3 Hour Tour (Dee Sanders Book 1), page 6
We didn't move far or fast. I doubted we'd make it to the other ship in an hour. We weren't far apart, but none of the launches seemed to be moving. The offloading on the sister ship seemed to be taking a long time. There were two dozen or more of the motor launches on the water, with more being loaded.
The sun was high in the sky, and it was hot. The breeze flapped the flags high up on the two ships while the banner on our motor launch hung limp and still.
I pulled my telescope, at the risk of being nosy, and looked out to sea, then slowly around to the other motor launches and the sister ship.
We sat on the launch, and those passengers not in the shade, slowly baked. There was going to be a lot of sunburn this evening.
Jamal turned to me after sitting quietly for the first several minutes. “What do you think is going on?”
“Don’t know, but I’d guess they don’t do this very often and haven’t practiced much. Everybody looks confused, or lost, or unconcerned.”
“Looks like a cluster to me,” said Mike. Angelique smiled and Keno giggled.
“That’s his favorite expression,” she squealed.
"I think he's right," responded Angelic. Jamal and I nodded in agreement.
We moved in a slow circle. Seventy-five minutes later, we weren't halfway. Everyone in the sun had squirmed under the canopy, and we were packed tight. People were complaining loudly. The crew did not respond beyond saying, "Everybody be calm, we’re moving as fast as we can."
People were getting thirsty and the crew handed out a few bottles of water. They were also complaining about needing to use the bathroom.
Angelic was getting testy as well. “I hate wasting my time, when it’s not my choice,” she complained.
Mike nodded at her. Jamal rubbed her shoulders. Keno and I looked at each other. I took another glance through the telescope and people were being slowly unloaded on the sister ship. So much for three hours, it looked like we might be out here a lot longer. It was beginning to feel like forever!
The PA came on again, “We have been advised there was a medical emergency in the offloading of a passenger, which is why we are sitting. If everyone can be patient for a few more minutes, we should get back underway.”
15
The Wave
Another thirty minutes and we were halfway to the ship. We were at the outermost point of the circle of motor launches. I could see to the horizon in one direction with both ships and all the motor launches behind me. It was a vast, empty, open ocean. But then, I thought I saw some movement. I grabbed the telescope and drew down on the horizon. It took me a second to figure it out. What it was, was a giant wall of water. It was coming right at us. I rose and made my way to one of the crewmen and pointed to the wave, explained what I saw, and asked if he saw it, and what we should do.
He looked at me funny because he clearly didn’t see the wave. He said, “Don’t worry, it will never reach us. What you are describing is a “rogue wave.” They occur in nature, random large waves that ripple across otherwise calm seas.”
I looked at him. I looked at the wave. “It’s heading this way.”
“It’ll divert, don’t worry,” he said and waved me back toward my seat.
I looked at him as I moved to my group and my seat. He turned on a handset and started to talk. He looked back in the direction I had shown him, a frown across his face.
When I got back to my seat I had my group lean in close. “I’d get in my seat and strap in tight. I think there’s a chance it might get bumpy or wavy soon.”
They looked at me, uncertain and doubtful. “Just trust me,” I said. Angelic and Jamal looked at one another and then at me and then buckled up. Mike and Keno looked at them and then did the same.
“I’m probably just overreacting, but give it a minute, humor me!”
Several minutes passed and I saw an opening in the crowd. I pulled out the scope and looked again. I could see the wave clearly now, heading toward us. I motioned to Jamal and then Mike and showed it to each of them. Their eyes got big.
“People are going to see it in a few minutes without the aid of a scope, better get ready.”
“Maybe it will swerve,” said Mike.
“I hope so,” I replied and Jamal nodded. He had placed his hand on Angelic’s shoulder and Mike had taken Keno’s hand.
Another couple minutes passed. Some of the people on the outer edge of the boat noticed the wave and murmured amongst themselves about it. The news passed quickly through the motor launch. In another minute everyone was staring at the oncoming wave.
I turned quickly at the sound.
The PA crackled, “Everyone please take a seat whether you are in the sun or not. We may have a little wave turbulence in a couple of minutes. It won’t last long, a big up and down, like a rollercoaster at an amusement park, a thrill ride. Get strapped in and get a firm grip on your personal belongings. It’ll be over soon.”
I noticed that the crewman cinched up his life jacket. We all had them on but loosened them as we had gotten hot while we sat in the sun.
Everyone was milling about and the PA crackled again, “Please get in your seats, strap in, and make sure your life jackets are secure. The wave will be here in a minute.”
The crewman was watching the wave over his shoulder and maneuvering the launch to try and glide up the crest and down the backside. If he timed the wave properly, the whole thing would feel like a thrill ride. But if not, did you ever see The Perfect Storm? I did!
The boat started to rise and I sensed the collective intake of breath from everyone on board. We started smoothly and just as it seemed like we might cross the wave as planned, it lurched to the right and slung the launch in a hard pivot.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple of boys, thrill-seekers, who stood up and held on to the canopy poles. I guessed they were trying to maximize the ride, searching for a little extra adrenalin rush.
