Brie Beaumont shifted on the gray wool blanket. She stretched her arms above her head, laying them on the warm wood of the schooner’s deck so the July sun could get at the underside of them. Her long blonde hair lay like an exotic fan on the spruce planking. A ripe peach of a day—one to make you forget that life is chiefly about supply and demand. It demands and you supply. Eyes closed behind her sunglasses, she turned the thought in her mind and smiled as it slipped away and drifted lazily down her stream of consciousness.
She turned her head and studied John DuLac. He’d dozed off, lulled by the sun and the motion of the ship at anchor. He was tanned from life at sea, and his dark hair needed a trim. Over the past two months she had come to recognize his presence in her life as a stabilizing force so strong it was almost tangible. The memories that haunted her retreated more and more as the uncomplicated routine of life aboard a sailing ship worked its healing magic.
John shifted as she watched him and, rolling onto his left side, opened his eyes. “Hey, you,” he said. “I haven’t felt this relaxed since I don’t know when.”
Brie felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch his face, but restrained herself. The beginnings of romance that had blossomed that night in May, on this very deck, had been put on indefinite hold when she had accepted his offer to become second mate aboard the Maine Wind. She had been the one to set the boundaries around what their working relationship would be. But the kiss they had shared that night called to her, the memory of it intruding more and more often when he spoke to her, moved past her on deck, sat next to her in the galley at dinner. And now this break in the cruising schedule so they could sail out to Sentinel Island.
Brie hadn’t thought much about being along on this junket. After all, she was part of the crew, and she simply assumed John needed his three crew members aboard to sail the Maine Wind out to the island. But to her surprise, they’d dropped anchor midday, and John had come up from the galley with a picnic basket and a blanket. When she’d asked about Scott and George, she was told they were eating below deck. Clearly, John hadn’t forgotten that kiss either, and the picnic announced his intention that they’d be sharing these next few days as something other than captain and second mate.
Brie knew that normally the summer schedule allowed for no such breaks. The cruising season for the Maine windjammers was short, and the captains made the most of the few months they had. But John had left time in this summer’s schedule to help his friend, Ben, do some repairs to an old lighthouse he had inherited on Sentinel Island.
“Does Ben know when we’re arriving?” she asked, staring up at the Atlantic sky. The motion of the ship, combined with her unearthly view, gave her a distinct and not unpleasant sense of floating in space and time.
“I didn’t give him a definite ETA. He knows better than anyone that we’re at the mercy of the prevailing winds. A part of me is eager to get there and see this lighthouse of his…”
“But?”
John propped himself up on his arm and looked at her. “But this is nice too, Detective Beaumont.”
Brie pushed her sunglasses up on her head and stared into his unusually brown eyes. “That would be Second Mate Beaumont to you,” she said with a smile.
A large cloud passed over the ship, momentarily blocking out the sun and bringing with it a gust of wind that made Brie shiver. John leaned across and drew the blanket over her shoulder. He lingered for a moment above her, the electricity between them so strong that Brie felt a crushing sensation in her chest. She’d already decided there was no way she was not kissing him. A wisp of hair blew across her face; John tucked it behind her ear, and at that unfortunate moment the radio crackled to life.
“Maine Wind, Maine Wind, Maine Wind.”
Glossary of Sailing Terms
Aft—Toward the back of the boat.
Abeam—At right angles to the boat.
Alee—Helm’s alee or hard alee is the command for tacking or coming about.
Amidships—In the middle of the boat.
Baldhead rigging—A gaff-rigged sailing vessel that carries no topsails.
Beam reach—Also “reach.” To sail across the wind, or with the wind abeam.
Bearing—The angle from the boat to an object.
Beating—Sailing close-hauled, or as close to the wind as is efficient.
Boom—The spar that extends and supports the foot of the sail.
Bow—The most forward part of the boat.
Bowsprit—Permanent spar attached to the bow, to which jib-stays and forestays are fastened.
Bulkhead—An upright partition dividing a ship into compartments and preventing the spread of leakage or fire.
Come about—Also “tack.” To bring the boat across the wind to a new heading.
Companionway—Steps or ladder leading down from the deck to the cabin.
Cut—The shape or design of a sail.
Danger Sector—The fixed red part of a lighthouse’s light shining over shoals.
Davits—Outboard rigging for raising and lowering the ship’s yawl boat or dory.
Downwind—Away from the direction from which the wind blows.
Fore—Prefix indicating location near the bow.
Foremast—On a schooner, the mast closer to the bow.
Foresail—The sail that is rigged on the foremast.
Furl—To secure a sail to a boom by folding or rolling and then tying off.
Gaff—The spar that supports the top edge of a four-sided sail.
Gaff-rigged—A boat with four-sided sails rigged to gaffs.
Galley—A boat’s kitchen
Grabrail—A handrail running along the edge of the deckhouse or cabin top.
Gunwale—(pronounced “gun’l”) A boat’s rail at the edge of the deck.
Hatch—An opening in a deck, covered by a hatch cover.
Halyard—A line that hoists a sail and keeps it up.
Head—A boat’s bathroom.
Heading—The course, or direction the boat is pointing.
Heel—The tilt or laying over of a boat caused by wind.
Helm—The tiller or steering wheel.
Jib—A sail carried on the headstay or forestay.
Knot—1 nautical mile per hour.
Lace-lines—Also reefing lines. Used to secure a sail to the bowsprit or boom.
Lazarette—A small hold, usually in the stern, for stores and gear.
Lee of the island—The side of the island sheltered from the wind.
Leeward—Away from the direction of the wind. Pronounced “luard.”
Make off or Make fast—To secure a line to a belaying pin or cleat.
Mainmast—Mast farthest aft on a schooner. Carries the mainsail.
Mainsail—The sail attached to the largest mast on the boat.
Marlin spike—A pointed metal tool used to open knots, start holes in wood, or do rope working such as splicing.
Painter—The bow line on a dinghy.
Peak halyard—Raises the end of the gaff farthest from the mast.
PFDs—Personal flotation devices.
Port—The left side of the ship when facing forward.
Port tack—Sailing to windward with the wind coming over the port side of the boat.
Pulpit—A railed structure at the bow or on the bowsprit. Only seen on historic schooners that were fishing vessels and used harpoons for catching big fish such as swordfish.
Quarter—The side of the boat near the stern.
Ratlines—System of tarred rungs used to climb to the top of the mast.
Running—Sailing with the wind astern.
Saloon—The main cabin on a ship.
Scandalize the forepeak—On a gaff-rigged vessel, lowering the peak of the sail to slow the vessel.
Schooner—A boat with two or more masts; the foremast or forewardmost mast is shorter that the mainmast.
Scuppers—Holes in the rail or gunwale that allow water drain-age.
Sole—A cabin or cockpit floor.
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br /> Starboard—The right side of the ship when facing forward.
Starboard tack—Sailing to windward with the wind coming over the starboard side of the boat.
Staysail—A small headsail set between the jib and the foremast.
Stem—The forward edge of the bow.
Stern—The aftmost part of the hull.
Throat halyard—On a gaff-rigged boat, the halyard that raises the luff or forward edge of sail along the mast.
Thwarts—The seats in a dory or dinghy.
Upwind—Toward the wind.
Windward—Upwind
Yawl boat—A small, powerful motorized boat used to push a motorless vessel.
Rigged for Murder (Windjammer Mystery Series) Page 21