’d ever worked with, both of them did.
Adrian jumped off onto the dock as soon as they touched down and tied the boat up in a slip. She waved good-bye and disappeared from sight. Lou stepped off the boat and took a look around at the other boats tied up nearby. She got a few terse nods from the other men working on their boats, but most of them ignored her.
A couple of old-timers came over to talk to Ray. Jonesy had said some pretty rough things down at the Salty Dog about the situation. They wanted to hear Ray’s side of the matter. He didn’t feel like it was any of their business how he ran his boat or picked his crew. He cut them off pretty quick. They went off in the same snit as Jonesy did. He figured they’d tell their own version of things no matter what he said anyway.
Seeing Lou walking back his way, he suddenly realized he was hungry. They hadn’t bothered to do anything about supper and their lunch of beans had long since run out.
“You like bar-be-que?” he called to her. “There’s a pretty good place at the other end of the Spit. They make a mean brisket sandwich with a side of baked beans.”
He laughed at the look on her face.
“I think I’ll just have my sandwich with a side of coleslaw if you don’t mind,” Lou grinned.
“Same here,” Ray said as he stepped onto the dock.
Giving the boat a quick once-over to see that everything was locked down properly the two of them headed off. They figured nothing could go wrong if they were only away for an hour or so.
***
Ray and Lou were making their way back to the Seabiscuit when they both saw her bobbing in the ocean about fifty yards away from the dock.
“What the…” Ray gasped as he ran down the dock. “I thought you two knew how to tie up a boat!”
He knew if the Harbormaster caught sight of his boat out there dancing on the waves there’d be hell to pay. Looking around for a handy skiff or even a kayak,
he noted a few faces watching, but when they saw him looking, they’d turn away. He couldn’t believe no one was going to help him. A sudden splash behind him made him turn around.
Lou had stripped off her shoes and emptied her pockets before diving into the icy cold water. She was swimming like a champion towards the drifting boat and as Ray watched, she closed the gap in record time. He noted that more than a few men had stood to watch the drama unfolding before them. There were few among them that would be willing to jump into the water for their own boat let alone somebody else’s.
Ray was relieved when she hoisted herself on board and disappeared from sight. He figured she might want to get out of her wet clothes before doing anything else so he sat down in the slip where the boat had been tied up. As he sat there feeling like a horses’ butt, his eyes caught sight of a piece of rope. Any fool could see the rope had been cut loose as the cleat hitch was still firmly in place where Adrian had tied it. His thoughts grew dark as he wondered at the kind of man that would cut another man’s boat loose and set it adrift. This was the act of a criminal.
***
Ray sat on that dock for more than an hour, much to the amusement of the other sailors. He could hear snippets of their conversation as the Seabiscuit slipped a little further from shore with the tide. It was clear they were talking about him. His ears burned as he strained to shut them out and listen for signs that Lou was okay.
It was fully dark when the engine started and Lou nosed the boat back into the slip. He tied up the boat again noting the cut end on the side of the boat that matched the one in his hand. As he jumped on board, Lou came out of the wheelhouse dressed in sweats and a hoodie. Her hair was still wet and she appeared to still be shivering a bit. He hurried to make some coffee for them.
Grimly, he showed her the bit of rope he’d retrieved from the dock. She didn’t look surprised. Mostly, she just looked sad.
“Any idea on who might have done this,” she asked quietly.
“Not really. There’s been a lot of things like this happening lately. Just little things like missing gear and stuff left in places where it could hurt somebody, but nothing I could really pin down. I just thought it was Jonesy being careless, or plain old bad luck. I’m sorry about what I said.”
“No worries. It’s a natural thing to blame the ‘new guy’. I would have blamed you if you’d been the one that tied up the boat.”
The two of them laughed at the thought, but their faces quickly grew grim as they considered there just might be a saboteur out there lurking in the shadows.
“Do you think this might be worth reporting to the authorities?” Lou asked.
“I don’t have much more than a cut piece of rope and a lot of little mysteries,” Ray said. “I don’t think that’s going to get me much traction with them. They like hard evidence. Besides, I don’t want to have to explain why my crew member jumped into the sea and saved my boat. It should have been me swimming out, not you!”
Ray was trying to make that last bit sound funny, but his concern was evident. Kachemak Bay wasn’t known for being a popular swimming hole, even if it was July. Most people wouldn’t even attempt it without a wet suit at least. The water was barely above freezing when the sun was shining on it and the tide was coming in over the black sand. Here at the docks where it was deeper, there was no warmth in it at all.
“It’s not a real big deal. I’m a strong swimmer and it wasn’t very far. My dad taught us to focus on the goal and ignore the pain. Funny way to raise up girls, I know, but it works. That wasn’t my first dip in the ocean. I’m just really glad you’ve got a hot shower on this boat!”
“Does your dad raising you to be tough have anything to do with naming you Lou?”