When the boat lurched hard, as the wave shifted, all three of them were slung into the sea. I lost sight for a moment and then saw all three bob to the surface, their brightly colored life preservers glowing against the blue water. One of the crewmen screamed into the radio and the other came across the PA, “Please sit down and hold on.”
The boat continued to skid across the wave, pushed further from the two cruise ships.
I looked at the people around me. There were a lot of fearful eyes and firm, set faces. This wasn’t like any thrill ride we’d been on before.
The launch was caught in the bow of the wave, neither rising nor falling. It was light enough to be pushed along and not plunged under the wave. Given the circumstances, that was a good thing. We would’ve been swamped if the wave broke around us.
The helmsman tried to make adjustments to climb over the wave. He got little purchase at the angle we sat. The launch was pushed further and further away from the cruise ships. The boys in the life jackets were left far behind.
Angelic looked over at me. “What’s going to happen?”
Around us, people were shouting, screaming, and thrashing in their seats.
"Stay calm," I said, "the helmsman seems to be keeping us in place. We won't get hurt if we set in the bow of the wave. At some point, it will shift again, like when we started climbing the face. We could be shot out to safety, or we could be swamped. No way to know. If we start to swamp, you'll want to get out of those straps as quickly as you can. It'll be total chaos. If it flips, you'll be flung from the boat or trapped underwater. You'll have to get free from the straps and back to the surface. I'll take my chances jumping clear if it comes to it!"
The boat turned and the wave moved, as it spit the launch out the side of the wave tube. It looked like we would glide free and the wave would move on, but then it broke over the stern, and flooded the rear quarter of the launch. The water washed quickly across the deck and overboard.
Just like that, we were out of it. The thrill ride was over.
I looked back at the crewmen and they were soaked, but hanging onto the stern. All the rear passengers seemed to be in place. But then I noticed the engine had gone quiet.
The PA crackled, “Wasn’t that something! Everybody okay? A little wet perhaps, but what a story you’ll have to tell.”
I looked to the horizon. I couldn’t see the cruise ships. I couldn’t even see them with the scope.
Jamal asked, “What do you think happens now?”
I shook my head. “I suppose we motor back to the ship. I don’t know how far that wave pushed us but we’re out of sight.”
Mike said, “Do you suppose they can track us?”
“I would think these launches have transponders or some type of signal tracking.”
People were milling around now, moving back into the shade and out of the sun. There was some mumbling about getting back to the ship and about the three boys that went over the side.
Angelic and Keno were surveying the crowd.
“There are some burned people here and with no water there’s going to be dehydration, too!” Angelic noted.
“How long to get back?” asked Keno.
“No ideas, since we can’t even see the ship,” I noted, looking back at the crewmen. One was on the radio and scanning the horizon.
The PA crackled again, "Folks, we are having a little issue with the engine, the wave that broke on us appears to have flooded the engine compartment. We are working on it, and we have contacted the ship. They estimate that we are only a couple of miles from them and they will have another launch, with food and water and towels, here for us shortly. They are going to pick up our jumpers on the way.” There was a small cheer from the crowd. “We sincerely apologize and assure you that this will be over shortly. You'll be back on the ship soon, having dinner and laughing about it."
“We’re not laughing right now!” yelled a large woman from the crowd.
She was right. There were a lot of sunburned and dehydrated people, with no restrooms and no more patience.
I looked around the launch carefully for the first time. We were busy talking and watching the process while we were waiting in the boarding line. I hadn’t paid any attention to who was on the launch with us.
I spoke to my group, “It’s seven miles to the horizon, that’s when things drop out of sight. We’re at least that far away. It might take a few minutes.” They nodded or looked at me blankly.
I scanned the crowd. I saw Holly Smithson and the big man, from the bar, next to her. They were back near the helmsman and had gotten soaked in the wave. They looked like drowned rats. Her hair was in straggles down her face and her clothes dripping. His comb-over was out of place, and he was severely sunburned.
I knew the silver-haired man and his entourage were on board. They hadn't made any noise or drawn attention to themselves. They sat quietly in the front of the launch. Not far from them was the old guy with the cane, Tom Jones, still looking dapper and whistling to himself, unconcerned. Near him were the heavyset lady, the one who had called out, from the scuba class at the pool, and her skinny husband. She looked angry. He looked depressed.
It was not a happy crowd. Time passed. More time passed. The crewmen tried to fire the engine, but it didn't respond. We appeared to be drifting with the current.
It had grown late in the afternoon, and a strange quiet had fallen over the crowd. It was as if everyone sensed that something wasn't quite right.
Then I heard it, a faint rumble of thunder in the distance. The sky was blue, and the sea was calm. But there was something out there. Now it was a matter of time.
The sky darkened. A cloudbank had formed and blocked out the sun. People were able to spread out on the decks again and move back to their seats.
The PA came on, “The ship says they are headed our way. It shouldn’t be long now.”
