It suffices to say that because this is one novel in a series, there may be things not understood unless one knows what has taken place in previous novels from this series. Here is a link to the first novel in the series: The Big Gamble in Paradise, paperback or Kindle.
Moment By Moment
In another day they would be sighting Suva.
Trace sat in the captain’s chair. He felt calm. He wore an expression of contentment. He loved the pilothouse and helm. It was not about control. It was the feeling of being a part of The Tamp Islander. He often opened all the windows to feel the wind and the purity of the sea—the same wind felt by The Tramp Islander and her sails. He thought, ‘You can’t talk about ranching to somebody who’s never ranched. I talk to the ship—and listen. The only way to do that is to be a part of it. My pulse beats with that of The Tramp Islander. She respects me. I respect her. We respect the sea and winds. I think that sometimes she knows I’m about to change a heading before I make it. It’s like she’s ready. And it seems like at times I wait for permission.’
When about two hundred miles from Suva, Trace maneuvered The Tramp Islander through a dozen or more atolls of the Lau Island Group. On a couple of occasions, the sails were dropped and he used the motor to navigate past the coral reefs.
He recalled on one trip through these atolls, Chuck said, “A good seaman could sail through these without a motor.” Trace pointed to a sailboat on the reefs, “Now there’s a good sailor. Good sailors end up on coral reefs. Cautious sailors deliver their crew and cargo.”
‘That should have been sort of a clue,’ Trace thought. ‘In a subtle way, he was telling me something; I didn’t measure up. He was better and entitled. Should have seen it.’
‘Chuck was a follower,’ he surmised. ‘Chuck was put up to it by Sean. I should have seen that. Maybe I ignored it, thinking it might upset the morale of the crew. What kind of things will I look for in the next crew? What questions can I ask when interviewing that will help me make a good decision? Let’s face it, all the choir boys are in the choir.’
‘I will get together with Sage and Makani. I’ll have the final say, but I should allow them to have some say. They should sit in on any interview. If they can’t impress Sage and Makani, why hire them? On the other hand, maybe we won’t be able to find one candidate. Maybe we will have to scrape the bottom of the barrel. I don’t want deckhands who can’t take care of their personal appearance or keep their cabin clean. Maybe I should go to the local parish and ask for choir boys.’
Sage replaced Trace at 10:00 PM.
“How do you feel?” Trace asked Sage.
“Good,” Sage said. “We’ll be in Suva tomorrow. That will be good.”
“Keep your eyes peeled tonight,” Trace said. “There’s a lot more boat traffic the closer we get to Suva.”
“When we get to Suva, I’m going to get a room and crash for a couple of days,” Sage said. “What about you?”
“I’ll get a room too,” Trace said, “but I got some business to take care of, the dry dock. And Allie mentioned a few contracts that could pay well—some long haul cargo. She said we could take on passengers. I guess there are folks who don’t mind paying a lot of money to live like we do and not seeing land for a couple of weeks. They just want to live the experience.”
“And go back home and have something to talk about at cocktail parties,” Sage added.
“Allie said she’d put something together for me to look at,” Trace said. “She said we had what people are looking for; sort of a rustic experience on the high seas. Like living a century ago.”
“Except we have a generator, an eighty-horse engine, refrigerator, toilets, and a radio,” Sage said.
“You forgot the dartboard,” Trace added.
“We don’t need the money, do we?” Sage said.
“No,” Trace said, “but this is not about the money. It’s about… well, I don’t know what it’s about. But we can use this to prepare us for… well, I don’t know that either. We could give this boat away and go home.”
“Remember Mr. Gilbert, our algebra teacher?” Sage said.
“The moment in which you live prepares you for the next moment,” Trace said. “We are in a constant state of preparation.”
“I can’t tell you how many times that has rolled around in my mind,” Sage said.
“With that said, this moment is preparing me for many moments of sleep,” Trace said. “Good night, my friend.”
And Trace climbed down the companionway and to his cabin.
Trace relieved Sage at 6:00 AM. Makani brought them breakfast.
Sage grabbed the tray when they were finished. He said he would take it the the galley and get a couple of hours' sleep. He wanted to be awake when they docked at Suva.
“Wake me when you see Suva,” Sage said and headed below.
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