Chapter 23

We were coming to the end of the quarter, the end of volleyball, and Thanksgiving. Volleyball was first. To have enough private schools of a similar size, they placed our school in a district that covered several states. Most were day schools, but some were boarding schools. There were more parents from the day schools showing up to cheer on their kids. When we arrived, for the district tournament, it was extremely loud. Many parents had driven in to watch their daughters play. They had enough room in the place to play two matches at a time, one at the practice facility, and the other in the main gym.

We started our warm-up drills while our coach went to see where we were playing first. She came back, but didn't look happy. What they did was they had scheduled us to play against the team that had previously forfeited to us. The girl who freaked out during the game, had received a two-week suspension, but that was three weeks ago. Rhonda spoke to the tournament officials about the earlier situation. She pointed out the great possibility of a repeat situation. But they said that, at this point, they couldn't do anything.

When the teams lined up, Mika made sure that she'd be in the perfect position. She was standing in the middle back row when the girl, Nadia had nicknamed 'Big Foot', came up to serve. In Japan, we all learned martial arts, as part of PE at school. I had nine years of training before coming to the states. Mika was a cute girl, but boy, could she kick ass when she needed to. That Sue was feisty was definitely true, but Mika was dangerous.

I made sure that I had Mika ready to play by the time the game started. The first serve was big and powerful, but not as hard as mine was. Mika stepped to her left, and made an excellent pass to Sue. She was in a perfect position to set the ball to Tiffany. Everyone on the other team moved to place themselves in position to block the shot.

Big Foot stepped up close to the net. She wanted to cover if Tiffany just happened to dink it over the front line. Sue at the last moment set the ball backwards over her head to Wendy. She jumped high, and sent the ball like a rocket, down and across the court and hit Big Foot right on the butt. It was only the first play, and Big Foot had already lost it again. Our team came together to congratulate each other on the shot, and the other team was working to keep the crazy girl on her side of the net.

Once again, Coach Wilson appealed to the powers-to-be. She stated her case, saying that the girl was unstable, and that they should remove her from the game. However, again, they refused to hear her. They said that they had heard her comments, but there they would not take any action at this time.

We didn't rotate since we hadn't served yet. Nadia was first to serve. She hit it hard and directly at Big Foot. It came in fast, but was too high for a bump pass, and too low for a set. It hit her square in the chest, and then bounced up to hit her in the face. She fumed, but this time, she didn't lose control. Nadia hit a second serve, and she returned it. The ball barely cleared the net, and Sue bumped it to Tiffany. Tiffany went up, as if to spike it, and then set it across to Wendy who drove it home, for a second point.

Nadia boomed a third shot, and they returned it. Mika dug the hard hit ball back to Sue who set Tiffany. Tiffany went up for the spike, but at the last second, she dinked it over the blocker's fingertips, dropping it right behind her. Big Foot saw her mistake, but it was too late, as she dived for the ball, but missed.

Nadia's fourth serve was hit hard directly at the girl. But when she went to set pass it she realized too late that Nadia had hit the ball too hard, and with too much spin. So that it just kept going, as it rolled off her fingers. As she stood there fuming, Mika kept telling Nadia to go after her.

Nadia scored two more points before she hit a serve, long out-of-bounds. The other team scored a point before they hit the ball out, for a side out. Wendy rotated to the back line to take her serve. With their last serve, Big Foot had rotated to the center of the back line. Wendy is a tall girl who can jump, but also has some power. She got a running start, and leapt high before she hit a hard serve directed at Big Foot.

Big Foot was a tall and powerful girl. But she wasn't the best at returning serves. Mika practiced for hours a week taking hard serves, and converting them to passes. Big Foot spent her time spiking and serving. Wendy was relentless, and continued to serve the ball directly at Big Foot. The other team finally had to send in a substitute before Big Foot exploded. They sat her on the bench just before Wendy ran out the serve. Wendy almost ran it out anyways. But when they finally broke her serve; our team was up twenty to one.

