Chapter 42

I woke to kisses from the person who was lying completely on top of me.

Mercy kept kissing me, saying, "I love you, wake up my love."

As she sat up on my hips, Sue leaned over and gave me a kiss that would make any man happy he was a man.

She smiled and said, "I love you, Husband. Let's take our family out to sea, this morning."

Juanita even got into the action this morning by scooting over to rise over me. She kissed me sweetly on the lips before she kissed Sue, and Mercy.

"I love all of you so much. I wish I were younger, so I could be another wife and have babies, too," Juanita said.

Mercy said, "You don't have to have babies to be a part of us. You are very special to us, Juanita. We love you, too. But this is getting our man up in the wrong way. I want to go sailing and not spend another minute in bed. Let's go."

We were all showered and dressed by six. While I had some coffee and a light breakfast, the girls were getting the little ones up and dressed. The more I thought of our sailing adventure, the more I questioned my sanity. Who in their right mind would go sailing in a sixty-five foot sailboat with three women and three kids in diapers? Was I nuts, or what?

The plan was to take the Expedition to the yacht club and leave it there. Tiny or Phil or whoever would bring it home, when they went over to use the cruiser. We kissed and hugged everyone, loaded up, and headed toward Dunedin.

We loaded the boat with our clothes, and the four aluminum briefcases full of protection. Considering all of the extra ammunition we were carrying, you would think we were planning an invasion. I asked Sue if she had all of our passports and she did. Even the little ones had passports, should they need them. We were not planning on entering any foreign ports, just U.S. owned ports, but you never knew what might come up.

John was a surprise visitor this beautiful morning. He showed me a gift he had installed in the lounge and in the galley area. He lifted a lid to show a slim flat screen TV. He said the reception was from a tiny, gyroscopically stabilized satellite antenna that was used for the phones as well. He said that we would be able to get accurate weather reports, and view weather maps from the weather channel at any time. It was a good idea. It would also give little Steve the opportunity to remain close friends with Barney.

John helped me go over the boat to make sure the holding tank was empty, the fuel and freshwater tanks were full, and that all of the lines and spares were in place.

He got me off to the side to ask about protection. I explained that we had all been to the gun shop and range. The girls were all able to use both a rifle and a handgun. He smiled at me, saying to make sure that when we went into ports, we secured them properly so we wouldn't be questioned.

Everything appeared ready, so I opened the engine vents and started the fans. After starting the engines, we disconnected shore power and engaged the generator. The surprise was Juanita. She was at the bow ready to handle the bow line, just as Mercy was at the stern, ready to pull the line there.

John waved and saluted as I slowly backed out of the slip. As soon as the boat was clear of the dock and other craft, I swung her gently around, to head down the channel that led to the Gulf. All of the electronics were on line, and appeared to be working correctly. We would do a radio check with the Coast Guard once we were out ten miles or so.

Our plan was to head out into the Gulf, then south to sail between Cuba and Mexico. We would pass near the Cayman Islands, between Cuba and Jamaica, to the south of Hispaniola. We'd make landfall in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This would take a minimum of a week. The plan was to stay at sea, and not go ashore, if possible.

It didn't take long to be free from land so we could raise sail, and be underway.

During the morning, the girls formed some kind of agreement that they each would spend some time in the lounge, with the kids. The other two were either with me, or sunning themselves on the bow. We had a good wind, which sent us gliding through gentle seas.

Juanita and Sue were with me at the wheel when Juanita told us her family had been fishermen. She said that she had grown up on the water and was very familiar with sailboats. To her, our boat was like a spaceship. It had electric motors to raise and lower the sails, plus all of the electronics that had not been available when she was on Cuban fishing boats.

Throughout the day, the girls would put a tiny life jacket on Stevie, along with a line that they could hold. He could stagger around on deck to get some sun, and feel the Gulf breezes on his face. The ladies also carried the two younger ones around and put them in their little chairs, so they could get some sun, too.

The first night we went near a small island off the coast of south Florida, and anchored. The water was deep enough, so that at the low tide predicted in the morning, we would not have any trouble getting back out into the Gulf.

We slept soundly after setting our perimeter radar. This was a small unit that detected anomalies, abnormal movement, or objects that entered a perimeter of a hundred meters. A jumping fish or dolphin would set it off, but it would also sound an alarm if a swimmer or another boat came near our boat. The perimeter radar was developed originally as a land based anti-personnel detection device. It had been adapted for private maritime users, because of people taking advantage of boat campers, and folks sleeping overnight on their boats.

