Page 42 of The Sailor in Polynesia
He opened his eyes and hummed.
“The current looks good,” Jonas said, pointing to my electronics, which read a speed against us of less than half a knot. Taken at the wrong time, these passes could have a tidal rip running through them, four knots or more. I relaxed my grip on the wheel, glad that I’d gotten the timing right.
Jonas stripped off his shirt, and in only his shorts walked to the bow ofWelinaas we entered the pass. He gripped the bow rigging, leaning over the edge and looking down into the pass. I could picture it as we’d seen it while snorkeling: clear water and the colorful trench, crusted with coral on either side.
My depth meter read thirty feet, so I didn’t need Jonas at the bow, but I envied his view. Although my view was lovely too: Jonas’s long light hair pulled back in a ponytail, his strong shoulders and tanned skin a contrast against the deep blue waters around us and the clear sky above.
We chugged along, and my depth sounder dropped: fifty, one hundred, nothing. The ocean was too deep here for the sounder to read. We’d finished the pass.
Jonas climbed back into the cockpit and grinned at me. “Ready to get the sails up?”
I nodded and switched the autopilot on. We climbed to the deck together and prepared the main. It felt weird to do this with Jonas. He worked quietly alongside me, letting me lead and instruct him on how to handle my boat.
With the mainsail completely up, I steered her off, pointing our bow toward Tahiti. Jonas worked the jib out, and we picked up speed. I turned the engine off and the autopilot on.Welinasmoothed out, gliding quickly through the water.
Eikwas nearby, clear of the pass too. They had been faster getting their sails up and were already moving along quickly. It wouldn’t be long before they were out of sight.
“This is actually the first time I’ve gotten the mainsail up without Liam.”
“You did well.”
I sat back, listening to the quiet hum of the boat. The sails creaked and groaned; the waves slashed gently against the hull.
I had forgotten how peaceful sailing could be. I’d been on boardWelinaalone for weeks now, never experiencing the pleasure of clipping along under full sails. I could feel the joy radiating off my boat.
Jonas sat next to me on the bench. “How do you want to do watches tonight?” he asked.
I tilted my head in thought. “Dinner is made, so no cooking tonight. Why don’t I take the first watch and we will do six-hour shifts. So I’ll take my watch now and you can sleep or whatever until after lunch.”
“Ja. That is a good plan.” He grinned at me. “I will go get my book. Can I get anything for you?”
I shook my head. “I’m good, thank you.”
Jonas returned a few minutes later with his book and a tumbler of coffee. He set my book on the helm seat and winked at me. “Just in case.”
I sat by the helm while Jonas settled in to read.Eikwas growing smaller and smaller on the horizon.
The morning was uneventful.Eikhailed us on the radio every hour until they passed out of range. Jonas dozed, lulled by the rocking motion of the boat. Sometimes I watched him, his pale eyelashes fluttering as he dreamed.
Around noon he shifted more, blinked his eyes open, and did a full-body stretch, arms extended above his head, his rib cage expanding and his toes pointing out over the back of the bench. He was too tall to fit fully stretched out in my cockpit, and I wondered if his own cockpit was big enough.
He scratched his belly and smiled at me. Sitting up, he touched a finger to the tip of my nose. “Lunch?”
“That sounds good.”
He didn’t ask what was for lunch, and I let him wander down into my boat unsupervised. Drawers opened, utensils clicked, and Jonas came up a few minutes later with a bowl of tuna salad and crackers. I was running dangerously low on crackers—heck, I was dangerously low on a lot of things. It was really a good thing we were headed to Tahiti. Though I could have delayed it, it would be nice to hit the big Carrefour supermarket and stockWelinaagain.
“Your big family.” Jonas swallowed his bite. “It is unusual for an American, ja?”
I nodded. “While we are no longer practicing, my dad’s family was Irish Catholic, so he’s always had a big family and wanted the same.”
“You are closest to James?”
I smiled. “Maybe not as close as you and Eivind, but yes, pretty close.”
“He came to stay on the boat for a little while, ja? I think I remember a video in... Mexico?”
I grunted. “That did not go over well. Small spaces and James don’t work very much, and adding in Liam was a disaster.”