It was 22 to 5 when they substituted Big Foot back in the game. Shen she rotated up to the front line, she assumed her old position. Now she found herself lined up across from Jill. Mika was in the Setter position with Sue in the center back. Upon receiving the served ball, they passed it to Mika who set Jill. Jill went to spike it, but Big Foot was right in her face, and blocked the shot. It went back over Jill's head, but Tiffany made a diving dig. Although it was out of control, she'd nevertheless returned it over the net. She quickly returned to her position, as the other team set Big Foot for a spike. She went to hit it at an angle, but Mika went over to help Jill, and blocked it right back to her. Big Foot couldn't handle the return, and after bobbling it, she couldn't pass it out of her hands.

Instead, she ended up catching the ball. She slammed it down, and immediately went after Mika. Mika took a couple of steps back, and Big Foot knocked Jill aside on her way to reach my Asian lovely. Jill landed in the bleachers. Mika ducked Big Foot's first two punches. She then jumped straight up, spun around, and caught the Big Foot with a heel to the side of the girls jaw. Big Foot looked like a sack of potatoes, as she fell to the floor. Mika looked like a figure skater landing after a big jumping spin move.

Jill was still in the stands, holding her head. Blood was pouring from the gash above her eye. Both benches cleared, and our girls formed a huddle to protect themselves while the other team came after us. Mika hit one of the girls, and Nadia went wild. She changed to a crazy bitch catfight mode, and by grabbed a girl's hair, slinging her to the floor.

I position myself between the two teams, as I tried to break up the fight. Instead, they started to attack me. I grabbed one girl by the arm, and when she tried to hit me again, I twisted it around behind her back. One of the other girls jumped on my back, and raked her fingernails across my face. Tiffany grabbed her, and threw her to the ground. As that was happening, I found myself pulled back inside the circle. The whistles were blowing, as the other team's coaches finally got their girls under control. Finally, the officials stopped the match.

It turned out that four different teams and the tournament were filming the entire match. I think that they wanted to sell the tapes, as souvenirs, thinking that many people would want to buy them. The officials watched the video, but couldn't find anyone on our team that wasn't acting in self-defense except for Nadia. Even that was questionable. As a result, they ejected half of the other team. In the meantime, they took Jill and me to the hospital along with Big Foot.

I held Jill's hand, and told her that everything would be OK. With her injury, she'd have character, and a good story to tell her grandkids. She laughed, and said that she would now have a reason not to pluck her eyebrows.

I had a scratch on my eye, as well as my face, and Jill needed four stitches to close her cut. Later, they drove us back to the tournament where we learned that we'd won the first match by forfeit. Coach Wilson was livid, and she started to put together a list of names that she'd spoken to about the risk to her players. They had done nothing to protect her players, and she felt they were liable.

Jill had gauss wrapped around her head, and I had an eye patch on mine. This just sent Rhonda to the next level. She was demanding to speak to the head of the district athletics. While that was going on, I was sitting in the stands with the team, and enjoying the show. All of a sudden, a set of hands came around, and gently covered my eyes.

Not knowing who it was, I said, "It feels like a pretty girl." Through the fingers, I also saw a few girls in front of me, and besides me. Also, the hands on my eyes were white, so from my perspective, that counted out Wendy. That narrowed the girls on the team down to just a couple. "Are you on the team?"

Sue said, "No."

"Is it Sam or Janice?"

"No."

"Have I had sex with her before?" I asked in jest.

Sue replied, "Yes."

"I don't know there are so many of them out there. Farrah Fawcett?"

When the hands came off, I turned the wrong way. Because of the patch on my eye, and didn't see anything. I spun the other way, and smiled when I saw Monzi. It seems that she was at the tournament watching some prospects with her coach. After giving her a hug, I introduced her to the girls on the team. Of course, she knew Nadia from the city over the summer. She also knew Tiffany's name from scouting her. Monzi asked about Jill's and my injuries. She also told Mika that her kick was awesome, and so was her play.

Rhonda walked up, and said, "We're out of the tournament." Then noticing Monzi said hi to her.

