Second in priority is watching our heading and the trend of the wind. Is it getting stronger or dying down? Is the wind clocking around the compass or backing around it counterclockwise? We will keep a log and make entries at least every hour about the wind, sky, heading, and traffic conditions. Whoever spots and logs the most wildlife wins a dinner out in town on our next port of call."
"Birds count as wildlife?"
"Only if you can identify them, and if they are not common, no seagulls allowed. All species of flying fish and fish flying do count, even if they're not identifiable."
Eric watched a smiling Tess go below. As her head disappeared down the companionway a pulley, with some ropes going up to a long horizontal beam on the bottom of the mainsail, caught his eye. He could see how the apparatus pulled the sail in toward the boat when the wind tried to blow it out. He needed to learn everything about the boat, so he could continue on without Tess, if he had to.
He went to each sail's controlling rope to learn what would happen by experimenting. First he let out some rope, to notice any changes to the sail or the boat's performance, and then he winched it back in. In the hours that followed Eric learned the rudiments of sailing; in the next few days he planned on honing those skills. In his experience a student eager to learn inspired others to teach, and learning to sail had just become his passion.
Gus & Ela - Glade Park, CO
At a workbench that evening Gus finished wiping moisture from the shotgun when a smell not associated with gun oil caught his attention. Frozen in place for the moment it took him to mentally process and categorize the scent as freshly showered female, he turned to find Ela only a step away. Dressed in an oversized robe, her slightly wet hair and glowing complexion confirmed the accuracy of his sense of smell.
"I wanted to let you know the shower is available."
"Who are you and where's Ela?"
"Take a shower and you might find her."
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Later that evening, after cleaning and organizing the old trailer, Andy and Jennifer sat in folding camp chairs under a tarp-rigged awning in front of the Airstream. A small steel fire pit Andy had built, by scavenging parts from the ruins of the shop, provided warmth as they talked.
"Even though I chose to not carry any electronics, so I could be more connected to nature than the Internet on my bike-trek, the complete lack of information about anything beyond this farm is hard to get used to," Andy said.
"A few times in the past I've wished for the world outside this farm to go away and leave us alone, be careful about what you wish for, right?"
"That's what they say. I meant it was hard getting used to, not that I don't want to. In fact, my world right now, with just you and I sitting on the front porch of the bunkhouse, feels like just the right size."
Jennifer hugged him and replied, "I agree. Since you're now sleeping in the bunkhouse and Sam and Melissa would like more privacy, Leo's moving to the living room to sleep with me. I'm crazy about that little tyke, but sleeping on the couch or the recliner isn't as comfortable as the bunkhouse, so I think we need to discuss—"
"This in private," Andy finished, as he picked Jennifer up, carried her into the Airstream, and closed the door on a rainy night in East Texas.
Tess & Eric - Atlantic Ocean
After almost a decade together Robin spoke to Tess in a language that combined sound and motion to intricately describe her mood. Smooth, regular motion and light groans told Tess of Robin's happy mood, like a cat's purr. Exaggerated movement with erratic creaks indicated Robin labored under too much canvas for the conditions. Violent movement and crashing sounds portend of dire straits with impending damage if something isn't done quickly.
In the aft cabin, almost directly below Eric, Tess rested with her eyes closed. She could hear every sound Eric made as he moved around in the cockpit, and knew he was doing small adjustments to the sails. It comforted her that he remained awake and active, with no indication that he felt sick. Having the courage to experiment with sail-control lines meant he had a willingness to learn.
She had 100 nautical miles, or about a day, to decide to bail out at Norfolk rather than continue to the Bahamas. So far, sailing with Eric seemed a better choice than remaining in the chaos they'd seen ashore, and his demeanor toward her had changed so much for the better after his near death experience—though she still had a nagging reluctance to trust him. Probably nothing more than leftover resentment of how he'd acted toward her at first; that should go away in the days ahead.
However, the first night of many overnights during the passage came next, and anything could happen on a small boat sailing the open ocean at night.
~~~—~~~
Thank you for reading Surviving Abe!
If you can find it in your heart to leave a review on Amazon it will be deeply appreciated. As with any self-published eBook, its success depends on reviews posted by readers like you, even a line or two helps.
About the author
The author and his wife spend the winter months in the Bay Area of California, and the rest of the year at their home in Colorado. SURVIVING ABE is the author's debut novel. He is currently at work helping the next story fight its way onto the page.
Thanks to my Beta Readers
A Special Thanks goes out to:
Evin Ager, Elizabeth Davie, Debra Tucker, William Brown, MaryLu Scholl, John T and Jo Mallon, Tim & Marie MacAulay, Gail Duarte, and Mike Cregan.
If you would like to discuss and/or participate in future projects as a beta reader please let me know.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JZO'brien
Twitter: @JacksDetour
Blog: http://jzobrien.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/j-z-o-brien
Amazon Author page: amazon.com/author/jzobrien
Table of Contents
Cover Image
Title Page
About the author
DAY 1
Gus & Oley - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Tess - Chesapeake Bay, MD
Con - Grand Junction, CO
Ela - Denver, CO
Con & Ela - Grand Junction, CO
[email protected] - Inbox (decrypted)
Andy - East Texas
Tess - Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Con & Ela - Grand Junction, CO
[email protected] - Outbox (to encryption)
Day 2
Tess - Langford Creek, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
[email protected] - Inbox (decrypted)
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
[email protected] - Outbox (to encryption)
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Ela & Alan - Gateway, CO
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Day 3
Tess - Chester River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
[email protected] - Inbox (decrypted)
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
[email protected] - Outbox (to encryption)
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess - Chestertown, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess - Chestertown, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Day 4
Tess - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
[email protected] - Inbox (decrypted)
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Tess - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Andy & J
ennifer - East Texas
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
[email protected] - Outbox (to encryption)
Day 5
Tess - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Gus - Uncompahgre Plateau, CO
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Gus - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Con & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Con, Ela & Gus - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Day 6
Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Con, Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Con, Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess - Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Con, Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Tess - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Day 7
Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Tess - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Tess & Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Tess & Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Tess & Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
[email protected] - Inbox (decrypted)
[email protected] - Outbox (to encryption)
Day 8
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess & Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess & Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Gus & Ela - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Day 9
Tess & Eric - Delaware Bay, DE
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Gus, Ela & Hank - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess & Eric - Delaware Bay, DE
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Gus, Ela & Hank - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Day 10
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
Gus, Ela & Hank - Unaweep Canyon, CO
Tess & Eric - Atlantic Ocean
Gus & Ela - Glade Park, CO
Andy & Jennifer - East Texas
Tess & Eric - Atlantic Ocean
SURVIVING ABE: A Climate-Fiction Novel Page 35