Genevieve
Copyright© 2023 by Old Man with a Pen
Chapter 26
Lessons all the way back. Since the boat was taller than the clearance at the tollbridge they had made both directions in the shipping channel ... well ... next to it. Little boats don’t play well with big ones.
The shipping benefits from continuous dredging but a considerable portion of travel traverses the river on the Canadian side ... east of Fighting Island. There is a narrow cut just east of Stony Island. The United States and Canada have similar navigation rules. Drive on the right, yield to the right ... but ... stay out of the way of oncoming traffic. Lakers and salties are slow to stop and slow to turn.
And monitor the shipping radio channel. Disasters aren’t disasters if one pays attention.
The small boat pier is the domain of the cutter. The Chief parks his Van ON the concrete ... David, Bethanne and Genevieve have been known to park there ... nobody else.
Remember when the Chief said, “There will be a test?”
After the principals drove away ... Roberts handed Gen a recent copy of The Bluejacket’s Manual.
“Study that.”
“When I have time,” Gen said.
“What do you do?”
“School started three weeks ago. I have no problem keeping up ... but.”
Roberts head came up on the ‘but’.
“I’m working on my new car.”
“Wait ... new car?”
Genevieve pointed at her motorcycle engined car, “Like that one ... only powered by a different ... gokart or lawn mower engine ... and just a little smaller.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask ... there are several little cars here on the island ... where did they buy them?”
“Can’t buy one ... if you have one you built it.”
She paused... “from scratch.”
“Where...?”
“You know the base machine shop?”
“I know there used to be one.”
“The one in the Eighty Acre Wood?”
“No ... the shop in Hangar D,” Roberts said. He pointed at the concrete under the trees.
Hangar D was where they used to store and work on the seaplanes. Even the ramp was gone. After the 1968 fire it was never rebuilt. The concrete pier where the Cape Class Cutter tied up was all that was left as evidence of the former seaplane part of the greater base.
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