Marooned
by: justjames17
(Copyright 2005 -2007 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...
 

Chapter 16

Wanderer had slammed to a hull shattering halt when her keel crunched jarringly onto a submerged obstruction, I heard objects landing on the cabin’s deck below and the startled cries of the lads as the masts vibrated from the impact. I reached for the chart to check for reefs or wrecks in the area as the yacht rubbed and ground on the hidden menace. The chart was blank we had 70 meters beneath our keel, I wondered if we had found a previously uncharted outcrop as I stood and peered over the starboard side attempting to see what we had hit. Nothing visible I hurried to the port rail and looked down into the clear depths and was amazed to see a huge shipping container floating about 2 meters under the surface.

The Wanderer had hit this steel monster and was now grinding and rubbing along its weed covered rusting length, it looked as though it had been washed overboard many months ago from a container ship and had been slowly carried down the current from up north. Each swell lifted wanderer and slammed her against the container as it moved on, the continual heavy contact was worrying me as we lay stationary, the sails slatting in the breeze being battered on the unyielding steel below. The lads appeared on deck eyes wide and firing questions like machine guns, I told them what had happened and they lined the rail bent over the side watching their nylon covered arses on display.

Wayne said, “Crikey look at all the little fish hovering around the thing there are thousands of them.”

I nodded and told them that it was a haven for young fish in the wide bare sea and it was natural for them to congregate around any floating object. I stripped off my shorts and opened a locker to grab a pair of goggles as I wanted to dive in and check the hull for damage, I asked the lads to lower the boarding ladder for me and dived over the side unthinkingly. I swam under the hull to find the copper antifouling on the keel scrapped and ripped where it had impacted and ground its way along the steel, the hull appeared undamaged as the keel had taken the brunt of the damage.

Suddenly as I touched he crumpled copper the wanderer lurched free of the container and began once again to forge ahead leaving me behind. I quickly surfaced and saw her hull glide away from me, I swore at my stupidity for not dropping sail and frantically began swimming after the yacht calling to the boys. Ashley looked astern and saw my frantic attempt to close the widening gap and thinking quickly he grabbed the lifebuoy and threw it towards me holding onto the warp. The red and white ring splashed down almost hitting me as I locked an arm over its smooth edge, the line tightened as Wanderer continued on her way and I was being towed behind her like a water skier although much slower.

Wayne joined Ash on the rope and drew me towards the stern, I felt the disturbance of her wake rippling along my semi naked body causing a tingling tickling sensation. I felt relieved the lads had reacted so quickly as it would have taken some time for the Wanderer to reverse course and make her way back to my position, I didn’t fancy floating about on the surface all alone and acting as shark bait. I was soon dragged to the stern and towed around to the ladder, I pulled myself out and climbed on board dripping water all over the deck as I thanked Ashes for his quick reaction and Wayne for assisting in pulling me to the boat.

I sat down to calm myself and asked Shaun to go below and check the bilge for flooding, he and Donny ran below and lifted the carpet covered hatch near where the main mast went through the deck. Wayne asked what damage I’d seen while diving and asked if we were in any danger of sinking. I shook my wet head saying, “Not that I could see the keel’s taken a pounding but the hull looked ok, Shaun will soon let us know if she’s taking on ay water. She might have sprung a couple of planks when she first hit, it was a hard impact even though we weren’t sailing fast.”

Wayne walked across to the hatch watching the boys checking below the cabin floor their cute arses pointing to the overhead, Shaun straightened up and called up to me, “There seems to be a slight leak but its very slow I think the bilge pumps will handle it ok.”

I was relieved and we sailed on while Shaun and Donny replaced the hatch and tidied up below picking up the items thrown to the deck y the accident. I decided if the leak worsened we would get it checked in Sydney and haul Wanderer out and slip her for repairs if she needed them. Wanderer seemed to be ok as she gradually picked up speed on the strengthening afternoon sea breeze, she soon was heeling over and slicing through the half meter white caps which galloped across the still present swells. The cooler breeze chilled me and I asked Wayne to take the wheel while I went below to put on some warmer clothes, I found Shaun and Donny cuddled on their bunk watching a DVD of some sort and I stopped to see what they were watching. I saw it was one of my favourite films called White Squall a tale of a sail training ship which foundered in a storm. I hoped we weren’t going to suffer a similar event.

I changed my clothes and decided to have a rest as I was feeling a little pooped after the dive and swim, I flopped onto the bed and was sound asleep in minutes. I started dreaming and realised it was a dream based on the film I’d just seen and Wanderer was being hammered by a storm of gigantic proportions. She was on her beam ends pressed flat by the gale and struggling to rise again as the water raged across her deck, I could hear over the howling wind the cries of the lads below in the cabin as Wanderer started to slide under the surface while I fought to get to the closed hatch and free the lads trapped in the cabin.

I looked through the glass skylight into the cabin and saw Shaun frantically clawing at the jammed hatch assisted by Wayne while Donny and Ashley hammered at the strengthened glass of the skylight fear rampant on their distorted faces. I would almost reach the hatch but would be hit by huge waves and tossed back against the mast or guard rail, again and again I fought across the deck but each time I was driven back by the seas. I was drowning slowly as I swallowed mouthful after mouthful of raging water, my body tiring, bruised and battered as my struggles became weaker and the hull slipped deeper under the raging sea.

