Nights of Ice by Spike Walker

Author:Spike Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published: 2012-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

Unbeknownst to Gary Marlar and Jeff Hinshaw, the swift tidal currents had carried them some thirteen miles from shore. The tired crew of the fishing vessel Ten Bears had worked through a long journey of pulling and moving gear out on the Kodiak king crab grounds, and now they were fast asleep. Only her skipper remained awake and on watch. It would be another two-hour run into town. He’d take her the rest of the way himself.

Moments before, skipper Jim Batlien checked the vessel’s course heading and went below into the ship’s galley to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Never before, in all the thousands of hours he’d used the automatic steering system, had Batlien experienced any problems with it “whatsoever.” He had only to set the ultradepend-able steering unit on a given course and away the ship would go.

But this night, something happened, for he had hardly reached the galley when the automatic steering system “went haywire,” launching the Ten Bears on an entirely new heading. Standing in the galley, the sudden course change staggered Batlien. When he had regained his balance, he ran up the stairwell into the wheelhouse.

He couldn’t believe it. The Iron Mike compass heading had leapt a full twenty degrees to starboard. The automatic pilot had failed him. He would have the system checked out once back in port. Then, as he leaned forward to correct the course heading, he spotted the flash of what looked to be a man in the water. The man was but a few yards away. He was waving frantically.

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