When Winds Howl: Woman at the Helm Mystery by Rolynn Anderson

Author:Rolynn Anderson [Anderson, Rolynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rawhide Press
Published: 2024-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

19

“Rocky. Celeste. Come to the helm by way of the salon, not the outside decks.” Maggie made the call over the speaker system then adjusted her course quickly when a big wave came at her. With wind at her starboard side, correcting direction was a minute-by-minute venture. Meaning she couldn’t leave the helm on autopilot.

The women entered quietly and stood with their back to the console, hands on the rail to steady themselves, and their wide eyes on the agitation outside the boat.

“Reid has been injured so I need watchers when we enter the bay. Are you willing to help?”

Rocky said, “You wouldn’t ask if you didn’t need us. What can we do?”

“Stand to my left, Rocky. Celeste, to my right. Hang on to the helm rail.” Maggie waited for them to take their positions, holding up a hand for quiet while she cranked on the wheel. Though Spirit Bear was taking the rough seas well, her passengers were probably terrified. To them, the ship was a 112-foot bucking bronco; her guests and crew sure the boat would bust in half under this kind of stress. Maggie was exhilarated by Spirit Bear’s perfect execution, but she reigned in her approval for the ship’s performance. Not everyone got a kick out of a wild ride.

“You two are taking Reid’s place because he’s injured. Kevin and Vicki are tending to him and the rest of the passengers. The three of us have fifteen minutes to plan our entry into a tricky anchorage. I want both of you to look at the chart laid out behind me. You’ll see a red marker pointing to our entry into Ford’s Terror. I am reminding you the entrance got that name because it’s impossible to enter at low tide. We’re going in at high tide. Please go look at it now.”

While they studied the chart, Maggie stood with her legs spread apart for stability in the roiling conditions.

Quietly Rocky and Celeste returned to their posts, copying Maggie’s wide stance.

“What did you see? Rocky?”

“Wow. We turn a hard left and before we can say whoopee, we take another hard left through a narrow channel. Dude. Isn’t this ship longer than both entrances?”

“Celeste?”

“The third turn, to the right, looks easy. A long fjord, leading into a big bay.”

“Correct.” Maggie pulled in a breath. “Hang on. We’re going to bounce.”

They did.

Maggie said, “These are four to five-foot waves with the odd eight-footer coming at us. Celeste, you’ll read out data and look for big debris like logs, icebergs, and eight-foot waves. You and I will time our port turn into Ford’s Terror with a swell no bigger than four or five feet.”

“What do I do?” asked Rocky.

“You’ll play Reid’s role at the bow of the ship after we make the first left turn. You’ll wear his earphones and talk to me about obstructions you see under the bow. Our GPS isn’t as exacting as a human can be. You will tell me if I need to move to the right or left to avoid rocks.

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