I awoke in a bath of sweat, my heart pounding in my chest as I gasped for breath struggling entangled in the bedding, then I realised it was only a dream and calmed down picking up a towel and dried myself off. My mind still reeling from the torment of the dream I sat there feeling the Wanderer‘s movement and listening to the soft crunch as her bow sliced through the seas. I knew she was sailing well and the lads were handling her like old salts. They had picked up the skills required to handle her very quickly and attested how smart they all were. I opened my door and walked out to smell lunch being prepared, Donny and Shaun were cooking sausages on the stove and buttering bread rolls to make sausage sangers. I complimented them on their culinary skills and headed up on deck, Ashley was seated at the helm while Wayne was cranking a winch to adjust the main sail. Everything was ship shape and I relaxed then sat in the cockpit next to Ashes and began telling him of the dream I’d had, he listened and said, “I hope it isn’t a portent of what is to come.”

I laughed and said, “No I’m sure it was because I saw that film on my way to my cabin. It would take a full gale or a cyclone to do that to Wanderer she was built for sailing around Tasmania and the Southern Ocean. Those are some of the roughest waters in the world.”

Wayne had been listening from the deck and he came and sat beside ash on his other side putting an arm around his lover’s shoulder and snuggling close to him as he said, “Is there any chance of us running into a gale or cyclone on this trip?”

I replied, “Well its always a possibility to run into a gale but cyclones don’t come this far south they hit up in the northern half from Queensland around to Western Australia. You may have learnt or heard of cyclone Tracy that wiped Darwin out back on Christmas Eve 1974. It devastated the city flattening it completely and sank quite a number of vessels.”

Wayne shuddered and said, “Gees I hope we don’t run into one on this trip, I was scared enough in the storm the other day that was frightening enough. I saw what happened in New Orleans when that hurricane hit there, I wouldn‘t want to be in a storm like that, no way.”

I chuckled and reached out to ruffle his thick thatch of lustrous black hair saying, “Don’t worry Wayne we won’t be facing anything as ferocious as that storm, if anything like that is coming we’ll head for a safe harbour as fast as we can.”

He sighed and smiled at me his gleaming white teeth shining in his tanned face, I couldn’t help but smile back at this ravishingly good looking young man. God! he was so devastatingly handsome if I was a Sheila I’d just about do anything to get into his skimpy revealing Speedos. Wayne pushed his head into my hand and almost purred like a kitten, I felt my penis react immediately and pulled my hand back as if his head was aflame. Wayne looked at me disappointment in his deep eyes as he stood erect frowning in disappointment then he turned his boner bulging out his togs and walked forward to lean over the pulpit in the bows. Ashley watching this little drama walked after him and stood leaning on the rail beside him their shoulders touching and heads resting together as they talked quietly together. I hated hurting the lad as I knew he desperately desired more from our friendship but I couldn’t reciprocate his affection.

I sat at the helm ruminating on the reaction that brief touch had flared between us, Wayne’s instantaneous erection and the electrical surge that his reaction had caused in me. I wanted to pull him into my arms and kiss those perfect lips, feel his glabrous firmly muscled body mould to mine. Shit this had to stop or I was going to fall head over heels into an orgy of homosexual lust, something I couldn’t live with. My mind was a battlefield of contrary thoughts exploding and flooding about as I wrestled with my innate morality. My body and penis were demanding attention from this young Adonis while my brain fought against the very idea of such depravity.

My trauma was broken by Donny poking his head out the hatch announcing dinner was ready and he carried a tray loaded with sausages nestling in buttered rolls along with a bottle of tomato sauce, Wayne and Ashley hurried astern to fall on the tucker ravenously, even my appetite took control, driving my thoughts to food instead of sex as I reached out grabbing a roll and putting a liberal spurt of red sauce on the hot sausage. The food, simple as it was, tasted delicious and we all ate like pigs until the tray was empty except for a few crumbs and a splatter of sauce. There is no doubt the clean salt air gave one a hunger that was incredible, I sat back satiated and drank from one of the cans of beer that Shaun had brought up along with cans of Coke for himself and Donny.

We all lounged about the cockpit and deck feeling at peace with the world as Wanderer sailed gaily on her course the sea breeze giving her a steady 8 knots through the water, an occasional feather of cooling spray dashed aboard as a particularly cheeky wave broke against her starboard side. It was a perfect afternoon and everyone began to nod off as their full stomachs took control, I had to concentrate or I too would have succumbed to lethargy and joined the lads in slumber. It was difficult to keep awake while surrounded by sleeping bodies stretched out on the sun warmed deck. I had to remove the sweat top I’d put on earlier in the day as I now found the sun too warm to wear it, I balled it up and placed it under my sleeping son’s head cushioning him from the deck , Shaun stirred and opened his sleep blurred eyes giving me a faint smile as he mumbled, “Thanks dad.”

He immediately dropped back to sleep and draped an arm across Donny’s chest as I watched, overjoyed that he had thanked me even though he was half asleep and probably wasn’t fully aware of what he said.

To be continued.

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Posted: 06/29/07