Surprise Melody Flintkote. Part Two
Copyright© 2019 by Old Man with a Pen
Chapter 26
Not fifteen minutes after Krys had taken the watch from our favorite spy, Cassie, she stomped on the deck. The Flint is pretty big... 90 feet LOD (Length on Deck) but she’s not huge. With dual wheels and a wide salon, the helms person is standing over one or another of the master suites. It so happened that it was my turn in the barrel. I thumped the overhead to let her know I was awake and slipped on a tee and shorts and headed up and out.
“What?”
“What is that?” She pointed over the port side.
“Ooo, that is trouble. Run ... get everyone up and in their immersion suits, mine is in the EMERGENCY closet next to my cabin hatch. The EPIRB is on the charger. Get in yours and fetch mine, please.”
She ran off.
I heard her yelling.
“Surprise said!” and relaying the message. There was the slamming of ports and cursing. No doubt about it ... we needed the practice. If nothing came of the emergency, there would be a discussion later. When there was no backtalk or discussion I knew Miss Kucherenko was a full fledged member of the crew.
When it comes to abandonment at sea, I saw to it that we had excellent gear. The suits were almost two grand each but I wouldn’t feel guilty. The Musto HPX Gore-Tex Dry Suit offers the ultimate level of protection, making it a must for serious offshore sailing to extreme latitudes. The Black Sea isn’t extreme but close enough. I know the suit will keep me alive for days in 50 degree F water.
Boiling up on deck, the crew swarmed me.
“Everybody here?”
There was a quick count along with assorted versions of, “What the fuck?” A quick point portside settled that. Sure, they weren’t moving fast but the three waterspouts snaking across the black storm front were heading our way.
One problem with catamarans is their shallow draft ... another is the hollow between the hulls.
The shallow draft means there’s not a lot of wetted area ... water tends to ‘grab’ at wetted surface and hold a hull ... friction.
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