The new chart table was palatial, yet even so, Taggart missed being able to see the view ahead while sitting below. He shrugged it off - 'Just one of those things' - he told himself, then he pulled his logbook from the shelf. He'd decided the day before to keep just one log for his journey to Paris, though technically he should have started a new log when he took delivery of Time Bandits; now he needed to make his third entry for this 'first day' onboard the new boat...
...but then his sat-phone chirped and he looked at the display.
"Mike? Who's Mike?"
He opened the text and read through it - twice - then put away his phone...his stomach suddenly awash in flames.
He sighed, opened the log, and started writing.
"Log entry: SV Time Bandits, 7 August, local time 0330 hrs, position North 54 22 50 East 10 10 06, OAT 49 degrees F, sea temp 55F, now tied up in large marina just NE of Kiel Canal East Entrance. Arrived about five hours ahead of plotted time; the new 'Bandits' sails like a gazelle, truly magic and very fast on a beam-reach. Several encounters with military aircraft throughout the day; on two occasions what I assume were maritime patrol aircraft came down for a visit, but they lost interest when we hoisted the Stars and Stripes. One encounter with a Russian Sukhoi was less interesting; they buzzed us repeatedly, and once I thought they were lining up to attack. We heard on the VHF that some kind of large convoy is coming from the Baltic/East and is going to transit as a group, and that Russian submarines are converging on the area. We may not be able to transit tomorrow as I'd hoped, as the canal does not accept reservations for time slots and we have no idea how big this convoy is. Still, we've heard that wait times are still minimal, transit times are still in the 8-10 hour range, and so with luck, we'll be in the North Sea later today, hopefully by late evening. If not, we may be stuck here a while."
He closed the book and looked at the cover as Dina stepped over from the galley...
"You look like you are lost in thought," she said. "Is something wrong?"
"No, just thinking about how many miles are recorded in here," he said, patting the cover. "It might make for interesting reading material a few years down the road."
"What do you include in these entries; you seem to write sometimes very much?"
"Oh, you know, the basics, like speed over ground, wind speed, and I try to include a short narrative of important things that happened during the leg. Even maintenance chores...and sometimes I just wax poetic..."
"You mean you include bullshit?"
"Oh, Hell yes. Some days you need hip-waders to get through it all. What are you making over there?"
"Oh, I was just trying to figure out where everything is. If I am lucky, we will have fresh bread in time for lunch."
"Did you get a chance to spend some time with Britt?"
"Yes, a little. Her flight is still scheduled at 0930 tomorrow. I'd like her to take Eva when she leaves."
Taggart didn't say anything, just let her ramble on.
"Do you agree with that?" she added.
"I am uneasy with anyone pregnant and on a sailboat," he said.
"So, I make you uneasy, too?"
"I think you should go home until we make it to the Dutch canal system. That way, we won't have to worry about ocean crossings and rough weather - because, frankly, the North Sea has a bad reputation for a reason. Besides, I don't want to see anything happen to the spud," he said, rubbing her belly."
"We will have to see what the forecast looks like," she said.
He knew enough to let that one slide, but he opened his phone to check. "Okay."
"So, you are fine with Eva going tomorrow?"
"I'll leave that up to you and Britt if you don't mind. This is a medical decision, after all is said and done? At least, to me it seems like it should be."
She seemed satisfied with that and let the matter rest. Then: "I think Britt misses her boy?"
"Understandable."
"She wants him to come home for a short visit."
"Probably a good idea."
"Really? That surprises me?"
"Oh? Why?"
"I thought you wanted him here, with us...that's all."
"He has a life in Bergen, Dina, and I don't ever take that for granted. His mother, but also his friends and teachers. I was just thinking that maybe it's a good idea that he stays grounded in that world, too, because all this," he added, his arms arcing to embrace Dina and their immediate surroundings - including Time Bandits, "may begin to feel like normal, and it just isn't."
She sighed. "I suppose you are correct."
"You suppose?" he sighed. "Hell, every kid in school has just one objective in life - to not be in school. Rolf can't appreciate school yet, few kids ever do - at least not until it's too late - but to be away from all that, on a boat...?"
"He won't be away, Henry. Not completely. Remember, I'll be helping him with his assignments?"
He held up his hands. "Okay. I surrender."
"I see the point you are trying to make. You agree he should go home for a few days. Shall I try to get him on the same flight with his mother?"
"No, I'd like him here when we transit the canal."
"Okay. Just an idea, but we could stay here in this marina for a few days. It is pleasant enough here, no?"
He thought about that as he looked over the weather forecasts on his phone - which showed heavy rain for the next several days - and with that piece of the puzzle filled-in, he sighed. "Crappy weather next week. So, do you want to sail in crappy weather or be tied up here - in crappy weather?"
She shrugged. "I am ready to walk around some, no matter the weather."
"Okay, get him on the flight if you can, let Britt and Rolf decide on a return date."
"You are decisive, aren't you?"
"Well, I'm with you on this one. I could use a walk or two, and I know Clyde would love it."
"That dog...I swear I think the two of you are growing closer with each new day."
"Hey, great minds think alike."
"What, like bark twice when it's time to find a bush?"
"Precisely," Taggart said, his hands spread wide. "Who can argue with superior logic?"
"If you start barking, Henry, I will..."
"You will what? Go get my collar and leash?"
She sighed, then turned serious - and he could tell she had been saving this for last. "I think I should go home with them, Henry. I have paperwork at the hospital that I need to attend to, as well as a few personal matters."
"I see."
"It should only be for a day or two. I hate to leave you alone..."
"I won't be alone," Taggart said, scratching Clyde's chin.
"I see."
Taggart stood and grabbed Clyde's leash. "Ready for a perambulation of significant magnitude, old top?" Taggart bellowed in his best Henry Higgins.
Clyde looked at Taggart, then at Dina - then he sneezed once before he cut a nice fart on his way up the companionway steps.
"Man, he's a class act. How do you top an exit like that?"
She shook her head as she pinched off her nose: "And just think...the two of you are growing more and more alike with each new day."
"Ain't life wonderful?" he said as he got up from the cart table - and not quite accidentally floating an air-muffin as he stood. "You know what?" he said, grinning, "I couldn't have timed that one more perfectly if I tried."
"Are you saying...?"
"Exactly, yes, I am indeed."
He stepped off Bandits and turned to Clyde. "You really are a good boy, but if I were you I'd be careful."
"Whoof!"
"Because for some reason women really don't like the way farts smell."
