The driving, intense rain started to subside and the raging waves were a bit calmer. I wasn't sure if this was the beginning of the end of the storm or just an interlude. All of the electronics on the boat were knocked out by the ferocious storm but I managed to keep the nose of the boat pointed to the south and the west thanks to the good old fashioned marine compass. I decided that this was the best plan since the hurricane was moving northwest and would eventually curve further north and back to the east.
This wasn't the first time that I was in a rough situation like this. Evidently I enjoyed trying to outrun a hurricane without a working navigation system and with no one else onboard to help me. It wasn't so much the adventure that I enjoyed but rather the ton of money I made while doing it! I chuckled to myself and gripped the wheel tighter and checked the skies again. I continued to race away from the storm and hope for the best.
Several hours later I felt like I was out of immediate danger. I slowed the boat down and let her drift in the rough waters so I could check for other damage. Calling this monster a boat was an understatement as I commanded a multimillion dollar yacht. The owner didn't pay attention to the hurricane warnings until the last second and called my business in a huge panic.
"I need someone to relocate by yacht!" he yelled into the phone that day.
Of course I had already dispatched all of my crews to move boats of more responsible owners so I told him that I didn't think I could help. He sounded crestfallen on the phone as I explained the situation to him.
"Do you know anyone who could help me?!?"
He sounded increasingly desperate as we continued to talk. As an experienced fisherman I knew how to wait patiently for just the right time to land the big one. I explained that he had waited so late that the situation was very dangerous as the storm was so close.
"It's a very expensive yacht and I don't want it to get destroyed!"
I thought he was on the verge of tears when I made him an offer to relocate the yacht by myself. He was in a bad situation but I asked for a lot more money than he expected with absolutely no guarantees that his boat would escape damage.
"Are you sure you can do this?"
"I'm the boat whisperer - I can do anything." I said confidently as I jerked the hook into the biggest fish I had ever landed.
Within an hour, I was in his private helicopter as his pilot flew me to the yacht. I wasn't sure who was crazier: the pilot for flying this potential death trap in the building storm or me for agreeing to pilot the boat. But it's not like I had left much behind. All of my guys were out working so the business was shut down until they returned. I had dedicated my life to this profession at the expense of my personal life or any potential family so there wasn't anybody waiting for me at my lonely home. So off I went on another crazy adventure. We landed not so gently on the heliport of the yacht.
I said "Thanks for the ride." as I started to climb out of the bird.
"Good luck!" replied the pilot with a chuckle.
"Good luck to you as well!"
————————————————————————————————————
I surveyed the boat for damage and it didn't look too bad. The little dinghy strapped to the starboard side was destroyed. "I'm pretty sure there was also a wave runner on this side when I left the dock." I said to myself as I looked over the side. "Oh well." There was some minor damage to the boat on that side but nothing that concerned me.
As I moved forward I didn't expect any damage as the bow faced away from the intense storm at all times. Everything was fine up there including the motorized rubber dinghy strapped to the top of the deck.
I checked the port side and again I didn't find any damage that worried me. The million dollar question was what damage was there to the stern. I looked over the edge and there it was - a gaping hole. Salty water from the rough seas entered the hole every time the boat rocked. At the time, I wasn't in immediate danger of losing the boat but it needed to be fixed. Next to the hole was an emergency anchor hanging over the side that someone had obviously stored carelessly. It reminded me of something that my first boss had told me. Captain McHenry once said, "What's the biggest cause of expensive boats sinking to the bottom of the ocean? Idiots. The Bermuda Triangle is a nautical myth - like mermaids. On the other hand, idiots are everywhere." Captain McHenry taught me many things and told me many stories about the sea but that one truth had always stuck with me.
I went down underneath and found the crew area. The yacht came equipped with a built in pump so I turned that on to start draining the water. Then I found the tools and materials that I needed to do a quick patch job on the hole.
Thankfully the hole was right next to the ladder so I was able to make the repair fairly easily. It wasn't pretty but I believed that it should hold fairly well. "The sun will come up tomorrow after all!" I said as triumphantly as I could as I climbed back up into the boat and headed back to the captain's nest.
I checked the compass and the skies again and slowly accelerated to the southwest again. It was getting dark and I didn't know exactly where I was but I knew I could figure out a plan after the clouds eventually passed.
Indeed the sun came up again and the clouds did eventually pass resulting in an absolutely beautiful day. The seas remained fairly rough. This wasn't unusual at all even though the boat was a safe distance from the hurricane at that point.
I slowed the boat down for a quick survey of her health. My repair appeared to be holding up well and I didn't spot any other issues. I checked the sea and then headed down to check the pump. It was doing its job but the gauge showed more water so I left it running and headed topside.
I accelerated again and decided that it was best to continue toward the southwest. I searched the horizon in every direction with a pair of binoculars but discovered nothing but water. I looked through the nearby compartments and found some nautical charts. I fruitlessly studied the charts for any potential clues.