"Why," came from more than one person.

"I got so mad that I almost exploded. When they finally got tired of listening to me, the head guy at the tournament finally did not want to take it anymore. He got so pissed that he told me that we were no longer in the tournament. He knows that he screwed up, so he's trying to spin this and make the entire issue about us."

Monzi said, "There are about six college coaches that saw you complain before and during the match. They were talking about it. I'll find out their names and contact information if you need it, and send it to Nick."

"You don't have my number."

"Then you should give it to me. Are you coming to New York for Thanksgiving?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I'll call you with the names and numbers."

Coach Wilson said, "It's good to see you again Monzi." She held out her hand.

"It's good to see you too, coach Wilson. I saw Janice earlier."

"Thanks for the help."

"That was a really crazy girl. Her coach should have stepped in before it got to that point. I'm sorry that we won't have the opportunity to watch you play anymore."

We checked out, and went back to the school. When I arrived at my room, I walked in to Todd and some of his friends watching TV. He asked me what happened to my face, so I told him about the brawl, and how they wouldn't allow us to continue in the tournament. I grabbed a Coke, and sat down. It was close to ten when I got a call to come down to the commons. All I had on was a pair of gym shorts, and a cut off t-shirt, but I thought that would be enough.

The school attorney was there. He wanted to interview everyone, and take pictures of all the injuries if we needed to show proof of damages. He also wanted the video of the game. After he had what he needed he dismissed us. Mika said that she'd come up, and help with my bandages. The others wanted to hang out, so they came up too.

Luckily, Todd's friends had left, so all the girls just dropped in one of the available spots. Mika got the drops for my eye, and had me tilt my head back. As she straddled my lap, she put the drops in.

When she finished, and closed the top, she handed the drops to Nadia. Then she picked up the ointment for my face. Before putting on the ointment, she reached down, pushed the leg of my shorts to the side, and pulled my cock out. Then she pushed the crotch of her panties to the side, and after a couple of strokes to make sure I was hard enough, she rose up, and lowered herself on my cock.

She rode up and down on me while putting the ointment on my face, and then the bandages and eye patch. It was so sweet. When she finished, she kissed me. Then she started to make out hard and suck on my tongue while becoming more frantic with her attempt to milk the cum from my dick.

Mika succeeds at most things she tries, and it didn't take long for me to shoot my load. When she finished, she rolled off, and landed on the couch beside me. They ordered Laura to clean us up. Nadia said that she'd be up at ten in the morning to change my bandages, now that Mika had taught her the proper technique.

The next morning, the nymph rode my cock, as she put more ointment on my face, and drops in my eye. Laura, Wendy, Sue and Tiffany all took their turns on the twice a day routine. I didn't know if I'd be on my own, or if Mika would start at the top of the list again. Mika had a set of keys to my room, so she had passing them around to the girls, as their turn came up. Tuesday evening after practice, dinner and a shower, Jill came in wearing a dress. Since I was expecting Mika, I was lying there naked sitting in bed and reading.

Jill closed the bedroom door behind her, and then shrugged her dress to the floor. That was all she was wearing. She picked up the medical supplies from the desk, and crawled up on the bed with me.

She said, "I know I'm not part of your regular group, but I got permission from the rest of them to help you out."

"I'm glad you did. How is your eye?"

"It's fine. I have to keep it dry, and they plan to remove the stitches in a couple of days."

She had the biggest and darkest areolas of all the girls I'd been with so far. Sucking on her big nipples was the only thing on my mind. Getting a ride on my extra-large cock was her primary goal. Although I was also used to the bald beavers of the girls in the group, Jill had a nicely trimmer bush. I found that when we first kissed, she had full and very soft lips. The other girls took care of me first, but Jill was needy, and once she mounted up, never broke the kiss, as her hips thrust down on to me. I'm not sure what her new status was with the group, but I would let the girls worry about that.

