Storm on the Sea by Jake Maddox

Author:Jake Maddox [Maddox, Jake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: chapter books; fiction; ages 8-11; high interest; books with illustrations; Jake Maddox; gender-neutral books; adventure; outdoors; sailing; ocean sailing; boating; sail boats; coast guard; family loss; grief; opt outside; outdoor adventures; outdoor stories; SEL; social emotional learning; POC main characters
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2020-10-14T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

SEND A FLARE

The rain has let up a little, and now it’s a light but steady rain. But there’s still a ton of water on the deck of the boat.

Aisha sloshes over to the bilge pump, near the tiller. She can use it to get rid of the water. Aisha grabs a little lever out of a cubbyhole and inserts it into the pump.

Sai and Aisha use the bilge pump like crazy to get the water out. There’s at least a foot of it in the cockpit, and it’s still raining. Their progress is slow.

“I think the rain’s slowing down,” Aisha says. But her voice sounds panicked.

They manage to get most of the water out. By the time they’re done, the rain has slowed to a drizzle.

They drop onto the seats of the cockpit, exhausted. Aisha’s arms ache. Sai is shivering hard.

The waves are still choppy, and the clouds are still there. But the lightning and thunder seem farther away.

Still, they can’t see the harbor lights at all. They can’t see anything except the night and the waves.

“Do we even know which direction is home anymore?” Aisha asks.

Sai doesn’t answer at first. He looks around but only sees ocean. “No,” he says finally.

“So even if we raise the full mainsail again, we won’t know if we’re headed in the right direction?” Her voice trembles.

Sai shakes his head. He looks miserable.

Aisha thinks about what this means. If two kids are out here alone, with no motor and a torn sail, how will anyone find us?

“There’s got to be an emergency kit somewhere,” she says.

“Good idea,” says Sai.

They rummage in every corner of the boat they can think of. Dad would know where it is. Bianca would too. She was always so good at remembering everything Dad taught us.

Aisha’s mad at herself for not paying better attention to where it’s kept. But she never thought she’d be out on a boat without Bianca, either.

Finally, Sai finds an emergency kit. It was stashed in a compartment near the tiny pantry. There’s no radio or walkie-talkie inside, but there are two things that could help: a little waterproof flashlight and a flare gun.

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