Frontier - 7. FR Chapter 7

After paying the $342 shopping bill, we pushed the trolleys down to near the beach, and carried the two dozen shopping bags to the dinghy, before setting off back to the yacht. When we arrived, Kirk and Leon where on the swimming platform waiting for us, and helped to bring on board all the shopping. Jasper also arrived to help us get it from the swim platform down to the main galley below. Once that was done, Simon got to work to start planning dinner for 6 guests and 5 crew, while Kirk and Leon put everything away. When they had done that, they assisted with dinner preparations.

As the hour neared to go and pick up the guests, Leon went into a store room, and came back with three brand new polo shirts, identical to theirs. He gave one to Simon, and came up to the fly bridge to give Jasper and me a shirt each.

“An additional gift courtesy of Vic and Rita,” Leon said with a smile as he headed back downstairs.

I had been talking to Jasper about our one hour late for departure, and he said that it wouldn’t be too much of a problem. With guests soon coming on board, Jasper and I agreed on doing 6 hour shifts at the helm, with my shift starting at 1800 hours, which meant Jasper would be doing the first two hours. So I headed down to my cabin to get a short sleep before my first shift. Surprisingly I fell asleep soon after lying down. I did not hear the guests settling into their cabins, and when my alarm went off at 1745, I was feeling a lot more refreshed. I could feel that we were already at sea. Once I had showered, and put on my new uniform, I headed upstairs to the main deck.

“Here he is. Folks meet Anton. He is the 1^st mate of this yacht,” Mr Worthington said out loud, on seeing my arrival. I was introduced to the other guests.

“Please excuse me. I have some duties, that I must attend to,” I said politely.

Simon arrived with two cups of tea which he handed to me, and I made my way up to the fly bridge. About half an hour after I took over at the helm, Simon arrived with my dinner. He took over while I ate my dinner.

“How is the weather for this cruise?” Simon asked me as the last of the daylight began to fade on the horizon behind us.

“Jasper said that it is going to be pretty smooth, but we may get some rough weather on the return journey,” I replied.

Once I had finished eating, I thanked Simon for an outstanding meal. He took the plate and headed downstairs to get ready to serve the guests dinner. I was assuming the rest of the crew were eating in the crew mess before dinner service began.

At about 2200 Mr Emanuel Carton and Mr Worthington appeared on the fly bridge, settled down in lounge chairs on the deck, and began to smoke pipes. Although I absolutely hated the smell, I didn’t want to cause too much of a fuss, since they were paying for the trip. Once they had finished, they said goodnight to me and headed downstairs.

Two hours later, Jasper arrived to take over the helm for his shift.

“I smell tobacco?” Jasper said as he stood beside me.

“Yes, two of our guests came up to smoke their pipes at around 10pm,” I replied, screwing up my face in distaste.

“I fully agree with your expression, but at least they did smoke up here and not down on the main deck or their cabins. I’ve checked the weather. No change. See you at 0600,” Jasper said to me, as I stepped aside to allow him to take over, and on saying good night, I headed to my cabin for some sleep.

When I returned to the fly bridge, just before 6am, there was the start of daylight in the distance, and the seas had calmed more to a light breeze, only just enough to fill the sails. We were travelling at just 9 knots.

“Good morning. How long have we had this light breeze?” I asked Jasper, as I stood beside him.

“For the past 3 hours. Looks like we won’t get to Christmas Island till noon,” Jasper replied.

“Oh well, that just means less time there, before the return journey. The cabin is nice and comfortable. I slept well, and you are right about how she sails,” I said with a smile.

“I agree with that. My cabin is great too,” Jasper said as he stepped away from the helm, to let me take over.

“Catch you later, mate,” I said as Jasper headed downstairs to get some breakfast.

Half an hour later, Kirk appeared with a cup of tea and toast for me, and I asked him to take over while I ate, which surprised him a little.

“Just keep it on the current heading and you will be fine,” I said to Kirk with a smile.

Once I had eaten, I took back the helm, much to Kirk’s relief, and he returned to the galley. About an hour later the same two guests arrived on the fly deck to smoke their pipes once more, and they chatted about how smooth the journey had been so far.

“How long till we get to Christmas Island, Mr Hamilton?” Mr Worthington asked me.

“We were scheduled to arrive at 9am tomorrow, but because of the light winds over the past four hours, it will be closer to 12 noon tomorrow,” I responded with a smile.

“Do you think that the winds will get lighter?” Mr Carlton asked me.

“No, sir, I think that the winds will pick up again in a few hours, so we may be able to catch up on some time lost,” I replied.

“That sounds good. Oh, by the way, does this pipe smoke bother you?” Mr Worthington asked me.

“It does a little, but the skipper said it is best that you smoke up here, instead of on the lower decks,” I replied.

“Ok, thanks for that information. We will do as requested and smoke only here,” Mr Worthington said.