During the morning of the second day, I used the satellite phone to call work to make sure all was well. It was. Next, I called the Key West Coast Guard Station, as promised, to have coffee or a meal with them. The officer that I wanted to see was out on patrol. They gave me the private frequency that the boat used, so I could call them, off of the public network.

I only called once, before the officer answered quickly. His signal was so strong that we had to turn the volume down on our set. They were only about ten miles from us, and were heading our way. I told them to stop and we would share some coffee. I asked how big his crew was, only to find out it would be tough to feed twelve. Sue said she had a big box of donuts that we would never eat. She went downstairs to put them in the oven for a few minutes. Juanita put on a second pot of coffee after pouring the first pot into a thermos.

Watching the radar, I was able to pick up the Coast Guard boat as an approaching target. As he came to about two miles, I lowered sail, and started my engines so we could maneuver, if needed.

The helmsman on the Coast Guard cutter brought his boat up parallel to us, and with both of us having fenders out, we were able to tie up securely.

The officer asked permission to board for a safety inspection. Little Stevie was standing next to me in a life jacket imitating me. When I saluted, he did too, causing all the Guardsmen to laugh.

The girls brought out foam cups and the coffee with the tray of donuts. We visited for a half-hour and had the Guardsmen do a real safety inspection. They said we had good equipment and appeared to be prepared for emergencies.

The officer thought I was nuts to go on such a big adventure with three ladies and three little kids. I agreed with him but said that all three women were capable mates.

The officer said there had not been any bad situations reported lately, so as long as we remained vigilant, we should be fine. He gave us coordinates to several small 'dry' islands (without any source of water) that would be good places for us to anchor overnight. There we would be out of the weather, should the seas get heavy. I carefully marked each on my charts, knowing that these men knew the Caribbean like most people know their own neighborhood.

After untying from each other and pulling up our fenders, I raised the sail and began our journey again going almost due south to go around the western tip of Cuba.

The sun was going to get to us at the helm, so we erected the canvas cover, to shade the wheel area and instruments. Sue found some cushions that formed a sort of lounge next to the helm area. Again, the girls switched back and forth being outside or inside with the kids. Each time I had one or two of the ladies, I would go over how to watch the wind direction and what to do with the sails. The instructions included how to tell which objects on the radar were small islands, and which objects were boats. It was easy to note what direction a target object was going. You just use a small grease pencil and mark the target's position. Then, fifteen minutes later, you mark the new position. Since we had the radar set at fifty miles, we had quite a few targets. Most were fishing boats that were trolling along at a few knots per hour.

As the second night approached, we were going to be in open water all night. I told the girls to take shifts to sleep, and to be topside with me. While they were on watch, I would lie back in the lounging cushions and get a little sleep. That way I would be right there, if I were needed quickly.

The watches worked well. They changed each three hours, and I actually got quite a bit of sleep. We would take some naps during the day, but were all rested as we sailed south of Cuba.

The third night we drifted up near one of the dry islands that we had been given by the Coast Guard. The object was to get close to the landmass so our image merged with the island and wouldn't be easily detected by a passing boat's radar.

We set the perimeter alarm, washed up, and enjoyed some loving. I think that trying to satisfy three healthy women is a little too much for a man. Actually, two women is almost one too many, but three meant that at least one of them didn't receive a deposit. Well, they could if they waited long enough, and if they helped stimulate the manufacture of the special serum. At least they all helped each other have multiple happy orgasms, to help them sleep.

The perimeter alarm went off at about three thirty. I raced up to the deck, grabbing a rifle on the way. After looking around quickly, I couldn't see anything. A dolphin leaped from the water, obviously chasing the fish that were schooling in the little island's bay. I watched the dolphin a few minutes, after turning on the radar to see if there was anything else out there.

The dolphin left with the schooling fish. I reset the alarm, and went back to bed. I told all three ladies that everything was fine.

After waking up the next morning, I got out some fishing tackle. I used an artificial lure, cast toward the shore, and then reeled in back to the boat. On the third cast, I hooked up with a nice sea trout. Using the cleaning tub and a bucket of seawater, I filleted the fish for lunch or supper, and put it into a plastic container.

While I was doing this, Juanita had tied just a plain hook with a heavy leader to the line and baited it with a mixture of bread, cheese, and blood from the trout. A couple of minutes later, she had a very large sea bass for me to clean.

When I was finished cleaning the second fish, Juanita took some of the entrails of the fish and put them into another plastic container to use as bait, the next time.

We had trout, bass and eggs for breakfast. Little Steve seemed to really like fish. It was a good thing, as all his parents enjoyed fish. Juanita said she would make some good Cuban food that included fish. She said we would all enjoy some of her native foods.

