Chapter 2

Chuck

Sheena woke me about one forty-five with a kiss on the cheek. She said, "Time to get up so you can relieve Dewey at two."

I smiled and said, "I'll be right up. Would you put some coffee on before you go to bed?"

"Already put it on, Chuck. Are you going to take anyone up with you? Dewey said all of the night people should have someone up there with them. It will make the watch easier to have some company."

Lisa turned and said, "I'm getting up with Chuck. I'll keep him company."

As Sheena left, Lisa and I used the head to wash our faces and brush our teeth. We dressed in jeans and T-shirts with deck shoes. On the way past the galley, we both poured mugs of coffee to take up to the helm in the salon.

We were about five minutes early, so Dewey suggested, "How about checking the rigging before your shift? You might want to re-tie the dinghy as it seems to sway a little too much back there."

Lisa and I made a trip around the deck, checking all of the lines, making sure everything tied and lashed was secure. We did re-tie the dinghy, and that was the only thing we noticed.

Back inside, Dewey said, "We have a couple of interesting targets out there. See this one? That target is keeping pace with us and seems to be angling toward us. Here's the long trace so you can see there is an intersecting angle. There is another target over here that is almost directly on our course, but it is stationary, just setting there as if at anchor. I think we should alter our course to go farther in toward Key West and avoid even getting in sight of that boat. It will give you a chance to see if this other boat follows your course alteration."

Dewey pointed out another spot on the scope. "Right about here is something in the water. It could be a raft, an overturned boat, or just some large debris. I called the Coast Guard and gave them the location, but the target is moving. It's actually moving in a direction to intersect with the stationary boat back here. See, there it is again. Every time the sea lifts it while the scan is in that direction, we pick it up. You might want to call the Coast Guard and advise that the target appears to be under power and is moving."

Dewey and Sheena stretched and said, "We're going to bed. Make sure you wake Sue about three forty-five so she can relieve you. Goodnight."

Lisa and I went over all of the instrumentation and gauges. Lisa punched up the weather on the helm PC. I used the radio and called the Coast Guard. When I advised them the low target appeared to be under power, they became very interested. The radio dispatcher asked if I had cell phone connections out here. Lisa pulled the boat's cell phone from the cradle and reported we did have a connection. The dispatcher asked us to call a number he gave.

When the call was answered, I identified myself and the boat, telling the person answering I had been requested to call. Another voice came on the phone and said, "Tell me more about the low target you have. How far from you, how large, how fast is it moving?"

I punched up the radar computer for the answers. When you touched the target and punched the tracking, a solution would appear. I said, "Using the Raytheon radar tracking with the GPS link, the low target appears to be about ten by thirty feet and is traveling north, northeast at about eight knots."

They asked for the coordinates of the stationary target and the present location of the moving low target. I advised them that I was changing course to avoid contact with the stationary target.

The Coast Guard voice said, "Would you mind sailing close to the stationary target? How about sailing between the stationary and the moving low target? We should be able to reach that location in about forty minutes. How close in time are you?"

"If I don't change my course now, I will be in sight of the stationary target within fifteen minutes. If I change my course a little south, I will be almost exactly at an intersecting course with the low target."

"If you want to help, do that. If you're apprehensive about getting involved, then go ahead and go north to avoid contact."

I told the Coast Guard voice, "We have another target that had been angling toward us and now seems to be heading straight toward us. They are also about fifteen minutes out. I'm not liking this at all. I should advise you that I am a U.S. Deputy Marshal on vacation. I'll do what I can for you until you can get here."

I turned to Lisa and said, "Go wake Steve, his women, and our girls that can defend the boat. Go now, this could get messy."

Lisa turned and went downstairs while I went back to the phone. The Coast Guard voice said, "We're scrambling a couple of Navy interceptors. They should be over your area in about three minutes. They will try to photograph the intersecting boat, as well as the stationary and low targets. If you have the means, I suggest you prepare to protect yourself. Can you give me your name so we can verify your status?"

"This is Deputy Charles Johnson, out of Tampa. Do you still want me to sail between the stationary target and the low target?" I asked.

"If you want. Would that put you farther from the pursuing target?"

I answered, "It would; if I avoided the other targets, I would be sailing more toward the intersecting boat."

"Okay, we'll have some helicopters off the deck in a few minutes. We also have a C-130 getting ready to launch. I think you may have stumbled onto something the DEA might be interested in. Be careful, the people on these boats are not known to be nice."

The voice said, "I'll hang up but will call you on the radio if something else comes up. The aircraft will all contact you by radio. Our pursuit boat is in route and should be there faster than the earlier estimated forty minutes. The seas are low and the wind is with them."

Steve, Sue, Mercy, Juanita, Kathy, Mickey, and all of my women came up to the helm.

