Chapter 17

A loud noise awoke the Davis'. It was a ringing loud noise that hurt Emma's ears. "THIS IS THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD. PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!" It was daylight as both scrambled out of their small bed and dressed quickly. "SECOND WARNING! THIS IS THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD. PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!"

"I think they want to board us," Tim joked, throwing on a pair of khaki pants and racing on deck. Emma took her time. She climbed into her panties, followed by a pair of knee length shorts, a long t-shirt, and a pair of togs. She quickly brushed her hair and climbed the set of stairs leading to the top deck. She heard a loud clump as she stood beside her husband.

One officer, armed but holstered, was on deck already writing down the name of the schooner, Manhattan Emma. Other crewmen landed while a squad of guardsman held heavy automatic weapons. Loaded but on safe and pointed down as was military protocol. If Tim or Emma showed any hostility they could bring their weapons up and fire in two seconds if necessary.

"I am Captain Gregory Jinx of the United States Coast Guard. We wish to search your ship for any illegal contraband."

"Jinx?" Emma raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't jinx us on our voyage."

"Nice one, Ma'am," he grinned. "Old but nice. I've been told that at least five thousand times."

"Sorry," Emma apologized. She tried to play cute but it backfired on her.

"Search away," Tim said. "I have three handguns below behind some boxes in the kitchen cabinet. One a .357 magnum and two nine millimeter glocks. They are registered with the San Diego authorities. Other than that, just regular things all ships carry."

"I do see you have some flares," Jinx said, lifting a seat at the fan tail. "Four! The required amount. If you will have a seat, my crew will search the ship. Plus one will video tape it."

"Ummmmm, Captain Jinx, do you have a shower available for a lady. I'm tired of sponge bathes. I could really use a hot shower." Emma asked.

"If everything checks out, you will be our guest to shower, Ma'am. How long have you been out here?"

"Almost a month. We're heading for Hawaii for a week or so then going on to Tahiti."

"Going to Hawaii then to Tahiti takes you in a zig zag course. Where are you headed," Jinx checked the papers Tim had given him.

"My wife and me aren't in any hurry. I'm just fulfilling my childhood dream of sailing around the world. She's tagging along to make sure I don't get into any mischief."

Emma slapped him on the arm.

Jinx chuckled.

"So far so good, Captain. We going into the hold now," a crewman radioed him.

"Proceed sailor," Jinx ordered.

"Aye-aye, sir," came the response.

One crewman came up with a manifest of the goods in the galley and other things in first deck below. Jinx read it for about ten minutes. "What's with all the raisins?"

"It's my wife's favorite fruit. It reminds her of rat turds," Tim grinned.

Another slap in the arm.

Another chuckle from the captain. "Newlyweds?"

"Just over a year."

"He'll be lucky to make it to two." Emma seethed.

It took them over four hours of unpacking and repacking boxes on the schooner. "All clean, Captain."

"Mrs. Davis, you can have your shower now. Get your things and the basket will hoist you over to the Vanguard."

"Thank you."

"What about Mr. Davis?"

"You can have one too. I see you need fresh water. You've used up over half of your tank."

"Yes we do."

"We can help out there too. If you don't mind purified Guatemalan water. It will have a slight iodine taste but it is clean."

"You guys are a lifesaver," Tim grinned.

"If you are stopped from here to Hawaii, just show this slip and they won't take a day out your life to search it again. Once you set sail from Hawaii, all bets are off and these papers are no good."

"Thank you, Captain."

Emma made Tim sleep on the top bunk that night. With the stop and search, the Manhattan Emma only made forty nautical miles that day. Vanguard called them to veer north into cooler waters due to a tropical depression forming two hundred miles from them.

"Here's a bowl of flakes with rat turds," Emma told Tim. They were working on powdered milk by then.

"Oh, you can't be that mad at me. After all it was all in fun," Tim grinned.

"I did miss you last night," Emma admitted. "We both smell so clean after our showers. How about us making love in the sun after we check everything out."

"Now that sounds like a winner," he said. He routinely check the barometer and saw that it had dropped. "We might have to postpone our date, it doesn't look good for the near future."

The Manhattan Emma pitched and rolled in the choppy seals. The Vanguard had called telling them to move further north. Use their motor if necessary. Tim fired it up and had Emma keep watch on it. Both had their life jackets on and tied down so they wouldn't go over board if a large wave were to splash over them. She sat on the seat holding the handle of the powerful engine barely able to keep it from tearing out of her hands. A wet set of leather work gloves gave her a good grip and kept her beautiful hands protected. All Emma could taste and breathe was saltwater.

Tim was using all his strength holding the wheel steady. He had the sails set to take them north. He had called Captain Jinx to see if they had them on radar. They did and said the Manhattan Emma was at the edge of a powerful typhoon. The Vanguard was in the middle of the storm ready to answer any distress calls. Tim remembered reading that a Coast Guard Cutter was able to stand up to one hundred and forty mile winds without being destroyed. Fortunately no one else they knew of, except a carrier and its escort was in the violent storm.