Frontier - 40. FR Chapter 40

“I have always wanted to try sailing a yacht, but have never had the chance until now, and it is wonderful. I wish I had done this when I was a lot younger,” Hugh replied.

“Well you can stay at the helm if you wish. We will only have a few minor course changes over the next 3 hours,” I said to Hugh.

“Did you say three hours? That will take us to …,” Hugh said, and he saw the big smile on my face.

“Am I guessing that you were planning to spend the weekend with your Aunty and nephew?” I asked Hugh.

“Why, yes, we were actually, but we don’t have any clothes or anything with us…,” Hugh replied.

“I’m sure that you can get by till you get home. We have plenty of toiletry supplies, and lots of guest cabins to stay in as my guests,” I said to Hugh.

“We can’t impose on you like this. It’s really too much,” Hugh tried to protest.

“I have made up my mind, so let me take over the helm, while you go and let your family and Sara know of the new plans,” I said to Hugh, and I stepped forward to take the helm.

Just as Hugh started down the stairs, I called Simon’s mobile, hoping that he had it on him.

“Yes, Skipper?” Simon said as he answered.

“We are going to be staying overnight in Oamaru, so can you please get our guests settled into the guest cabins. Hugh and Anne can have the master, Sara can have the queen, Tim and Oscar can have the twin, and split the beds in another cabin for Jake and Lloyd,” I said to Simon.

“Ok, Skipper,” Simon replied and he ended the call, just as Hugh arrived, once he was shown the way down by Neale. Simon pocketed his phone and followed Neale back upstairs, then disappeared down to the guest cabin area, to arrange the cabins as requested, making sure all the beds were still in order, and that towels were laid out on all of the beds.

Returning upstairs, Simon found all of the guests gathered in the formal lounge, and the boys had paused the movie.

“Anton has graciously invited us all to stay on board the yacht tonight, and we are currently sailing up the coast to Oamaru, where we will be anchored for the night,” Sara announced to everyone gathered. The six boys jumped with joy at the news, and that’s when Simon cleared his throat, to get their attention.

“If you would like to follow me, I will show you where your cabins are,” he announced formally, and Sara, Hugh and Anne followed Simon down the stairs to the guest cabins.

“I better call Tim’s parents, to let them know about the change of plans,” Sara said, suddenly realising that Tim’s parents had no idea of the cruise, and hoped that it was ok.

“No problem. I will give you the yacht’s sat phone so you can call them,” Simon replied and he showed Sara her cabin, before moving further back to the master guest cabin for Hugh and Anne.

“Holy moly, come and look at this Sara,” Anne shouted down the passageway, and Sara soon appeared to see the master cabin.

“Ladies, there are some supplies for you both, that can be found in the lower right-hand drawer in each bathroom,” Simon said discreetly, before leaving to return upstairs. When Anne opened the drawer, she smiled, and showed what Simon meant to Sara, who also smiled.

By the time the ladies had returned to the galley, Simon had a tray ready with a teapot, sugar bowl, five cups and saucers, teaspoons and a plate of cakes and biscuits.

“Wow! Thank you, Simon. That is wonderful,” Anne said to Simon with a big smile. She was about to pick up the tray, when Simon beat her to it, and headed upstairs to the saloon, where the guests sat down. Once the guests had been served, Simon poured a cup of tea, added a couple of biscuits, and brought them up to the fly bridge for me.

“Thanks, Mate. How did they like their cabins,” I said to Simon.

“Fairly surprised,” Simon replied before he headed back to the galley.

After the movie had ended, Neale and Jedd showed the other boys their cabins, and they were amazed at how flash the cabins were. Once the boys had seen their cabins, they all headed up to the fly deck.

“Anton, can we go into the Jacuzzi please?” Neale asked me, when they arrived.

“Yes, but make sure you get your towels first, and organise some spare shorts and shirts for your friends,” I replied to them.

The boys dashed back downstairs to retrieve their towels, and Neale and Jedd headed to their cabin to get a change of clothes for each of their friends before returning to the fly bridge. Soon after the boys had climbed into the Jacuzzi, Sara appeared.

“Tim, I have contacted your parents. They are fine for you to stay with us on this trip. I said that we would be back late tomorrow,” Sara said to her son’s friend.

“Ok, Mrs Nichols,” Tim replied with a smile.

Sara headed back downstairs, and after collecting my tea cup and saucer and adding it to the tray, she headed back to the galley, where Simon was preparing dinner.

“Hello, Simon. What are we having for dinner, and can I help?” Sara said as she placed the afternoon tea tray on the crew mess table.

“Would you mind loading up the dishwasher please? I have dinner pretty much sorted, thank you. We are having roast beef and pork, vegetables, and minted peas,” Simon replied.

We arrived in Oamaru a little before sunset, and moored at the yacht club jetty, and while the guests sat down in the formal dining room for dinner, Simon, the boys and I sat down in the crew mess for our dinner. Stopping before finishing his dinner, Simon took a self-saucing pudding and custard upstairs for the guests, bringing down a tray load of dirty plates, before finishing his dinner, and serving desserts to the crew.