I gave them a quick rundown of everything I had done and what the Coast Guard suggested. I told all of them, "This may be a false alarm but there appears to be two problems. The low target heading toward the stationary target and this boat that is really moving fast toward us. I think we should drop sails, start the engines, and have everyone armed, ready, and in place. All of you girls find cover. Sue, I want you to handle the helm so I can be outside. What we need are walkie-talkies, but we'll just yell for now.

The beeper went off for the cushion alarm as Steve pulled it up to begin handing out shotguns and rifles. Lisa appeared with my combat vest and MP5. I slipped it on and picked up the fifty caliber, as that would give me the most damaging round at the farthest distance.

Martin was standing at the top of the stairs and I asked him, "Go to the big storage room and bring the ten shotguns that are in the big aluminum case. There are also two cases of shotgun shells that need to be up here as well. Get someone to help you carry everything. Can you do that?"

Martin grinned, "Glad to help. Now I feel like I have a value."

I told him, "You are always valuable Martin. Just being here with us is valuable."

I went up toward the bow and climbed on the low weather deck roof to set the fifty in place. Steve and Sue were bringing the sail down and I could hear the engines running. The light at the top of the front mast sent a shot of light out to the rear of the boat for a test and shut off. That light was powerful.

The boat coming at us from the north was closing very fast. It now appeared to be heading more toward the stationary boat than straight at us, as it had before. The low target was going to be about a half-mile away from us when we went between it and the stationary target. The stationary target would be at least a half-mile away in the other direction.

A light came on from the stationary target and threw light on the side of our boat. It swung around to shine toward the boat approaching from the north.

Figuring I needed to do something about the light, I climbed down from the top of the weather deck roof and ran to the salon to pull the .308. While getting the rifle, I hollered at Sue, "Slow down to a crawl. I want to be in the path of that low target."

Sue hollered back, "That thing is pretty big, the last big swell showed it pretty good. It's over fifty feet long, like a submarine or something like that."

"As soon as you can, shine our light on it to see if we can identify what it is. Have you heard from the Coast Guard?"

Sue yelled back, "They said the interceptors are almost here and the helicopters are on their way."

Back up on the weather deck roof, I noticed Sue trying to work the light toward the low target. The light from the stationary boat swung our way so I used the .308 to begin pumping rounds into and around the lamp. The first round blew out the light. That just caused the other boat to bring up an even brighter light. When it shined my way, I squeezed the trigger knowing my round was dead center. That light exploded. There was a flash of bright light with a shower of sparks all around the dimming light.

The stationary target began showing muzzle flashes. They were too far away for a good hit but they could get lucky. That's when I realized that no one else on deck had protective armor on. I had to do something about that.

Sue had our light trained on the low target that was now getting close to us. Lisa came up on the weather deck and said, "Look at that thing in the water. It does look like a sub, but it isn't going down. That must be one of those surface drug boats I've read about."

"Be careful, they can shoot from that thing too."

Lisa said, "I've seen some faces appear from some of the top hatches on that thing. I don't think they like to have them open as water washes across the deck of the thing constantly. There is only that taller hatch toward the rear."

Nodding at Lisa, I said, "If someone fires from that boat let me know. I'll let the fifty see if it will blow a hole in it."

There seemed to be gunfire between the stationary boat and the approaching boat that had come from the north. We were almost stationary when two jets flew over us just off the deck. I told Lisa, "Go tell Sue to power up and head away from these guys. I think we should avoid them now if we can."

The light was still shining on the low silhouette watercraft that appeared to be trying to go around the bow of our boat. I ran back to the salon and told Sue, "Stop, the submarine looking thing is trying to go across our bow. We'll hit unless you can stop us."

Sue was focused on what she was doing but glanced at me briefly nodding her head.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I ran back outside to see who was firing and why? Steve was aiming out at the water toward the stationary boat. I looked and could make out a small runabout coming our way. I was still holding my .308, so I sighted in on the boat and saw two men in the bow and one at the rear, handling the motor and steering.

Steve and I shot at the same time, hitting the guy at the motor. When he was hit, he pitched to one side, causing the boat to begin circling less than a hundred feet from us. There were some muzzle flashes from the little boat, but the shots were going wild because of the slowly spinning boat. I sighted in on the two men in the bow, and with two shots, put them both down while the boat kept turning in circles.

Steve hollered, "Can you hit the motor? Maybe you can shut that thing down so it doesn't hit us."

I climbed back up on the weather deck roof, picked up the fifty, checked to make sure that I had loaded explosive rounds, and began tracking the circling boat. When I squeezed the trigger the whole back of the little runabout disintegrated letting water rush in, swamping the boat.

Boom! Boom!

