FOR THE LOVE OF THE SEA

by Jennifer Bohnet

  An hour later as Cassie and Anna got out of the car in the boatyard, they saw Polly walking slowly towards the house, accompanied by a tall man whom Cassie didn’t recognise. A reporter perhaps? Checking the story of Tom’s accident.

  “Mum, this is Dexter Munro. Tom’s friend. And race organiser,” she added as Cassie looked at her blankly.

  The events of the last twenty-four hours had pushed everything out of her mind.

  “I’ve told him about the accident.”

  “Nice to meet you Mrs. Lewis. I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Tom. Please give him my best wishes and let him know I’ll be in touch. Do you have any idea yet how long he’ll be out of action?”

  “The doctor said several months.”

  “So my visit today to collect the entry forms for the race is rather irrelevant isn’t it?” Dexter said slowly.

  “There’s no way Tom is going to be able to compete with Clotted Cream now.”

  There was a short silence as they all looked at each other, realising the major consequence of Tom’s accident.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Polly said quietly. “It’s down to me, isn’t it?”

  Cassie, Dexter and Anna all turned to look at her.

  “What d’you mean?” Cassie said, knowing, even as she asked the question exactly what Polly meant.

  “I can do it instead of Tom,” Polly said determinedly.

  Cassie started to protest.

  “No Polly I don’t think that’s an answer.”

  But Polly interrupted her.

  “Why not? Just give me one good reason why I shouldn’t enter Clotted Cream in the race instead of Tom?”

  Chapter Three

  The argument looked set to continue all weekend.

  Polly’s words, “Just give me one good reason why I shouldn’t enter Clotted Cream in the race instead of Tom?” had been met with stunned silence.

  Cassie, struggling to keep her emotions under control had looked at her silently.

  It was Dexter who finally spoke. “I can think one very good reason - lack of experience.”

  Polly looked at him coldly.

  “I am experienced. I’ve done lots of sailing. Both as crew and as skipper. And I’ve done a single-handed.”

  Dexter shrugged.

  “I know you’ve competed in The Fastnet and I also know that you’ve done some single-handed sailing Polly. Tom’s always talking about his gutsy kid sister. But two or three weeks crossing the Atlantic alone is nothing compared to the dangers you’d face and the months you’d be away on this race. Besides Clotted Cream is in a different league to the boats you’ve sailed alone before.”

  “I know I can do it,” Polly said with determination. “And this may be the only chance I get to prove myself. Besides, there’s so much at stake. Gramps has invested a lot of money helping Tom buy Clotted Cream. Some of the sponsor’s money has already been spent on preparing the boat. If she doesn’t compete, will we have to give it back?”

  “If it’s just a question of the boat being seen to compete, we can find a professional racing skipper to take her round,” Cassie said. “You don’t have to do it.”

  “The point is Mum, I want to do it. I want to do it SO much. I want the names Clotted Cream, Holdsworth Boatyard and Polly Lewis to be up there with the winners. And, in case you’ve forgotten, competitive sailing is as much in my blood as it is in Tom’s.”

  “No, I haven’t forgotten,” Cassie said quietly. “But it doesn’t mean that I have to stand by and say nothing while you over-stretch yourself doing something that could be beyond your capabilities and is dangerous.”

  “Perhaps I could take a look at the preparations you’ve already made? See how much more needs to be organised. How much more sponsorship you need,” Dexter asked unexpectedly.

  “Can I trust you to be impartial?” Polly stared at him.

  “I’m just trying to help here Polly. It makes very little difference to me whether Clotted Cream takes part in the race or not - or who is her skipper.”

  “Everything is in my office,” Cassie said. “Why don’t you take Dexter and go through all the paperwork with him Polly? I’ll see you both later.”

  * * * * *

  As she went through the paperwork with Dexter, Polly tried to keep her thoughts centred on the race and not think about Tom lying in a hospital bed.

