Chapter 54

“Don’t know?” David asked. “How could you not know?”

“I wasn’t there when the modifications were done,” I said.

That got an incredulous look.

“I trusted my builder,” I explained.

That got an even more amazed look.

“I worked for the company,” I said. “I knew what kind of work they did.”

“What?”

“What what?” I said.

“What did you do?”

“I was in charge of their cabinet shop,” I said.

And that required further explanation.

“They had no idea I owned twenty three percent,” I said. “They hired me because I had excellent references.”

“You can quit looking at me like that. I worked at a boat builders shop in Auckland for several years.”

“Their cabinet shop manager ... although I think he was a part owner.”

“Part owner?”

“Because he hired and fired as he wished.”

“And?”

“He wanted me ... because I was never late ... and I listened.”

“I started because I was building a Farr 3.2 racing dinghy.”

“I had no idea what I was doing.”

“I was 15.”

“I needed a job so I didn’t have to go back to high school”

“New Zealand law.”

By now, we were 3 or 4 miles off the beach ... too damn far for swimming.

“Look ... do you want to go back or not?” I was asking David ... Junior was going whether he stayed or not.

“I might as well go,” he said. “We’re out to far to get back before dark.”

“Ooo ... you make me so mad!” I said. “This boat will do 19 or 20 knots with the breeze we have.”

I made a starboard turn and I started pushing buttons ... we hiked.I lowered the foiled daggerboard and raised the other one and we were off. Not as fast as a Cup boat but pretty damn fast for a cruising cat. Swapping out the plywood for Nida Core took five tons of weight off the hulls and carbon fiber and kevlar kept the stiffness.

“Ooo,” I said, “I wonder what this is going to cost.”

“You don’t know?”

“Blank checks ... haven’t cleared yet. I probably ought to call and accept the work. This is damn fast.”

Pentwater to Ludington is 20 miles ... hour and fifteen minutes ... to the tieup.

“Me likee,” I said. “David ... close your mouth.”