A shotgun went off just below me. I leaned over to see Frieda with her shotgun pointing at the submarine looking boat. I could also see a body sprawled out of the rear hatch with a rifle of some kind still in his hand. I swung the fifty around to the boat as it was moving from our right to left, and checked the injured man for movement. The scope told the story. The explosive round from the shotgun had blown the guy's guts out. There was blood everywhere around the hatch.

"Good shot, Frieda. Did he shoot at us?"

Frieda looked up at me and said, "I didn't give him a chance. As soon as I saw he was going to point the rifle, I shot at him. The shotgun was loaded with two explosive rounds first, just like you told us."

Steve hollered, "The one boat appears to be heading our way, but is still in a shoot out with the anchored boat. See if you can do something about their movement, Chuck. I'll fire at the cockpit area."

As I sighted in with the fifty, Mercy hollered, "Helicopters coming from the north. Looks to be a couple of miles out."

Through the scope of the fifty, I could see a couple of men on the bow and several in the rear area of the boat that was now moving toward us. I sighted in where I thought the cockpit would be and fired. The explosive round blew off the whole side of the cockpit area. My second round went into the rear of the boat causing an explosion that tossed bodies into the water. Thinking the fifty would probably put holes in the boat I fired a round at the bow, right at the water line. A huge hole opened up in the fiberglass and wood construction of the boat. The explosion knocked at least one of the men on the bow into the water.

I hollered, "Watch for swimmers. Don't let them get near the boat."

Carrying the fifty, the .308, and my MP5, I got down from the roof of the weather deck and went to the rail near the bow. The submarine looking boat was continuing toward the anchored boat, while the runabout had now sunk. The boat that I had shot at was beginning to list from taking on water.

Lisa came up beside me with her MP5 and a shotgun. She said, "I'm loaded with only buckshot. I'll keep watch for any swimmers trying to get near us. Those choppers are almost here. Go talk to them on the radio."

All of the girls with shotguns were lining the rail, looking out toward the sinking boat and the submarine looking boat. I went into the salon and heard Sue talking on the radio, telling them there are probably men alive in the water. The voice on the speaker said, "We'll scan the water around the boats with the light. The cutter should be here in ten minutes or less. Do you have any casualties?"

Sue looked at me and I shook my head. She keyed the mike and said, "We have no casualties and no apparent damage. The low profile boat is still moving toward the anchored boat. I have the low profile boat lit up with my spot. Watch the anchored boat, as there were muzzle flashes coming from it earlier."

One of the helicopters settled over the water on the other side of the sinking boat. With the spotlight on what appeared to be a swimmer, a rescue man jumped into the water while a pickup harness was being lowered. We watched as three men were hoisted to the helicopter and then a basket was lowered. The Coast Guard rescue man began loading floaters that were hauled up to the big helicopter.

Sue pointed at the short-range radar scope, "The cutter is almost here. They're about a mile out." She turned up another radio set to hear the cutter and helicopters talking.

I went back out on deck to watch what would happen. One helicopter was circling the swamped and sinking boat, looking for more floaters. The other helicopter was over the anchored boat, lowering a boarding party. We could see men in the rear of the boat with their hands up.

The Coast Guard cutter slowed and approached the low profile boat. We watched as a crewman tossed a grapple hook at the hatch of the craft. The hook caught the opening and the line tightened as the cutter began reeling the craft in. A crewman with a rifle was beside the line tender and another crewman looked ready to jump on the watercraft.

A helicopter hovered over the cutter and low profile boat, lowering a basket with a body bag. Two Coast Guard crewmembers began loading the man that was nearly cut in half. When the hatch was cleared, we could see the reluctance of the crew to drop down into the low profile hull. Finally one man went into the craft, and in less than a minute, the craft quit trying to propel itself away from the cutter.

The crewman came out of the hatch and leaned over the side puking. Whatever he found below must not have been good. Two crew went back below and soon three bodies were pushed up through the hatch to be loaded onto the basket from helicopter.

We could see people being lifted from the anchored boat to the helicopter using slings. Mercy was hollering toward the rear of our boat. "There's a swimmer. He's trying to get at the boarding ladder."

Steve and I rushed to rear of the boat. Mercy had a big light shining on the man. Steve hollered, "Show us your hands, both of them or we will shoot."

The man stopped swimming and held up both of his hands. Steve hollered again, "Come to the side of the boat and we'll bring you aboard." He turned to me and said, "Go have Sue tell the Coast Guard we have a swimmer."

Mercy hollered, "There's another one. He has something in his hand."

As Mercy shined the bright light at the swimmer, you could see the man trying to swim and point a handgun. Steve took the shotgun from Mercy to shoot, but before he could raise the gun, "Boom!" Kathy was standing with her shotgun still leveled at what had been the swimmer. The guy had a life jacket on so he remained floating, but was now motionless.