Later that night, when I finally had some free time, I sat down. As I sat t there, I found myself thinking about computer programs. I knew that, as computer technology got faster and faster, it would enable us to do more and more the new computers. We were only at the beginning of what would be possible by using computers. With that in mind, I thought about making a new game to play. But I decided that the graphics would take too much time, and since this wasn't a full-time job, I'd have fewer hours to complete it.

So I now faced some new questions. First, what program should I develop? We'd already had success with programs that addressed the stock market and education. This left me with several options. Either I could add some new process in the original areas, or I could start exploring a completely new area.

So, after thinking for a bit, I decided to start working on both. The new process approach I could have complete and have it ready for the summer. The other, which was a much larger project, I'd start on immediately. I'd work on when I had the time. This I could hope to complete, as my senior project.

I found two notebooks, and started to outline my projects. I started to make notes about all the features that I wanted to include. The first project would be for the stock market. For that one I wanted to work with Adam. He was further along than I was in programming, so he could add more depth to my program. He also gave me credit on his stock analysis program.

As the week went on, my face was healing, and my sight wasn't as blurry. Rhonda called a team meeting, and told us that the school was suing the district. She and the school felt that they had not done their part to keep us safe even after she had pointed out the danger to the officials before, and during the match. The school was also going after the coach, and the two players that hurt Jill and me, for damages on our behalf. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, so I let it go, and kept doing my own thing. Since they had dismissed us from the district tournament, our year was now finished.

I had until after the Thanksgiving break to worry about swimming, so I focused on school. One day I got a call from Rhonda. She wanted to come up and talk to me, so I told her to come up.

"Nick, have you made plans for the Thanksgiving break?"

"No, I was thinking about flying to New York, and hanging out, but I haven't booked a flight yet."

"One of Steve's customers asked him to take his boat south for the winter. He's looking for a crew, so I mentioned that you might be interested."

"Sure. What do I need to do?"

"Next Wednesday after class, you'll have to take off. You'll also need to miss classes on Thursday and Friday. You already have the following week, and the Monday following that off. That will give you a total of twelve days. We'll pick up the boat in New York, and drop it off in Jacksonville Florida."

"We? Are you going too?"

"I got permission for you and me to miss two days of school. We'll be the crew, and Steve will be the captain."

"Can I bring Mika? I know that she won't be flying home to Japan for the week."

"I can ask Steve? He wanted to have Janice and Sam come too, but they have to work through Tuesday, and Steve can't wait that long."

"Mika stayed with a family in Boston last year, and I spent the night with you. That was the first time we slept together."

"Shut up. We were in the same sleeping bag, but we didn't sleep together."

"Tell Steve that I'd be happy to help him out with or without Mika, but if I become lonely, he'll have to share."

"Not happening."

She spoke to Steve and Mika, and received an OK from both of them. The plan was to leave after class on Wednesday, and drive to Boston. From there we'd fly to New York, and then take a car to the boat. Thursday morning we'd start the trip by sailing south towards Jacksonville. Steve was planning on between 110 and 130 hours depending on the winds. We'd drop the boat in Jacksonville, then fly back to Boston, then drive back to school, and if all went, as planned, make it in the 12 days we had available.

By the time we left, I no longer had to wear the eye patch, but still had to put the drops in, and the same was true with the bandages and ointment. We drove to Boston's Logan airport, and then took a short flight to New York. Once there, we went to a Marina on the Hudson River near W 22nd street.

When we went aboard, we placed our stuff on the boat. It was just over sixty-five feet, and had the captain's cabin in the stern. There was a second cabin in the bow, and a full galley and lounge in front of the enclosed cockpit. The bimini top was there to keep off the sun or the rain if needed. Both cabins were accessible from a large lounge. The galley had a four-burner, gimbaled stove. It also had an oven, a refrigerator/freezer, and a pressurized sink. With the convertible couches and tables that folded down, and a set of bunk beds, the boat had room to sleep eight to ten people. There were also two large heads for us to shower, and take care of our personal needs.

