Flintkote
Copyright© 2020 by Old Man with a Pen
Chapter 21
It’s about 200 miles ... give or take ... from Montreal, Quebec, Federation of America, to Ottawa, Ontario, Princessapality ... and Tyche said, “We’re going to need fuel.”
And I said, “I was planing to sail.”
She said, “Can’t.”
So I said, “Can.”
Wait a minute ... I’m getting into an argument ... with a FOUR year old?
“Can’t.”
“Why not?”
The brat won ... I flinched first.
She did a fist pump... “Contrary winds.”
“What?”
And she explained.
“When you changed course I was asleep. I woke up because the motion of the boat had changed. The bow had been going up and down now we’re rolling ... ergo...” Really ... she said ‘ergo,’ honest. “We are broadside to the current ... the first roll was to starboard ... we turned to starboard ... right. Right is north ... and the weather report for tonight and tomorrow is north winds veering west throughout the morning. Therefore ... we must motor and we have a quarter tank of fuel ... I looked at the gauge.”
If she had been smug I’d have wiped the smug off her mug ... but she wasn’t ... smug. Damnit ... she was right. Fuel ... first chance. I was hoping to get farther west ... before I got a wild hair. That hair was Carole at Visa and the hired driver. What was his name?
I rumbled through my past...
Charles.
Yes ... Charles.
Remembering Charles is like remembering that Gary Cooper was the Sheriff in the movie “High Noon.” Just a little digression there.
And sure enough ... Tyche was right. Before I knew it ... the wind shifted and we had to lower the main and roll up the jib start up both Perkins and start motoring. Against a fairly strong current our fuel usage went sky high. We made it as far as Hudsonville before we had to hit a diesel dock.
“Help you?”
“Fill her up please.
“Interesting flag,” it was more a question than a statement.
“New Zealand.”
“Really ... you’re flying a Fed A courtesy flag so I assume you’re checked in. Where you heading?”
“Ottawa.”
“Nope ... the Carillon Canal lock is closed for repair ... will be closed two seasons. Didn’t anyone tell you?”
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