Chapter 3: The Busy Season

Del continued to live aboard during the winter. We took on a few charters and it gave us the opportunity to get to know one another. I really didn't know quite how to categorize her presence on board. She was almost like a big sister. A little older, a little more experienced, a little smarter, and yet a comfortable companion. There were times when I thought we could read each other's mind. When something needed doing, we both seemed to realize it at the same time. When we were on the boat, it was like we were in a cocoon where everything was within reach of us.

I hadn't been thinking of Del in a sexual way ... well ... not much, anyway. I was attracted to her, but she was strictly "hands off" from my point of view, and I got the same impression from her. All the same, whatever we had as a team of two, we had it in spades.

As the spring and summer season approached, I could see we were going to be as busy as we wanted to be. We would sit down regularly and decide which charters to take and which to refuse. There was a strategy to these meetings and as we discussed the options, I could see that we both thought the same way when it came to a yes-no proposition. It took any tension that might have existed between us and made it a non-factor.

I was lucky this spring to have my usual crew available for the season. The two young men had crewed with us during the weekends and over Christmas and Spring Break. It was good that we didn't have any rookies to break in and I was looking forward to a smooth operation over the next five months. The "season" was generally agreed to be from late April to early September, although my guys weren't out of college until mid-May. Until then, I would only charter what Del and I could handle ourselves unless I could find a temp crew of known quality. Of the roughly twenty weeks, we had bookings or deposits on eighteen so far.

For the first time, we would be based out of Campbell River in July and August. I thought it might be a risk, however our bookings said otherwise. With regular airline service and multiple ferry options to the island, we had no trouble convincing people it would be closer to their objective, whether that was fishing or wildlife or just exploring the dozens of inlets and passages in the area.

"Are you ready for this, Del?" I asked one morning before our first full charter.

"Yes, I think so. You and the boys have already warned me about the long days. I can handle that. We had long shifts on the tow boats."

"Don't let yourself get overtired, that's all I'm asking. I don't want you getting sick or exhausted. You're too valuable to us to have that happen."

She gave me a questioning look before turning away.

"I'll be careful," she promised, still not looking at me.

It seemed like an awkward moment despite the fact that all I was doing was giving her some friendly advice. Early on, it wouldn't be so bad. Later in the summer, with day after day of looking after guests and trying to keep them happy with our services, it could get very wearing. With Del as the "extra" crewperson on board, I was hoping I could spell off anyone who did become exhausted or even ill.

I had to work hard to find a place to dock in Campbell River for the two months we would be based there. The main marina was expensive and reluctant to rent out to us for that length of time at any discount. I needed a reasonable alternative. I found it in Menzies Bay, just north of the city near the site of the now-closed paper mill. It was less than a ten minute drive from the town and better still, the north end of town was where all the new stores had been located, including a Walmart, Home Depot, a specialty liquor store and a large supermarket.

A newly renovated motel was in the vicinity and made an ideal place for our guests to stay. All in all, it was a good situation at a reasonable cost.

"We'll move the boat up to Menzies Bay on Tuesday, Del. Our next charter will be arriving on Thursday evening for the long weekend," I said, looking over the booking schedule.

"Okay. Are the boys going to come with us or meet us up there?"

"They're going to meet us up there. They want a car available. Gee, I wonder why?" I chuckled.

"Raging hormones, I imagine," she snorted.

"No doubt. Our first four charters will be staying at the motel and I've got a confirmation of the rooms, so we'll have the boat to ourselves in the evening unless they want to go on a moonlight cruise."

"Where are they from?" she asked.

"Reno. I remember the conversation with the guy who booked it. Their wives were going on an Alaska cruise and these guys wanted to do some salmon fishing. The cruise is leaving from Victoria and then they are driving up island from there."

"Just four of them?"

"Yup. No space problems for us at all. I just hope the new caterer is up to the standards we want."

"I checked with a couple of the other charter guys," Del offered, "and they all said we wouldn't be disappointed."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, we've got another day-and-a-half to get everything on board for the next two months."

"That should take about two hours," Del chuckled. "Relax, Pat. Everything is taken care of."

"If you say so, then I'm satisfied. You've been a god-send, Del. I feel so much more relaxed with you around."

She didn't respond to my compliment, looking away and fussing with some packages that needed stowing. Apparently, my praise made her uncomfortable for some reason.

"I'm going up to the post office, Pat. Is there anything I can get you while I'm out?"

"Not that I can think of. We've got to make a run to the liquor store, but that's about all. We can do that this afternoon."

"Okay, I'll be back in about an hour," she said, stepping out of the cabin and onto the dock.

I watched her go, noticing the confident stride and bearing that I was getting used to seeing. The more I saw, the more attractive she had become. What she lacked in cover girl beauty, she more than made up for in other ways. I found myself regularly being reminded that she was an employee and according to my rules, off limits.

Del was gone for over two hours and I was beginning to wonder what had happened to her when I saw her slowly walking down the gangway onto the dock. Her shoulders were slumped and she didn't look very happy. I wondered what had happened. She looked nothing like the woman who had walked off the boat a couple of hours earlier.

"Hi, any problems?" I asked, noticing the frown on her face.

"No ... not really. Just something that I've been expecting and didn't know how I would feel about it."

"Okay," I said, deciding not to pursue the unspoken question.

She flopped herself down on the bench in the galley, placing a large manila envelope on the table.

"Would you like a coffee or a beer?" I asked.

"Beer ... thanks."

I opened two and passed her a bottle. She remained silent, looking thoughtful and unfocussed at the same time. I still wasn't about to disturb her.

At length, she pushed the envelope toward me, indicating she wanted me to look inside. I picked it up and pulled some papers out of it. It took a moment to understand what I was reading. It was her final divorce papers. She was now single again and obviously it wasn't a cause for celebration despite what she thought of her ex-husband.

There are times to talk and times to shut up and let the other person decide what should be said and when.

"I didn't think this would bother me at all, Pat. I thought it would just be another thing that had to be done. I guess I was wrong."

"Six years is a long time, Del. You had a lot invested in that marriage. I'm sorry for you that it ended this way."

"Yeah ... me too. I'll tell you what, though. I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for myself. I'm pissed that it came to this, but I'm not sorry. It was my mistake and I had to fix it. Fuck him and the horse he rode in on," she spat, taking a big swallow of beer.

"Come on, let's go get lunch at McGillicuddy's and then do the booze run. Maybe that will get your mind off it."

"Yeah ... let's do that." She seemed to brighten up at that suggestion.

I volunteered to put her papers in the safe and she agreed. If my observations were correct, she was coming out of her funk and getting back to normal. It seemed she was very resilient.

We left Coal Harbour early Tuesday morning for the long run to Campbell River. It would be almost two hours by the time we cleared English Bay and then Bowen Island. We set a course northwest and settled in for the run to the entrance of Johnstone Strait and Campbell River. Our ten knots maximum cruise speed would get us to our destination near five o'clock that afternoon.

We spend almost the entire trip on the upper bridge, trading stories about our adventures at school and at sea. The more time I spent with Del the more impressed I was with how bright she was. I also got the feeling that her family was well off and that money hadn't been a problem in the past and perhaps not today either.

I knew her father had been a well respected newspaper editor and very visible in the community. Her mother was in her mid-fifties and in good health. She was living on what Del described as a ranch in the south Okanagan Valley, right on the U.S. border. It was hard to tell just what her relationship with her sisters was, but I didn't detect any animosity. It was more like they just didn't have a lot in common other than being family.