The hull of the boat was a navy blue with teak decking, and a large single mast. In all aspects, the sloop was a beautiful boat. We got our gear stowed, and then made plans to buy some food and supplies for the trip. Steve started his engine check, and verified all the equipment. He'd taken the boat out a few weeks earlier, but he still had his list that he wanted to run through.

Rhonda had made up a shopping list, and had broken it up in to parts. They gave me my list, so I took a cab to fill it. My list had all the heavy stuff including drinks and meats. I knew that there were grocery stores up by my apartment, so I went that way. When I reached the Asian Market, I said hello to Mrs. Tran, and left her with a shopping list of stuff. I also asked her to add in the stuff, so I could make the spring roll dish that she'd taught me. Next, I went around to the butcher, and placed an order with him. Then I took the cab to the grocery store, and bought the rest of the stuff that was on my list. After I loaded all the groceries in the cab, I then stopped to pay for, and pick up the meat, and then the same with the Asian market. Mrs. Tran kissed my cheek, and wished me a good trip.

I was the first back, and stowed my supplies. Mika and Rhonda had gone together, and had the staples, like fruits, vegetables, and breads. With most of the breads frozen, we knew that they wouldn't go moldy. It was late, so we went out to dinner to save the work of fixing dinner, and cleaning up. When we finished the meal, it was straight to bed when we got back to the boat.

Mika and I had the forward berth, so we just cuddled together before we fell asleep. Steve woke us at six. After a quick breakfast and a safety meeting, we cast off the lines, and motored out to the river. We stayed under power, as we navigated the ferries and other boats that were busy on the river. When we passed the Statue of Liberty, and entered Hudson Bay, we cut the engines, and set the sails. Steve showed us all what to do, and since Rhonda had sailed with him enough times, she could teach us. The sails were self-furling, so we didn't have to remove them from storage, and haul them across the deck to raise them. The lines all ran back to the cockpit, so we could trim them from the steering area.

We'd be working as a two-person crew. The shifts were four hours on, and then two off while we were under way. Steve would always be on duty, but we'd give him breaks at the helm, for food or personal time. From time-to-time, we executed some drills to become comfortable reacting to his commands. We all worked for the first two hours, and then Mika took a break for two hours. When she came back, I took a break, and then Rhonda finally got her rotation. Rhonda taught us how to navigate by taking bearings off two markers on either land, or a buoy. We'd then draw a line on the chart from that marker at the correct bearing. By using two separate markers, we'd look to where the lines intersected, as our current location. Then we'd mark the location and time on the charts, and then look at the depth of the water to make sure we wouldn't run aground. Using this approach, we could easily track distances and speed. What it came down to was a practical application of the math and geometry that I'd learned in school.

The weather was still cool on the water. But the removable enclosure around the cockpit kept the wind off us. With the addition of the sweaters and jackets, we all felt comfortable. With the wind, as strong as it was blowing, it felt like we were going fast. But Steve said that we were only averaging between six and twelve miles an hour or five to ten knots.

We finally cleared the lower Hudson Bay, and turned south. I found it interesting that we didn't go out, as far as I thought we would. Steve explained about the Gulf Stream. He told us that if we went out too far we'd be fighting a strong current that would slow us down considerably. That meant that we needed to do our navigation plotting often and accurately. This way, we wouldn't end up on a sandbar. The keel under the boat ran six feet deep to keep the boat on-line, and to keep it from capsizing, as the force of the wind wanted to push the boat over.

The feeling reminded me of when I'd gone up in a glider when we were visiting New Zealand with my father. They told me how peaceful it would be up in the glider. I felt disappointed though, as the plane towed us up to elevation. It was loud and bumpy. When they released the towrope, and the plane flew away, the glider slowed, and the bumps stopped. When the noise died, it was so peaceful, and the splendor of the Southern Alps of New Zealand was a remarkable sight. As we came closer to the mountain face, we felt the thermals lift us higher. I remember feeling like a bird that was free.

