Dead in the Water Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Simon, I don’t like this.”
    â€œLook, I’m sure...” I was about to say something reassuring about boats floatinglike ducks and Patrick knowing what he was doing, but a huge wave rose up beside us, lifting the starboard side of the boat so steeply I actually thought we might get knocked down. I gasped as Patrick grabbed the wheel from me and turned the boat away from the wave.
Jeopardy
’s stern lifted, and we leveled out slightly; then the bow dropped as we surfed crazily with the breaking wave. I took the wheel back, my hands shaking and my heart pounding. That had been way too close.
    â€œWoo-hoo!” Blair shouted. He sat down beside Olivia. “This is awesome.”
    I guess being totally clueless has its advantages. Blair didn’t seem to have any idea that these weren’t ideal sailing conditions. Nor, I noted jealously, did he seem to be getting sick. “Here you go, cowboy,” I told him. “You take the helm.” Then I leaned over the port-side rail, which was almost buried in the waves anyway, and threw up.
    Patrick leaned close and spoke softly in my ear as I stood back up. “Well, Spacey, at least you remembered to heave your gutsdownwind. Nothing worse than having it fly back at you.” He laughed and wiped his dripping nose with the back of his hand.
    I didn’t say anything. I was starting to think our instructor was as crazy as the crew.
    He stepped back. “Look,” he said loudly, looking around to make sure we were all listening. “That wave back there...you can’t take those on the beam. You see a really big wave coming, you gotta steer. A wave like that can knock a boat right down on its side and do some real damage.”
    â€œMaybe we should turn back,” Olivia said.
    I agreed with her, but I didn’t say anything. I wanted to do well in this course, and I didn’t want Patrick to think I was scared of heavy-weather sailing. If I was going to be a long-distance sailor, I’d be out at sea for weeks at a time. I wouldn’t get to choose my weather.
    Patrick hesitated. He looked at the jagged line of the horizon and blew out a long breath. Then he shook his head. “We’ll keep going.”

chapter eight
    I didn’t know time could move so slowly. Every wave was a lifetime, every pause between waves just long enough to catch your breath and brace yourself for the next one.
    There was no thinking, no talking, nothing but noise and water and wind.
    It was a roller-coaster ride and just like on a roller coaster, the worst part was that moment when you hung suspended at the peak, waiting for the inevitable plummeting rush down the other side. The only differencewas that this ride went on and on, and it had stopped being fun a long time ago. I tried to imagine that I was alone at sea, sailing my boat through a tropical storm, days from land. It didn’t help.
    When I glanced at my watch, only five minutes had passed since we came close to being knocked down. After that happened, Patrick insisted that we all strap ourselves into safety harnesses. They reminded me of those chest harnesses people sometimes put on dogs or toddlers. They fit snugly over our life jackets and rain gear and had six-foot leashes attached to them. The leashes clipped on to thick stainless-steel bolts in the cockpit, the idea being that whatever happened, no one could be swept off the boat. I remembered the man-overboard drill with a shudder. In these conditions, if someone went over, getting them back on the boat would be impossible. If someone went over, they were as good as dead. I tried not to think about it and tightened my safety harness.
    Patrick was at the helm. Olivia and I were taking turns holding each other’s ankles whilethe other one heaved over the side of the boat. Blair was still hollering like a cowboy, and Joey hadn’t appeared from down below. It occurred to me that someone should probably check on