while Jim watched the water mark on the pole.
“Reckon we’ll just slip over that lot. Lucky the boat don’t draw too much water.” He put the engine into gear and edged forward slowly.
There was a slight grating sound and the movement of the boat checked momentarily before going on.
“That’s the worst bit over. Sing out if you see anything else.” The wind began to catch Sheila as they reached the far end of the cut. The breakers were creaming around the reefs on the seaward side.
Jim was shouting over the roar of the storm. “You’d better come inside now. Mind how you go. That deck’s mighty slippery.” Sheila half crawled as she scrambled along to the engine hatch and worked her way down.
Jim shoved his head through the cabin door. “Fasten the hatches, but mind your head on the hinges, there’s a good girl.”
Sheila struggled with the hatches and then edged her way past the engine. She was thankful to get out of that oily darkness into the fresh air. She joined Jim and stared through the windscreen at the wild scene ahead of them.
“Good thing we took the Sea Witch. The Queen Mary would have been a blinking cork in this sea. It’ll be better once we get farther offshore.”
Sheila glanced at him doubtfully. As far as she could see, enormous waves marched across the water until they thundered on the rocky shores, and the line of breakers stretched from the distant skyline to the pass where they were heading.
The boat began to lift her bows as she headed into the oncoming waves and came down each time with a clean smack. It was an exciting sound and Sheila began to lose a little of her fear. She stood more easily now, her feet well apart, staring into the welter ahead.
Jim glanced at her and his face twisted into a smile. “Not so bad, eh?”
The engine faltered.
“Take the wheel, gal, while I just twiddle the mixture a little. Head for midway between those two far points. That’s it ... don’t turn the wheel too far at one go ... easy does it.”
Sheila, after the first seconds of uncertainty, began to enjoy herself as she got the feel of the wheel. She eased off a trifle as a bigger wave than the rest headed toward them, and then she swung the Sea Witch to meet the next with growing confidence. She was too intent to notice Jim’s return.
“Carry on if you like while I make things shipshape. It may be nasty until we get through the Narrows. The tide trip wi ll be chancy in this wind until slack water.”
For the first time since she had landed in Canada Sheila felt she was coping with a situation on an equal footing and not merely being a passenger. If only Alan could see her now, perhaps he wouldn’t be quite so unfair. Some of her exultation showed in her face.
There was a chuckle from Jim. “We’ll make a Canadian of you yet.”
Sheila sighed. “I wish you could convince certain people of that.”
“Watch it!” Jim said sharply.
Sheila concentrated on feeling her way into the biggest wave she had ever seen. It seemed to be piling up high above the Sea Witch, which was rising slowly to meet it. The crest began to curl over, but it was still a foot higher than the bows. She sensed that Jim was standing beside her and took courage from the fact that he hadn’t taken the wheel from her. Instinctively she braced herself and couldn’t help ducking as the water came over the bow and crashed against the windscreen. She could hear Jim’s voice in her ear.
“Steady does it!”
She lifted her head and stared ahead. The Sea Witch was plunging wildly now as she began to hit the edge of the tide rip where wind and water and restless tide met and churned the waves into aimless wildness.
Jim put his hand on the wheel. “Better let me take her now, lass. I know these currents better than you.”
“How much farther to the radio station, Jim?”
“Depends on the tide and wind on t’other side of the Narrows. Can be real nasty like sometimes. Maybe an hour, maybe less. Course, in
“Reckon we’ll just slip over that lot. Lucky the boat don’t draw too much water.” He put the engine into gear and edged forward slowly.
There was a slight grating sound and the movement of the boat checked momentarily before going on.
“That’s the worst bit over. Sing out if you see anything else.” The wind began to catch Sheila as they reached the far end of the cut. The breakers were creaming around the reefs on the seaward side.
Jim was shouting over the roar of the storm. “You’d better come inside now. Mind how you go. That deck’s mighty slippery.” Sheila half crawled as she scrambled along to the engine hatch and worked her way down.
Jim shoved his head through the cabin door. “Fasten the hatches, but mind your head on the hinges, there’s a good girl.”
Sheila struggled with the hatches and then edged her way past the engine. She was thankful to get out of that oily darkness into the fresh air. She joined Jim and stared through the windscreen at the wild scene ahead of them.
“Good thing we took the Sea Witch. The Queen Mary would have been a blinking cork in this sea. It’ll be better once we get farther offshore.”
Sheila glanced at him doubtfully. As far as she could see, enormous waves marched across the water until they thundered on the rocky shores, and the line of breakers stretched from the distant skyline to the pass where they were heading.
The boat began to lift her bows as she headed into the oncoming waves and came down each time with a clean smack. It was an exciting sound and Sheila began to lose a little of her fear. She stood more easily now, her feet well apart, staring into the welter ahead.
Jim glanced at her and his face twisted into a smile. “Not so bad, eh?”
The engine faltered.
“Take the wheel, gal, while I just twiddle the mixture a little. Head for midway between those two far points. That’s it ... don’t turn the wheel too far at one go ... easy does it.”
Sheila, after the first seconds of uncertainty, began to enjoy herself as she got the feel of the wheel. She eased off a trifle as a bigger wave than the rest headed toward them, and then she swung the Sea Witch to meet the next with growing confidence. She was too intent to notice Jim’s return.
“Carry on if you like while I make things shipshape. It may be nasty until we get through the Narrows. The tide trip wi ll be chancy in this wind until slack water.”
For the first time since she had landed in Canada Sheila felt she was coping with a situation on an equal footing and not merely being a passenger. If only Alan could see her now, perhaps he wouldn’t be quite so unfair. Some of her exultation showed in her face.
There was a chuckle from Jim. “We’ll make a Canadian of you yet.”
Sheila sighed. “I wish you could convince certain people of that.”
“Watch it!” Jim said sharply.
Sheila concentrated on feeling her way into the biggest wave she had ever seen. It seemed to be piling up high above the Sea Witch, which was rising slowly to meet it. The crest began to curl over, but it was still a foot higher than the bows. She sensed that Jim was standing beside her and took courage from the fact that he hadn’t taken the wheel from her. Instinctively she braced herself and couldn’t help ducking as the water came over the bow and crashed against the windscreen. She could hear Jim’s voice in her ear.
“Steady does it!”
She lifted her head and stared ahead. The Sea Witch was plunging wildly now as she began to hit the edge of the tide rip where wind and water and restless tide met and churned the waves into aimless wildness.
Jim put his hand on the wheel. “Better let me take her now, lass. I know these currents better than you.”
“How much farther to the radio station, Jim?”
“Depends on the tide and wind on t’other side of the Narrows. Can be real nasty like sometimes. Maybe an hour, maybe less. Course, in
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