Day five found us getting close to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our main goal was to go to St. Thomas, first. Once we neared all of the small islands and channels, we pulled down the sail and used the engines and GPS to motor into the harbor. A harbor boat came out to meet us and directed us into a customs dock before we could be put into a rental slip.

They checked our papers and did a cursory look around the boat noting that the Coast Guard had boarded us less than a week ago for a safety inspection. We were able to relocate to a slip that we could tie up to, instead of anchoring to a buoy, where we would have to use the dinghy.

I had the marina's attendants connect shore power, empty and flush the holding tanks, and refill the water tank. I noted that we were being conservative with the water, and that our use rate was well under what I had anticipated.

That evening, we ate at an on shore restaurant. The little ones were remarkably good even though Mike and Lizzy were both cutting teeth. They chewed on bread crust the entire evening. They didn't eat much, they just chewed and chewed.

It was nice to lock up that night, open the portholes and enjoy a peaceful night's sleep. The marina was secure, so we all slept well.

The next day, we went into the small city to visit the many tiny shops. We went to a small grassy park where Steve could run and play for a while. He wore himself out, trying to climb on some of the children's playground equipment. He did enjoy the swing, as did all three ladies. The two little ones were put down on a blanket, to roll and crawl around. We had to be careful, as both of them tried to eat the bugs they captured.

The girls said they wanted to move around to St. Thomas the next day, so we went to bed early.

We left at about six, to motor around the island. We finally arrived at a fancy yacht club, where we had reservations. We had to do a cursory customs check, but we were soon docked in a slip, with the girls on their way into the little town to shop.

I took two big baskets of clothes and bedclothes to the Laundromat at the yacht club. Two hours later I was putting the clean stuff back where it belonged.

I met several other boat owners who were impressed that we were traveling without a crew. I kept telling them that the three ladies were all good mates and that I couldn't have a better crew. When my crew came back, the guys that I had been talking to all drooled over the well-endowed and beautiful Sue, and the erotic looking Mercy. When Juanita came into view, wearing shorts and a halter tied around her neck, that did it. I think every guy there wanted to join my crew.

The next morning, we again went exploring on the island. There was a lot to see and a lot of history to learn. After lunch we took the little ones to the boat so they could nap. The girls all donned tiny bikinis and sunbathed on the bow.

All this did was to gather men from the surrounding boats. The benefit was that they all wanted to share their beer with us. Several of the neighboring wives also came out in skimpy attire to join my three ladies in the sun.

A Coast Guardsman came by the docks to advise us all that a thirty-five foot fishing boat had possibly been attacked, south of Puerto Rico. Apparently the boat had called on an emergency frequency, but by the time an aircraft was able to respond, they couldn't find the boat. They didn't know whether the boat had been sunk or taken somewhere. They had a handout describing the boat and the two men who had been on the boat.

The girls and I decided we would sail to the north of Puerto Rico, and stop in at San Juan, before heading across the Gulf to Texas. Why not avoid an area where a problem might exist.

That night after eating at a nice restaurant, we went to bed early, in anticipation of sailing to San Juan. In the morning, as we motored out of the harbor, the Coast Guard came alongside of us and advised us that there had been two more instances of private craft being attacked. I described the route we were planning to take, and they said for us to be watchful, and not to let other craft approach too close.

As we motored out to sea, Mercy took the wheel, and I went into the lounge. I assembled all of the AR-15s, putting magazines in each. I loaded the Glocks, and put a Glock and an AR-15 at the helm. The rest were stowed beneath cushions, just inside the lounge. Should something happen, we were prepared. Just to be cautious, I had one of the girls remain on the bow with binoculars to check on other craft as we passed them.

The trip to San Juan was without incident and when the customs men checked the boat we had to warn them of the weapons. They understood, and didn't have anything to say about us having four good military quality rifles and four good handguns.

San Juan is a big and busy city. The island of Puerto Rico is amazing. There are beautiful mountains and many areas that are almost impossible to get to by road.

We did get to see some of the rural areas on a small tour bus. We stopped at a small community that mostly made cigars. There was a large cigar factory there, but some of the older men still made hand-rolled ones. Sue and I bought a dozen cigars for our friends, along with some hand made trinkets.

Traveling with three attractive women and three small children has both advantages and disadvantages. The kids need constant attention, and the three women receive a lot of attention. If women are attractive, men flock around them, in any country.

That night, the girls decided they wanted to leave San Juan, as it was just another city. They said that if I wanted to, we could stop at another small town on Puerto Rico, but they were tired of shopping and the bustle of a city.