The Boat Trip by Heather J Fitt

Author:Heather J Fitt [Fitt, Heather J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books

The following day the weather was unusually terrible when we woke up. November and December are considered two of the best months for sailing the Atlantic: any kind of foul weather is an anomaly.

Bella and Sean came off the morning watch wet through and looking utterly miserable. Nick and Flick did not look any happier at the prospect of having to go and sit in it for the next four hours. When you’re sailing across the Atlantic towards the sun and warmth, the last thing you want to be doing is sitting in the rain and wind with your foul-weather gear on. I offered a silent prayer to Neptune to clear the inclement weather before it was mine and Erin’s turn in a few hours.

‘I think it’s best we all stay below until this front clears out. I don’t want anyone getting ill and I really don’t want anyone ending up overboard.’

I was rewarded with a chorus of grumbling.

‘I know, I know, but it’s not like it’s forever. Does anyone really want to be sitting out in that anyway? Let’s just chill out, make use of the space we do have, and hope it clears up soon.’

‘I was going to get some bits from the skipper’s cabin for lunch,’ Connor said.

‘I’ll go,’ Danny replied. Everyone stared; it wasn’t like him to volunteer for anything. ‘What? I’m just trying to be helpful.’

As my head turned back towards Connor, my eyes stayed with Danny for a few seconds. ‘No one is going to the skipper’s cabin for the moment. Connor, can you rustle something up with what we’ve got here?’

‘Um…’ Connor opened the fridge and stared at the contents. ‘Yeah… I probably can actually.’

‘Okay, let’s do that. It’ll be a good exercise in using up leftovers too.’

Later that afternoon, people were beginning to get fractious. Jonty and Flick had been bickering non-stop for almost twenty minutes when Danny lost his temper and told them to pack it in. Flick stormed off into our bunk and slammed the door behind her.

‘Now look what you’ve done,’ Jonty snapped.

‘What I’ve done? You’re the one who’s been arguing with her all afternoon,’ Danny retorted. Suddenly there were two grown men squaring off against one another in a tiny space.

‘That’s enough!’ I roared. ‘You’re all as bad as each other. Go to your cabins and cool off. Anyone else with excess energy can clean.’

The crew took my suggestion and embarked on a cleaning frenzy. Before long everywhere was spotless and the atmosphere inside had cooled down to congenial. Afterwards, books and magazines were read, card games were played, and Nick and Flick on watch had drunk more than their fill of warm drinks.

Soon after, I felt the boat calm in the water and someone shouted they could see blue sky through a porthole. We scrambled towards the stairs, eager to be out in the fresh air and sunshine. The hatch was pushed back and one by one we made our way on deck, sunglasses and caps already in place.

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