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.
Hours stretched into days. I had become quite exhausted due to lack of sleep. My stomach was angry because the rations on board were terrible. I was afraid I would become delirious if this continued much longer without any much needed relief. I desperately checked the horizon - again - through the binoculars. While looking over the bow, I only saw the choppy water ahead. Off the starboard side I saw nothing promising. Moving my tired gaze back to the bow, I started to survey the port side. Beyond the port bow something caught my lingering eye. I had no idea what it was but anything different was good at that point.
While continuing to focus on my hopeful destination, I moved the wheel to the left and headed straight towards whatever was out there. Once I was confident that I was headed in the right direction, I set the binoculars down and reviewed the charts again, which still offered no clues as to my location. Eventually I determined that what I saw in the distance was a cluster of trees. As I got closer, I discovered that it wasn't a very big cluster of trees and I didn't see anything else that was encouraging like a dock or buildings. Indeed it turned out to be a small island that I optimistically believed held something good.
I approached the island but I still couldn't find a dock that I could use. Additionally, there were large rocks in the water that prevented the yacht from getting anywhere near the shore. I decided that I would have to anchor the yacht at sea and take the one surviving dinghy to the island.
I maneuvered the yacht as close as I safely could and dropped anchor. I unstrapped the dinghy and lowered it over the side of the boat. I climbed down the ladder and into the boat. After several labored pulls of the starting chord, the engine begrudgingly came to life. I navigated carefully through the rocks as a large fish splashed in the water on the port side. I jerked my head in that direction but the fish was gone. It only reminded me how hungry I was.
As I realized my hunger pangs were worsening, another large fish - or maybe the same one - jumped near some rocks that were ahead. As the splashed water settled back into the sea, I saw something on the rocks. I felt like my eyes must be failing me because I thought I saw a beautiful woman lying on one of the rocks. I blinked my exhausted eyes and "splash" - when I looked again the rock was alone in the water.
I shook my head and slapped my face to try to come to my senses. I eyed a flat, narrow beach on the island that I could navigate to and headed towards it. As I neared the beach, I heard another splash as something flew out of the water and landed on the dazzling white sand.
I stared in disbelief as the same beautiful woman was now lying on the beach with her head facing towards me. She had long, curly blonde hair framing her beautiful face. As the boat continued towards shore, I noticed that she was topless but her long hair covered much of her body.
Just then my body lurched forward as the rubber dinghy bumped into one of the large rocks. I quickly regained control of the small craft and got it going in the right direction as I heard some giggles from the woman on the beach.
When I looked back at the gorgeous woman I was stunned. She had a breathtaking face, long beautiful hair that covered her breasts but below her flat stomach she had a large fishlike tail instead of legs. I wondered if it was possible that I was looking at a real life mermaid. I wondered if my friend Captain McHenry was wrong and that mermaids weren't really a myth.
I quickly avoided another rock and got the boat to shore. I jumped out of the boat and stood in the sand. I was frozen in the sand just staring at this beautiful woman - um - creature - um - mermaid? As I was lost in my gaze, she giggled again and pointed towards the water.
I turned and looked and my dinghy was floating out to sea because I was too distracted and didn't secure it! I ran and splashed through the water to grab the boat and pull it to shore. I dragged it out of the water, across the beach and tied it tightly to a tree. Confident that my only way off the island was now actually secured I turned my attention to the mermaid.
I walked over to the unbelievable beauty lying in the sand. Again I was lost in my gaze and I had no idea what to do except stand there and look at her. She emitted a couple of loud dolphin-like noises and I stumbled backwards startled and covered my ears. She laughed loudly at my clumsy and clueless behavior.