Jamal looked at me and asked, “You believe them?”
“I hope so.”
"It does look like it could storm,” threw out Mike as he looked to the horizon.
"It could, or it could pass us by, or dissipate. Hopefully the launch will be here soon," I answered.
The sky grew darker, and a small breeze picked up. The waves formed a light chop. We drifted faster. People moved back under the canopies and closer together. Everyone buckled in and adjusted their life vests.
“I don’t think they’re going to get here,” said Angelic.
Keno nodded. “Something is not right.”
“We don’t know what kind of storm it is, if any,” I said. “It could be wind, it could be light rain, maybe a few waves, we don’t know.”
“But we do know that it’s going to be dark soon,” replied Mike.
I looked at him and nodded. I pulled my scope and scanned the horizon again. I couldn’t see anything but an approaching storm.
I held the scope across my leg. "The storm is coming. I can see it on the horizon." We were in the back third of the launch, well under the canopy, in as good a place as any. If we got swamped, we should get out. If we got flipped, it might be tougher.
People were milling around now. Nothing came from the PA. The crewmen were watching the sky.
Lightning crackled, and after a long pause, the thunder rumbled. The storm was here.
16
The Storm
Darkness fell, and the waves grew stronger. We were pushed across the water at an increasing speed. The motor launch began to rock, and the waves slashed across the gunwales. People began to scream and to clutch frantically at their life vests and their neighbors. The wind whipped and spun the launch, the thunder rumbled, and the lightning crashed. Then the rains came, in heavy massive sheets. The boat slowly climbed the face of a wave, whipped wildly at the crest, and rolled rapidly over the backside, down into the pit of the wave trough. It rose and fell, pushed along in a frenzy of motion. The lightning flashed on and off like a wall switch gone mad.
People’s faces were illuminated for a few moments, and then went dark. Each time it occurred, I realized there were fewer passengers remaining aboard. The boat spun, tipped, got swamped, and recovered. The waves crashed on the deck and receded away, taking more captives every time the lightning returned.
Seconds felt like hours, and hours felt like days. On through the night, and into the next morning, we were tossed and sprayed, windblown and bounced across the water like a rubber ball. Hour after hour, we got pushed along, twelve hours in the storm. It felt like forever!
We drifted through the late morning, until noon when the sky cleared, and the wind dropped, and the sea was once again calm and blue, and half the boat’s passengers were gone.
There were, originally, approximately fifty of us on board, plus the two crewmen. We lost three on the rogue wave. Now there were nineteen of us left. We lost thirty people in the sea, including both crewmen.
I looked around the boat. The back couple of rows on the stern were empty. They must have taken a lot of direct wave hits. The crewmen and the back three rows of passengers were gone. I saw Holly Smithson and the big man from the bar in the next row. I saw the heavyset woman and her skinny husband still arguing among themselves. I saw a handful of others that I did not know. All of them were wet and disheveled. Our group looked the same. Jamal's Panama was missing, but Mike still had his ball cap low over his eyes. Angelic and Keno looked wet and tired.
I turned to the bow of the launch. There were several empty rows. That section must also have taken a lot of waves. I saw the silver-haired man and this three bodyguards. Standing next to them, still in his Panama hat and with his cane in hand, stood Tom Jones. And then I got a surprise.
Standing alone to the other side of the bow was the dark-haired girl Angelic had spoken to at the bar. I caught her eyes. She didn't smile, just kind of nodded, but her eyes sparkled. I nodded and turned to my group.
I pulled out the scope and looked over Jamal's shoulder, where I saw nothing but open water. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. With less than half the passengers remaining, we had plenty of shade. People didn’t move much or talk. I think we were all in shock. Sure, there was relief as well. We were all glad to be alive, but what was our future?
“You think that transponder or signal will work from here?” Mike asked.
“I don’t know, I guess it depends on what tracking range they thought they might need.”
“How far do you think we traveled in the storm?” asked Jamal.
I shook my head at him. “No way to know.”
Angelic stood up. “I’m going to check with everyone and see if they’re okay,” she said.
“I’ll help you,” chimed in Keno.
The ladies worked their way around the boat, greeting the passengers and inquiring about each of them. I saw people smile and chat for a moment. No one seemed to be hurt, just wet, and tried. With the sun out and a light breeze rustling under the canopy, we were all drying out.
We drifted for another hour, and the sun was high in the sky. There was no sign of any ship, and we hadn't seen or heard any planes. I hoped that we might be in one of the shipping lanes, or there might be air traffic that could spot us. I scanned the horizon again with my scope and saw nothing but a vast expanse of open water.
Not long after we got out of the storm, people started making calls on their cell phones. No one was having any luck, as we were apparently in a low coverage or dead zone. Soon they were complaining about their dead or dying phones.
“Jamal, is there anyone you could text that might contact the cruise line for us?”
He nodded and quickly went to work. The texts appeared to go. No response came back to him.
Another hour passed, and it was the middle of the afternoon. The ladies had finished up their rounds and were back with us.
