Shipwreck Read Online Free PDF

“Holy — Skipper, we’ve got water in the crew cabin!”
    Captain Cascadden turned on the bilge pump and grabbed the person closest to him. “Crewman, take the wheel!”
    Will stared at him in shock and horror. “But I don’t know how to drive!”
    “We’re in the open Pacific,” the captain assured him. “You’re not going to hit anything. Just hold her steady. I’ll be right back.”
    Will stood there with an iron grip on the wheel. The captain hurried below.
    “A leak?” he asked his mate.
    “Negative.”
    Lyssa jumped down the companionway to the girls’ quarters. “No water in here, Captain!” she called.
    Captain Cascadden opened the door to the head. Eight inches of water poured out into the cabin. The toilet bowl was full and overflowing.
    Seawater surged out of the flusher pump with each wave that hit the boat.
    The captain reached down and twisted the lever on the pump. “False alarm, Mr. Radford. Somebody forgot to close the valve.”
    “I’ll kill him!” threatened the mate.
    “You’ll do no such thing,” chuckled the captain. “In fact, I don’t even want to know who it was. Get a pump and bail out this cabin.”
    A bell went off in Luke’s mind. He pictured himself sick as a dog but determined that Ratface would never find out about his Technicolor yawn. He’d put so much energy into cleaning up the evidence that he’d forgotten to shut the valve.
    Guiltily, he volunteered for the worst job in the pumping operation. His pants rolled up to his knees, he stood in the head, holding the sucking tube and trying not to fall in the toilet as the deck tossed under his feet.
    Mr. Radford ranted through the whole business. “How many times do I have to tell you to closethat va/ve? Does anybody have half a brain on this ship?”
    It was torture, Luke thought. But it was better than having to confess that all this was his fault.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Saturday, July 15, 0650 hours
    J.J. Lane was dreaming about bikinis. The pool deck was packed with them.
    “You must be an actress,” he said to a yellow one with stars on it.
    The girl reached out to him and
    Smack!
    Will Greenfield’s arm came down off the upper bunk, and the open hand slapped J.J. full in the face.
    The actor’s son sat bolt upright, visions of swimsuits popping like soap bubbles before his bleary eyes. Bright sunshine shone down the companionway. He checked his Rolex watch, a birthday gift from Madonna. 6:53.
    Huh? Radford usually had them up by six. He heard the deep rumble of the captain’s voice above them.
    “Let them sleep, Mr. Radford. They were pretty sick yesterday and they need their rest. You and I can get these sails up.”
    Radford laughed. “Sure can, Skipper. And we’ll have an easier time of it than they do.”
    JJ. heard the captain chuckle. Then he heard another sound — a power hum, and the scrape and squeak of a mechanical winch in operation.
    Frowning, he crept up the companionway and peered out on deck. The captain and mate were both in the cockpit. And the mainsail was rising —all by itself ‘t
    He let himself drop to the deck of the cabin. “Unbelievable!”
    The other three boys stirred.
    “More trouble?” Will asked fearfully.
    J.J. was so angry he could barely speak. “The captain and Radford — they’re raising sails!”
    Luke climbed down from his bunk. “Just so long as we don’t have to do it.”
    “They’re raising sails aufomaf/ca//y!” J.J. exclaimed. “There’s a gizmo in the cockpit that does it like a garage door opener!”
    Ian spoke up. “You mean all that halyard work — ?”
    “For nothing,” confirmed the actor’s son. “They could have done it with the touch of a button — like they’re doingthis minufe!”
    “Those jerks,” Luke muttered. “I’ll bet Ratface is laughing inside every time we rip up our hands hauling those ropes.”
    “It’s probably CNC’s policy — you know, learning teamwork by doing everything the old-fashioned way,” Will put in.
    “By