  Dexter was certainly very efficient going through files and grasping their contents quickly. He soon had several sheets of paper filled with figures.

  “Everything is exceptionally businesslike,” he observed. “Is that your doing?”

  Polly shook her head.

  “No I can’t take the credit for that,” she admitted. “It’s Mum’s department. She’s extremely organised. I do more on the practical side. Most of my time’s been spent working on the boat with Tom. I really do know her inside out.”

  “How are the finances looking?” she went on indicating his sheaf of papers.

  Dexter shrugged noncommittally.

  “I’ll have to run the figures through a calculator before I can tell for sure. Incidentally d’you know where Clotted Cream’s logbook is?”

  “I haven’t seen it, so Tom probably left it on the yacht. Do you want it?”

  Dexter nodded. “I need to see what happened on the sea trials to get the full picture of what still has to be done. I can work out a rough estimate then of how much more money you’re likely to need for running repairs and adjustments to equipment.”

  “Come on then. I’ll take you over in the launch,” Polly offered, glad of an opportunity to escape from the office and get out on the river.

  Once on board the yacht, Dexter helped her open the hatch doorway and they both went down into the hull.

  Built for speed rather than comfort, the main cabin was a mass of navigational aids and electrical equipment. A small galley and a couple of bunks made up the spartan living area and the rest was storage space.

  The logbook was in the drawer of the chart table and while Dexter began his study, Polly headed down below to check that all the water-tight compartments were still dry.

  “Everything all right down there?” Dexter called out after a few moments. “Tom certainly had a rough passage home, with winds gusting at Force 10 at times. There were a few problems with the self-steering too. That’ll need sorting before you or anybody else take her out.”

  Polly looked at him as she came back up into the main cabin. Was he coming round to the idea of her doing the race?

  “Everything seems nice and dry down there. I’ll take the logbook ashore. Gramps is sure to want to read it. Are you ready to go?”

  Dexter nodded. Once on deck he stood in the cockpit looking over the stern of Clotted Cream towards the river mouth.

  “There’s something about these boats that makes you yearn for the open sea isn’t there?” he said quietly.

  “D’you do much sailing these days?” Polly asked.

  “Not a lot,” Dexter shrugged. “I had to sell my boat when I went to the States. I’m lucky that I’ve got friends who invite me to crew for them, but these days I’m rarely in the country.”

  “We could go for a sail early tomorrow morning if you like,” Polly offered. “That’s my boat over there.” She pointed to It’s Mine! on her mooring fifty yards up river.

  “You’re on,” Dexter said. “Six o’clock too early for you?”

  “No, that’s fine,” Polly smiled. “Come on. We’d better get back. I want you to go through those figures and tell me how much more money we need to keep Clotted Cream on course for the race.”

  Mai was in the kitchen when they got back giving Cassie the latest news from the hospital about Tom.

  “His right leg is broken in two places and his left in one. Thank goodness all the breaks are below the knee, but he’ll still be in plaster for weeks.”

  “What about his other injuries?” Cassie asked.

  “The doctors are confident that his inte
rnal bruising is just that - bruising. He’ll be in a wheelchair for some time, but the good news is he should be home by the end of next week.”

  “So I can definitely see him tomorrow?” Polly asked eagerly.

  “Yes. He’s looking forward to your visit.” Mai smiled.

  “We’ll have to sort out where he’s going to stay once he’s discharged,” Cassie said thoughtfully.

  “River Cottage is obviously out of the question. All those steps leading up to it and the spiral staircase inside.”

  “Could we put a bed in your sitting room?” Mai asked, indicating the small room that led off the kitchen. “It’s all on one level and Tom would be able to be a part of things.”

  “He could direct operations from here too,” Polly said.

  Mai looked puzzled but it was Cassie who answered.

  “Polly wants to compete in the race instead of Tom. She says there’s too much at stake to simply withdraw Clotted Cream. But nothing has been decided yet.” Cassie cast an anxious glance at her daughter.