“Oh, no. That’s my mother’s fault. She loves to read and her favorite author when I was born was Louisa May Alcott. She named me after her, but I hated the name cause no one could ever say it right. When Adrian was little, she used to call me ‘Weesa”. I didn’t want to be stuck with that so I made everyone call me ‘Lou’, and when I was eighteen I had it legally changed, much to my mother’s dismay. I’m not sure she’s over it yet.”
Ray laughed as he sat back and considered the young woman sitting before him. She was easy on the eyes and soothing in her own quiet way. He’d only known her a couple of days, but he found himself wanting to know more. The two of them sitting there in the wheelhouse made him realize how lonely his own life had become since his father died.
Sure, he’d dated a few women over the years, but most of them weren’t interested in boats or fishing. He never watched TV or cared about sports or any of the other things they wanted to talk about. Reading was his only diversion and he was happy with a dime store western. He wasn’t what most people would consider cultured in any way.
“Well, I figure we’re safe for tonight, but we’d better still keep watch. I don’t want anything to come between this load and the cannery tomorrow morning. I’ll take first watch and we’ll switch when you wake up. I figure I owe you that much.”
“A little extra sleep is what I get for saving your boat,” Lou scoffed. “I hope you’re not thinking of skimping on my paycheck too.”
Ray laughed as she turned and headed off to her bunk. The sound of the closing door echoed in the wheelhouse. He winced at the sudden emptiness she’d left behind.
***
The two of them were up early and had the boat at the cannery before it opened. They were the first to unload and had their payout in hand when Adrian pulled up in a taxi. They watched in surprise as she unloaded several bags of groceries from the back of the car. Lou hustled over to give her a hand as Ray watched in amusement.
“I take it we won’t be eating beans for the next few days,” he laughed.
“Not if I can help it,” Adrian teased him right back. “If I’m gonna work, I’m gonna eat something I like!”
Pulling out a bag of M&M’s she tossed it to him.
“Like chocolate,” she crowed.
Ray laughed and tore the bag open.
“I get all the blue and green ones,” he said as he pawed through the candy.
“Why’s that,” Lou asked grabbing the bag out of his hands.
Trying to snatch it back, Ray nearly lost his balance and fell overboard.
Seeing him safe, the two women laughed and disappeared below to stash the food. They were eager to head back out and get to work. Ray noticed a couple of guys staring at him from the dock as he turned away to untie the boat. He wasn’t sure who’d been poisoning the waters here around Homer, but he was feeling a little bit like an outsider. He could only wonder what was going on as he headed back out to sea.
When the two women came topside a little while later, they’d already cleared the harbor. Ray was wondering what was going to be for lunch as they appeared with a stack of sandwiches.
“If I’d known what I was missing out on by not having women crew members, I’d have jumped overboard and drowned myself. Who would have thought there was more to life than cold beans from a can?”
Adrian laughed as she handed him a sandwich dripping with sprouts. Taking a big bite, he started chewing carefully. He couldn’t say what he was eating exactly, but it was a darn sight better than beans. He grunted and took another big bite. I could get used to this, he thought.
Chapter 3
Lady Luck stayed with them on this trip and within three days, they’d repeated their opening success and were heading back with a full hold again. With this kind of action, they’d be making their quota for the season despite the late start. They were in high spirits as the land came into sight.
Adrian once again requested shore leave to check in on the twins and Lou committed to helping him offload the catch. Ray didn’t have anywhere else to be so the arrangement suited him just fine. He figured it would be best to call for a pizza delivery this time though. They agreed it was better than leaving the boat unattended and having a repeat of the last trip’s little adventure. The w
ater hadn’t gotten any warmer in the last few days.
As they sat on the deck eating pizza and watching the twinkling lights of the shore bob up and down, the two of them chatted like old friends.
“So,” Lou asked, “why’d you name your boat after hard tack?”
“Hard tack? This boat’s named after a horse!”
“A horse? You mean, the horse, Seabiscuit, the horse! How’d that happen?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, we've got all night and I like good stories. So tell me.”
“Okay. Well, my dad was a lumberjack in Oregon. He’d go out on the job for three months at a time and when he was done, he’d get his pay in one lump sum from the company. He’d pay off the company store and whatever bills we had and then he’d take the rest and go find this bookie he knew.”
“Wherever Seabiscuit was running, no matter the odds, my dad would bet everything on him to win. He’d win some and sure, he lost a few times, but my dad never bet against him. He’d say to me, “Son, this horse is always being counted out, but I tell you, he’s got the heart of a champion. He’s gonna get me my boat.””
“My dad would take all of his winnings and sock them away and one day, he felt he had enough, so we moved to Alaska where he got his boat. There was no other name for it in my dad’s mind. So here we sit on the original Seabiscuit.”
“That’s a pretty good yarn….for a fisherman,” Lou said as she yawned and stretched. “Do you think we need to keep watch tonight?
“I’m thinking it’s pretty quiet out here and we should just try and get some sleep. I don’t think anyone will try anything knowing there’s someone on board.”