Just before 11am, the wind picked up as predicted, and we were now averaging 14 knots, which I was pleased with. Just then Simon came up onto the fly bridge.

“Jasper said it is ok for me to do a two-hour shift, to give you and him a break,” Simon said to me.

I stepped aside so Simon could take the helm, and I headed downstairs. All six guests were seated in the outside lounge area, enjoying a drink, and I smiled at them as I walked inside and headed into the office, where I checked the weather report, before pulling out the charts, and studying the waters around Christmas Island.

The sound of someone approaching caught me surprise, as I had not been expecting anyone. Simon had arrived holding my lunch.

“It’s nearly 1330. I thought you might be hungry,” he said to me as he placed a plate and cup in front of me.

“Thanks, Bud. I was concentrating on studying these charts so much, I lost track of time,” I replied to him, as I accepted the cutlery from him. “So how does it look outside? I asked Simon between mouthfuls.

“The wind has picked up a bit more, so we are averaging 16 knots at the moment. Jasper says we have made up the lost time from the light winds earlier in the day, so we should arrive at Christmas Island on time. Oh, and the skipper has amended the shift roster. As of 1800 tonight, you and Jasper are doing 5 hour shifts each, and I have 2-hour shifts at 2300 and 1100 hours,” Simon replied.

“As long as you feel comfortable with doing those shifts, I am fine with that,” I replied. Simon smiled and nodded his head. He stayed with me and chatted about how things had changed for both of us in such a short time.

“Are you happy with your cabin, and working for me?” I asked Simon.

“I am very happy, being with my best friend and getting paid for it. Oh, that is another thing. What you are offering me is way too much. Can I suggest that you pay me the same amount as you do Kirk and Leon? Then I will be a lot happier,” Simon said to me.

“Ok, that’s fine with me. $3,500 per month is $42,000 per year, plus you get 4 week’s holidays, and 1 ½ days off a week, except when we are on charter. You can also join me in training so you are also qualified to be a yacht 1^st mate,” I said to Simon, who smiled and nodded his head in agreement. I began to show Simon how to understand the charts properly. The satellite phone that I brought over from the other yacht, was in the office drawer, and I had forgotten about it, until it started to ring, making Simon and I jump a little.

I opened the drawer and pressed the answer button.

“Hello, this is Anton speaking,” I said cautiously.

“Hello, grandson. How is the trip to Christmas Island going?” Gramps voice said.

“Hello, Gramps. It is going really well actually. While Simon and I were shopping yesterday we managed to secure a charter to Christmas Island return, with three American couples, and they appear to be enjoying the sail so far,” I replied.

“That is great news, Anton. I also have some wonderful news. I have managed to track down your mother. She is alive and well. I spoke to her by telephone this morning,” Gramps said to me as tears started to run down my cheeks.

“Oh, Gramps, that is better than wonderful! I am so happy that she is alive. I was so scared that she had been killed by that nasty man, who is my father,” I said to Gramps. When Simon heard me say this he gave me a side-ways hug, happy that I had found my mother.

“When your mother ran away, to escape from her husband’s cruelty and abuse, she was very lucky to find a kind and generous man, who took her well away, to his homeland of New Zealand, where they have been happily living in Dunedin, for the past 9 years. They have two sons, your half-brothers, Neale and Jedd Wallis. Unfortunately, their father was killed in a trucking accident recently, so the family is in unhappy times at the moment.

“I have told your mother, that her ex-husband is in prison, and that you are on the catamaran yacht, with your best friend and a three-man crew, and that you are very happy. I have arranged for them to travel back to the west, so as to join you. So you may need to rethink about living arrangements for everyone,” Gramps said to me.

“That is awesome! I can hardly wait. When will they be arriving?” I asked excitedly.

“About two days after you get back - a week today. I will meet them in the capital and they will spend one night there before we all fly up on the Tuesday. I have booked accommodation for me on West Island, while your mum and half-brothers will stay with you on the yacht. So enjoy your journey and we will see you in a week,” Gramps said to me.

After the call ended, I stared at the charts for a few minutes.

“What are you thinking?” Simon asked me.

I looked at my friend and smiled.

“As you have gathered, my mum is alive and well. She has been living in New Zealand with a man who rescued her. He died recently in an accident, and they have two sons, Neale and Jedd. I’m not sure how old they are. They will be on the Cocos Islands Tuesday next week. So, we need to work out how to accommodate them all,” I said, after coming out of a daze.

“Well, I guess they will be eight years or younger, and they will need a secure cabin, so I suggest they have the twin crew cabin, and your mum have Jasper’s cabin. He can have the spare pontoon cabin,” Simon said with a smile.

As I processed what Simon had said, I could see that he was correct with rearranging the accommodation, which would only affect Jasper.

“Well, I better get back to work, to prepare for dinner, so I will see you later,” Simon said as he stood up and walked out of the bridge and office.