  “We need to have a family conference. Tom will have the final say.”

  It was around six o’clock that evening when the telephone rang yet again. Cassie and Anna were in the kitchen, looking through the house details Anna had found.

  “I can’t face another sympathetic enquiry about Tom,” Cassie said. “Would you answer it please?” She carried on studying the estate agent’s handouts.

  “Seven o’clock? Fine. See you then.” Anna put the phone down.

  “That was James, phoning to remind you about the theatre. He’s collecting you in an hour.”

  Cassie sighed.

  “I’d forgotten all about it. I’ll ring back and cancel. I can’t possibly go out tonight. I’m too tired.”

  “Of course you can go. It’ll take your mind off things.”

  “What about supper? And there’s Dexter. I can’t just go out and leave him to his own devices.”

  “I’ll cook supper for everyone. And I’m sure between Polly, Mai and myself, we’ll manage to entertain Dexter for a couple of hours.”

  “But…”

  “Not another word. Go and get ready,” Anna ordered.

  Up in her bedroom Cassie stood staring out of the window for a few moments. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep.

  But Anna was right. It was ages since she’d been to the theatre. A good play would take her mind off things and help her feel better.

  By the time she headed downstairs, James was already waiting, so they set off straight away.

  “I thought a pre-theatre drink and then supper afterwards?” James said on the way to town. “I’ve booked a table at The Stage Door. Is that OK with you?”

  “The pre-theatre drink sounds nice. Not too sure I’ll be awake for supper afterwards. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “How is Tom?”

  By the time Cassie had filled him in all the details, they were parking in town.

  Whether it was the effect of the glass of wine James bought her or simply his pleasant company, Cassie began to relax. When, as they crossed the street to the theatre, James took her arm, she didn’t protest but rather found comfort in his action.

  The play, a well known farce, certainly cheered Cassie up and she had to wipe tears of laughter from her face as the curtain came down on the last act. As well as banishing her exhaustion, the laughter seemed to have triggered her appetite and to James’s delight she agreed to supper after all.

  Much later, they drove back into the boatyard.

  “Thank you for a lovely evening James. I really enjoyed it. Would you like to come in for a coffee?” Cassie invited.

  James shook his head. “I’d love to but I’d better get back. I enjoyed this evening too. Perhaps we can have dinner one day next week? I’ll give you a ring. And don’t forget, if I can help in any way with regards to Tom, you just have to ask. Take care.”

  On Sunday morning Cassie was up early enough to see Polly and Dexter sailing It’s Mine! down river to the open sea. Polly was at the helm and Dexter was out on deck tightening the main sail. Cassie smiled. Polly would be enjoying herself with Dexter on board to do some of the hard work.

  She turned as Anna came into the kitchen.

  “Morning. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed as a thank you for everything you did yesterday,” Cassie said.

  “Let’s have it together instead,” Anna smiled. “And you can finish looking at the house details and help me decide which ones to check out today.”

  Out of the dozen or so house detail leaflets Anna had collected, they narrowed it down to four.

  “I really like the sound of this one,” Anna said. “But it’s right in the middle of town and I don’t know whether I can cope with life as a townie. I’ve lived in the sticks for so long.”

  “It would be a complete change. You’d certainly have everything on your doorstep.”

  “I don’t suppose there’s any chance of you doing a recce with me today? Just looking at locations and the outsides of places?”

  Cassie shook her head. “Sorry. Polly and I are visiting Tom later on, then we‘ve got to have this family get meeting.”

  “Oh well. Give Tom my love and tell him I’ll be in to see him during the week.”

  Tom was awake when Cassie and Polly walked into his small side ward later that morning and pleased to see them. Looking tired and drawn he was still clearly in some pain from his injuries and the ward sister suggested that perhaps they could keep their visit short, particularly as Mai would be in soon.