When we had all finished our dinner, Simon and I headed upstairs, to clear away all the dishes from the guest’s dinner, and we saw that all the guests were relaxing in the saloon lounge area, so we just cleared everything away and returned downstairs. Anne came down to the galley area, a few minutes later.

“Hi. We just wanted to let you know that Hugh and I are going to see Hugh’s aunt and nephew, and Sara is going to look after the boys for us. We should be back by about 9pm,” Anne said to me and Simon.

“Ok, thanks for letting us know. We are looking at a departure time no later than1pm tomorrow. See you when you get back,” I replied with a smile, and I got back to helping Simon with cleaning up the galley.

Neale and Jedd arrived soon after, and asked if just them could go into the crew lounge to play some computer games, and I said yes. Once the clean-up was completed, I headed upstairs and found, the four boys watching a movie, while Sarah was in the saloon reading a book.

I went up to the fly bridge to do a security check, as we were not moored at a secure jetty, and since there was no rain, I decided to stay up there for a while, to keep an eye around the yacht, and the surrounding area. At one point, two people walked up the jetty towards the yacht, but as soon as I turned on a light on the fly bridge, they quickly retreated, and disappeared into the darkness. I retrieved my phone and called Simon’s number.

“Yes, Boss?” Simon said.

“Security alert. I need you to grab a walkie talkie and torch, and check out the aft deck. We just had some uninvited visitors, who turned around as soon as I turned on the fly deck lights,” I said to Simon.

“Ok, Boss, on my way,” Simons said and he ended the call. “Mobile one to base,” I heard Simon say on the radio.

“Receiving loud and clear. Do a sweep of the whole main deck, front to back please,” I replied.

“Ok, Boss, I am on it now,” Simon responded.

I saw Simon arrive at the front of the yacht, and he was looking over the edge of the yacht.

“It looks fine up front. Wait a minute, I just heard something, and what….” I heard Simon say, just as I was making my way down the stairs, after locking up the instrument panel. As soon as I heard a loud splash, I rushed down the last few steps, and I dashed towards the saloon external doors, slamming them shut and locking it, surprising the guests, as I turned to face them.

“Everyone downstairs to the crew area right now please,” I said loud and clearly.

A little shocked and confused, Sara and the four boys made their way towards the bridge door, and down the stairs. Once I was in the bridge, I closed and locked the doors, and placed the cross bar in place, making it hard for anyone to try and force their way in. Pulling out my phone, I called the local police.

“This is Anton Hamilton, owner and skipper of the luxury trimaran yacht, Last Frontier. We are under attack by unknown number of persons. They have already forced my1st mate overboard. Our location is the main jetty at Oamaru. Hurry please,” I said.

“Stay calm, Sir. We have units on their way. Are you able to stay in a secure place till the police arrive?” came a reply from my urgent call of help.

“Yes, I am in the main bridge, and all the guests are below in the crew area, but I have no idea where my crewman is,” I replied frantically.

“Stay calm, Sir. They will be there in a few minutes. Do you have a security monitoring system, with recording capabilities?” I was asked.

“Yes, it is recording,” I added, just as I heard the sound of glass smashing, and a few more sounds coming from the main living areas.

Soon there were attempts to try and open the door into the bridge. I was glad that the door was very solid, with steel in the centre between solid wood on either side, plus the barrier bar as an extra security feature. I nearly jumped with fright when the walkie talkie came to life.

“Boss, Simon here. I am wet but ok. We have three intruders. The saloon doors have been smashed, and all the furniture has been tossed around. I am on the aft steps, trying to stay out of sight,” I heard Simon whisper.

“Good to hear you are ok, Buddy. Be aware that police are on their way, so it might be best to get well out of the way. Get to a pontoon cabin and lock yourself inside, till it is all over,” I replied quietly.

“Ok, Boss, will do,” Simon replied.

Realising that I was still connected to the police on my phone, I held it up to my ear. “Hello, Police. Did you hear that radio conversation?” I asked.

“Yes, copy that. We have relayed that information to the units en-route,” came a reply.

Suddenly the banging on the bridge door came to a stop, and there were some noises of movement, then no sound at all. I stood at the door and waited, till there was a loud knock, that made me jump with fright.

“Police here, Mr Hamilton. It is all clear. You and the guests can come out,” a voice said from the other side of the door, and cautiously I removed the bar, unlocked the door and slowly opened it.

I saw a smiling police officer on the other side, and behind him I saw that the living area was in a huge mess. Taking my radio off my belt I called Simon. “Anton to Simon. It’s all clear to come out now,” I said into the radio.

“Righto, Boss,” came the reply, and I saw Simon appear, looking very soggy, but happy.

“Don’t touch anything just yet please. We need to take some photos, and get finger prints and DNA samples,” the officer said to me, as I looked around the two rooms, before heading downstairs to check on the guest cabins, which hadn’t been touched. Next, I went to the fly bridge, where Simon was soaking in the Jacuzzi, and saw that there had been failed attempts to get to the instrument area

“I’m already wet, so I thought this is the best way to get warm again,” Simon said with a cheeky smile.