After looking at the charts for a few minutes, I rolled them up and put them away. I walked out to find the place empty and quiet. Then I heard some laughter, which sounded like it was coming from the fly deck, so I headed in that direction, where I found the guests sunbathing or in the Jacuzzi, with glasses of wine in hand. I looked over to Jasper, who was looking straight ahead, and I walked up to him.

“I see, we have been picking up some speed, and Simon says we will be arriving on time,” I said to Jasper.

“Yes, we should be pretty close to be on time. What are we going to do about crew time off?” Jasper replied.

“Well, we have to have someone on watch at all times. I will work out a roster, so we can let everyone have some time off,” I replied.

“Very well. I am happy to do plenty of watch duty when at anchor,” Jasper said.

“Good. We don’t want to have a similar event to what we had before. Have you dealt with notifying your boss yet?” I replied.

“Yes, all done. I sent an email yesterday.”

“Goodo. I will catch you later,” I said and I headed back downstairs. I stopped halfway, when I thought about something. As I started to walk back up, I heard one of the guests speaking, and I stopped to listen.

“Why do you consult your young 1^st mate, about everything? He looks too young to have such a responsible job like this. He seems like a nice young man, but I think it is none of his business about the running of the yacht,” one of the ladies said in an obnoxious matter.

Jasper was a little surprised by what the guest had said, and he was about to say something, when he spotted my head at the top of the stairs. I smiled and nodded my head.

“What is discussed between me and my first mate, is our business, and no concern of yours, Ma’am, so I ask you to not comment about any business to do with the operations of the yacht,” Jasper said politely and he turned to look ahead again.

“Well, I think that since we are paying for the voyage, we should have a say. I am sure that the owner of this vessel would not be happy with this situation. What’s to say that he hasn’t run away from home or is wanted by the police,” Mr Carlton said.

As Jasper turned to face the guests, he caught a glimpse of me, as I chuckled, knowing that the guests had well and truly got the wrong idea.

“I can assure you, Sir and Ma’am, that Mr Hamilton has not run away from home, and he is not wanted by the police, but he is currently under police protection,” Jasper said as he pulled out his wallet from his inside pocket. “Let me properly introduce myself. I am Senior Constable Jasper Adamson, currently on leave, and on special duties,” he said showing them his police identification.

The look on the guest’s faces was a delight to see, as I made myself known, that I had heard everything.

“Skipper, would you please inform them the other bit of information about this yacht,” I said and I continued to chuckle.

“With pleasure… the young man you spoke rudely about, along with his grandfather are owners of this yacht, so I suggest that you keep your views to yourself, while you are on board his yacht,” Jasper said.

I chuckled some more, and headed back downstairs. As I walked into the office, I heard the intercom between the fly bridge and main bridge ring.

“Anton, can you take control down there? I will be down shortly,” Jasper said before ending the link. So I walked up to the helm, and switched over the controls, grabbing the wheel at the same time. A few minutes later, Jasper arrived, and I stepped aside so he could continue his shift.

“I think we better stay down here till the end of the cruise, and stay out of their way,” I said to Jasper who nodded his head in agreement.

I walked over to the chart table, where the main laptop sat, and I logged on to check the BOM - Bureau of Meteorology - website, for a weather update. It looked like the bad weather that we thought we would be getting, had slipped away, so we would have two fine days at Christmas Island. Next, I checked the emails, and found a number of enquiries about sail cruises. One enquiry was asking about a one-way sail cruise from Christmas Island to Cocos Keeling Island, possibly within the next few days.

I responded to the email right away, informing the enquirer that we would be arriving in the morning, for a two day stop over, before returning to the Cocos Keeling Islands. Once I had sent the email, I looked at the next email, enquiring about possible day sail cruises around the Cocos Keeling Islands, and I responded to this email, informing them of our return on Sunday at noon. When I finished sending the second email, I saw that I had received a fast response from the first email.

“Dear sir, thank you for your response, regarding our enquiry about your yacht. We would be interested in joining you at Christmas Island for the sail cruise back to the Cocos Keeling Island. We will come and see you late tomorrow afternoon to discuss the charter.”

“It looks like we have another charter for the return journey,” I said to Jasper.

“That is great. Do you know any more information?” Jasper responded.

“No, they will come and see us late tomorrow afternoon to talk about it more,” I replied.

With the stairs to the crew’s lower level being in the office bridge, I was able to stay out of sight of the guests for the rest of the day. When I took over at the helm at 1800 hours, I had already eaten my dinner in the crew mess, along with Simon, leaving Kirk and Leon to attend to any requirements of the guests. As I was finishing dinner, Kirk came down. He didn’t look happy.

“What’s wrong, mate?” I asked him right away.

“It’s that Mrs busy body, wanting to know when you will be coming out of hiding, so they can question you on why you should own a luxury yacht like this,” Kirk said to me.

“And what did you say to her?” I asked, not happy about my crew being grilled by the guests.

“My exact words were, ‘I am not sure, Ma’am, and it is none of my business to enquire’, and I walked away,” Kirk said to me.