  Cassie and Polly didn’t talk much on the drive home. Cassie didn’t want to be drawn into an argument, while Polly was preoccupied with Tom’s reaction to the quick talk she’d had with him.

  When Cassie had gone to have a word with the ward sister, Polly had taken the opportunity to ask Tom about the race.

  Knowing that he wasn’t really well enough to bother, she’d deliberately tried to keep her voice light.

  “How would you feel about me skippering Clotted Cream in your place?”

  “Shattered,” was his uncompromising reply. “But I suppose I’ll have to think about it.”

  Mai had arrived then and Polly had had to be content with the thought that at least Tom hadn’t instantly vetoed the idea.

  Sitting beside her mother on the journey home, she tried to work out what would happen at the family conference that afternoon. She had a feeling that a lot would depend on Dexter.

  Just then her mobile phone rang.

  It was Sebastian. Apparently he’d just heard about Tom’s accident.

  “Why didn’t you let me know?” he complained to Polly. “He is almost my brother-in-law.”

  “I was going to e-mail you this evening with all the news,” Polly said.

  “It sounds as if it’ll be a while before he’s up and about again. Shame about the race. Give him my regards when you see him.”

  “Of course. How are things with you?”

  “OK. Should be in Gib tomorrow. After that who knows? Very hush hush this exercise. I’d better go. I’m on duty in fifteen minutes. Love you. E-mail me. Bye.”

  Cassie looked at Polly. ‘Sebastian’ was all she’d mouthed by way of explanation at the beginning of the call.

  “You haven’t discussed your plan about the race with Sebastian then?”

  “Not yet. I’d rather wait until it’s a fait accompli. He’ll only try and talk me out of it.”

  “I’m not the only one then,” Cassie said grimly.

  Rufus, her brother, phoned shortly after she got home to say he and Bridget couldn’t make the family get together. They’d a meeting with a client who was talking about a permanent berth in the marina for his large motor-yacht.

  “He’s just the sort of customer we need to attract. Money no object,” Rufus said. “So I don’t want to cancel. As far as Polly and Clotted Cream’s concerned I’m happy to let you and Dad decide.”

  It was nearly four o’
clock before everyone else met up in Cassie’s kitchen for the family conference.

  Dexter was the first to arrive.

  “These are the figures I’ve worked out. Everything’s quite easy to follow. I’m sure you’ll reach the same conclusions as me when you go through them. Now, what time would you like me back?”

  Cassie looked at him in surprise. “But you’re staying for the meeting aren’t you?”

  Dexter shook his head. “It’s a family thing. I’d be intruding.”

  “Nonsense. We need your expert input. Besides, I was hoping you’d be the calm, impartial voice of reason this afternoon,” Cassie said. “Stop any family quarrels.” She smiled at him.

  Dexter was silent for a few moments.

  “OK. But I warn you, you mightn’t like everything I have to say.”

  The figures, as Dexter went on to explain to everybody, indicated that, with Tom at the helm of Clotted Cream, there is enough money and sponsorship for a successful entry.

  “Whether all the sponsors would remain committed if Polly was to take her brother’s place is open to question,” he continued.

  “If you withdraw, the deposit Tom paid as his initial registration fee is non refundable. If you resubmit with Polly, or somebody else as replacement skipper, you’ll need to pay the remaining seven and a half thousand pounds. The good news is that if the race committee reject the replacement application, you will get that money back.”

  Dexter paused.

  “Trouble could come if the race committee accept the new skipper but the sponsors don’t and withdraw their support.”

  “What are the chances of the race committee accepting Polly?” Liz Holdsworth asked.

  “It’s difficult to say. They’d probably prefer someone older and with more experience. Polly is only just old enough to enter. But, on the plus side, she’s done lots of sailing and competed in a single-handed race already.”

  There was a short silence and then Bill spoke up bluntly, “D’you think she’s up to it?”

  Dexter hesitated, looking at Cassie and Polly before he answered. “With certain reservations, yes,” he said finally.