But, all too soon, all that changed. When we cleared the busy traffic on the Hudson River and Bay, after we shut down the engine and went to sail, it took on a new life. The sails pushed us through the water without the drone of the engine to disturb the freedom. That, along with the need to keep our eyes on the water, the noise, and the urgency of sailing, left us with something new. I can only describe it, as a quiet freedom.

Steve was pushing us all. He wanted all of us to have fun and relax. But he also knew that we had a strong wind, and we needed to take advantage of it. The thing that was of greatest importance to him was that he wanted us to become comfortable with our responsibilities. He'd make us do something. Then he'd undo it, just so we'd feel comfortable doing both if needed.

Rhonda had taken her first break around one, and had made sandwiches for everyone. As we continued to take bearings every thirty minutes, we ate our meal and talked. We continued to keep an eye out for potential problems. We'd tack, or change directions to gain the most speed out of the wind, and still not end up in Bermuda. It was fun, and we were all doing our part. Rhonda took the helm while Steve took a break after one of our direction changes. He called me down, and we talked about where we were on the chart. We calculated our speed, and then looked to see how far we wanted to try to go, and where we could stop for the night.

We had good speed, and we knew that it would be a long first day, but it would take some pressure off if we could push on to Cape May Harbor at the southern tip of New Jersey. If we kept up this speed then we should arrive there between ten and midnight. That meant a seventeen or eighteen hour day, but we were all fresh, and the weather was good.

It was eleven o'clock when we made the turn to the Cape May inlet. We took in the sails, and started up the diesel motor. We cruised in, and Steve brought us smoothly to the end of a pier at the marina. I hopped down on the dock, and we helped secure the boat to the cleats on the dock. About an hour before we docked Rhonda had gone below to fix a late dinner, and had everything ready. She'd stopped to help put out the fenders, and tossed me the lines. We hooked up to shore power and water before going below for a meal.

Steve congratulated us on our first day, and that we took the time to learn to navigate. Learning to navigate at night was an even bigger deal. Mika thanked him, for inviting her, because she was really enjoying herself. I also thanked him, and he thanked us that he didn't have to do it all by himself. Our goal was a hundred and twenty hours in twelve days, or ten hours a day. By pushing on, our goal had changed. We now only had to make a little over nine hours a day if the wind and weather cooperated.

That night even though it was late, after our showers, Mika and I had sex. Although the day was slow and long, we didn't make it frantic or hurried. That was how we treated the sex that night. The next morning, when I was up at six as normal, I fixed some eggs and pancake batter. When the rest of them woke up, I started to cook, and made breakfast for everyone. Steve commented on my cooking skills, and wanted to hear the girls laugh at me along with him.

Rhonda said, "I know that his home Ec. teacher doesn't give out "A's" for just showing up. He must've learned how to cook."

Mika said, "He can cook for me any time, and do the dishes too."

Steve stopped his laughing, and said, "Thanks for breakfast Nick. It was good."

"You're welcome. I have some other meals that I can also fix. You might be in luck again on this trip."

Steve said that he'd like to set sail around eight, so I threw on some running shoes, and went for a run. When I came back after a short three miles, I came upon Steve coming out of the marina office after settling the charges for the night's dockage.

It only took a few minutes to shower, and shortly afterwards, we were ready to cast off the lines at eight. Steve had shown me how to loop the lines through the cleat on shore, and then tie off on the boat, so we could cast off the front from the boat. Then, as the bow swung away from the dock, we could let the stern line out, and then let it go, then pull it in, and stow it aboard the boat. It was a cool thing to learn. It was a short run to the inlet, and after clearing the jetty, we swung south, and were running along the coast by eight thirty.

The winds were favorable again, so we continued to make good time. After a couple of shifts, Rhonda took the helm. During that time, Steve and I went below to check our speed and to look ahead on our route. We were listening to the weather reports, and they were all good with 4-foot seas and 12 mph winds. Later in the day, we were looking at the maps for a stopping point. Steve mentioned that we could either make it a short day or push hard and continue sailing through the night. As we got close to south Maryland and North Virginia, the inlets and harbors were shallow. We needed to make sure that we were careful.