I headed back downstairs, and into the bridge, where an officer was standing.

“They didn’t come into here, so there is no need for you to be in here,” I said to the junior police officer, who retreated back to the main living area. I closed the door, before going downstairs to see how the guests and boys were.

“What is happening? Is everyone ok?” Sara asked me as soon as she saw me from the galley area.

“I would love a cup of tea please, and yes it’s all over now. The police are processing the damaged areas. We seem to be a random target, by organised thieves, and the damage is mainly the living area and the fly bridge. They didn’t touch any of the guest cabins. Simon was thrown overboard, but he is fine, and he’s relaxing in the Jacuzzi at the moment. Where are all the boys?” I informed Sara, who pointed forward towards the crew lounge.

“Ok, we will leave them there for now, till everything is sorted. I will call a local hotel, and book accommodation for Anne and Hugh, yourself and the four boys. I will cover the costs,” I told Sara.

“That is very generous of you. Are you sure about that?” Sara said to me, and I smiled. I did a google search of hotels on my phone, then dialled a number. A few minutes later, I had booked two queen rooms, and two twin rooms, for the guests.

“Can you call Hugh and Anne for me please, and explain that we have had an incident on the yacht, that everyone is unharmed, and that I have organised and paid for overnight at the Criterion Hotel on Tyne street, South Hill,” I said to Sara, who nodded her head and began to dial a phone number, to pass on the message. Once she had done that, I suggested that she and the boys leave when they were ready, and have a good night’s sleep.

When Sara and the four boys did leave about twenty minutes later, soon after the police had left, I asked my brothers, to remain below deck, until Simon and I had cleaned up the mess. Simon and I stood in the formal lounge and looked around the chaos that surrounded us. I was shocked that something like this could happen to me and the yacht.

“The sooner we get started, the sooner we will have it cleaned up,” Simon said to me.

“Before we start, I think it would be best if we photograph everything, and write down a list of everything that is damaged,” I said to my 1st mate.

“Ok, Boss. Let me get a pad and pen from the bridge, and I will get started,” Simon said to me. Moments later he was back, and we started from the formal lounge and dining room, then into the saloon, and out into the aft deck, before heading up to the fly bridge. Once we had done all of that, we started the clean-up process, from the formal lounge. There was nothing we could do to the slightly damaged door to the bridge, so we straightened up as best as we could, and finally we swept up and binned all of the shattered glass.

There were two dining chairs slightly damaged, the big screen television was destroyed, and two outdoor dining chairs were missing, presumed in the bay below the yacht. The saloon and formal lounges seemed to me undamaged, and some storage cupboards had been ransacked, but no damaged caused. Within an hour, we had the yacht back into reasonable order, and I decided that we should anchor off shore since we were no longer able to have a secured living area. Ten minutes later we were anchored 80 metres from shore.

With everything secured including the cross bar across the bridge door, I organised the boys to shower and get ready for bed, and while they were doing this I brought down the box marked Wallis Transport, and placed it in a storage locker in the crew lounge. The next morning, after we had all eaten, we cleaned up the galley before deciding what to do for the remainder of the day. During the clean-up, my mobile phone rang.

“Hi, Anton, this is Anne speaking. Thank you for the wonderful accommodations that you provided for us last night. We just wanted to let you know that we have arranged our own transport to get back to Portobello, so you don’t have to wait around to take us back there,” Anne said to me.

“If that’s what you want that is fine. We are sorry that the short trip was spoiled by the attack on the yacht. We will be staying here for a few days so we can get some repairs done, so we will catch up next time we come into town,” I replied, and we said goodbye and ended the call.

Although I said that we would be staying around for a while, that was not what we were actually going to do, as I had already made a decision, that we would be leaving the area as soon as possible. I was about to talk to Simon, when my phone rang again.

“Mr Hamilton, this is the senior constable Davies. I spoke to you yesterday at Portobello. I need to speak to you on an urgent matter,” the voice said on the other end of the call.

“Ok, we will be here for a couple of days for repairs, before we head to Invercargill, then back to Australia,” I replied.

“How about right now? I am at the jetty just across from where you are anchored at the moment,” the officer said to me, and I went upstairs and looked across to the jetty, where I saw an uniformed officer, standing at the end of the jetty.

“I will organise a dinghy to come and collect you shortly. Bye,” I said and I ended the call, before going indoors again. “Simon, the senior constable from Portobello is at the Oamaru jetty. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice,” I said down the stairs.

“Ok, Boss,” Simon replied.

I headed to the aft of the yacht, and lowered the swim platform, pulled out the dinghy, and lowered it into the water. As I approached the jetty, I looked around to see if there was anyone else close by. Seeing no one but the police officer being there, I approached the jetty, and the police officer, who was not wearing a gun or Taser, quickly climbed in and we headed back.