SS Pacifica

by Coleinger, Ronnie

  As the taxi pulled into the long driveway of Becky’s home along the beach, I realized there was a large building with the end sticking out over the edge of the ocean. It looked to be a large boathouse to me.

  The taxi pulled up to the front door of the residence and we got out. I paid the taxi driver and gave him a tip while Becky pulled my luggage from the trunk. As Becky escorted me into her home and showed me around, I laughed and said, “This is very nice, you have done well for yourself.” She laughed and said, “I can’t take all the credit. This place originally belonged to my parents. I inherited the place after my father died. I have made a few improvements over the years, like the workshop and boathouse you spotted when we drove in.” Becky showed me my room and I put my luggage and briefcase on the floor. She said, “I will finish showing you around if you like. There is much to see, and I am excited to show you the boathouse and workshop. I think you will be impressed.” As we walked into the kitchen, Becky asked if I still drank coffee. I told her I drank too much coffee and was certainly addicted. She walked over to the pot, filled it with water and coffee and pressed the brew button. Then she said, “Let me show you the rest of the house and the pool, then we will get some coffee before I show you my creation.”

  As we walked towards the beach, I sipped the steaming hot coffee Becky had prepared and said, “Thank you for this coffee, I really needed a fix.” She giggled and said, “It does taste rather good. I have been too excited over your visit to take time to fix coffee for the last couple of days. I plan to spend the next couple of days settling my nerves and trying to get control over my emotions.”

  When we arrived at the boathouse, Becky stepped up to the door, punched in the security code and listened for the electric solenoid to release the door strike. As we stepped inside, she found the light switch. When she turned on the lights, I was surprised over how much light Becky had installed in this workshop. The bright lights accentuated the incredible view in front of me. There was a chair just inside the door and I sat down to have a look around. The boathouse was set up as a workshop and had every tool one could imagine. There was a huge rolling chain falls system in the center of the room that hung over a large dry concrete lined pit in the floor. Inside the pit rested a green and yellow submersible, carefully supported on large wooden timbers.

  The bottom of the vessel was flat, and the upper portion looked just like the submarines I had often seen in the movies. There were two very large oval shaped watertight hatches in the deck and a metal handrail surrounded the perimeter. There were two posts sticking up from the surface of the deck. I was uncertain of their purpose at first, but I did remember Becky telling me the vessel could sail. Maybe those places were where the sail masts would be located. On the front of the vessel was a sailing plane. Towards the stern were the diving/steering planes. Mounted within the diving/steering plane was a rudder that allowed the Pacifica to turn. I was certain that when I walked around to the other side of the vessel I would discover identical mechanisms.

  As I sat staring, I felt eyes upon me. I looked up and saw Becky looking at me, patiently waiting for my reaction. I stood up, walked to her, wrapped my arms around her and hugged very hard. When I stepped back I said, “As we stand here looking at this vessel, I have no idea if it will ever be sea worthy, but I am going to tell you right here and now that I am excited about this project. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help you make this adventure work. Please quit staring at me and begin talking. You have much to tell me about this spectacular vessel that you have created.”

  I watched Becky take a deep breath and calm her nerves, and then she said. “Come with me. I will show you the workings of this vessel from the inside out.” As we walked around to the other side of the Pacifica, I stopped and stood staring at the fresh stenciling on the bow. The words read, “SS Pacifica.” I spoke the words aloud and Becky said, “I did not have time to stencil the name on the other side yet. I will do that tomorrow morning while you check out my propulsion systems and electronics.”

  After we climbed the wooden stairs that led up to the stern watertight hatch, Becky climbed down first and then I followed. As I passed through the hatch, I realized that the oval shape made the hatch big enough to get larger items down into the vessel. Other than a bed mattress, we could lower most everything we needed down through these two hatches. When I reached the bottom of the metal ladder, I again found myself speechless. The inside had much of the woodwork completed. There were cabinets, tables, and storage closets everywhere.

  As I continued to look around, I considered the effort required to get this vessel to this point. The labor hours must have been incredible. Inside the vessel were storage compartments galore. Every item aboard had a home and every door had a label showing its contents. All of the heavy items were stored close to the floor, and things like fishing tackle, towels, clothing, and small repair parts were close to the ceiling. There were only a few toolboxes aboard the vessel, but each box contains only the essentials. All fasteners aboard were obviously American, but there was a small toolbox labeled as metric. It contained wrenches, sockets, and other tools just in case something needed repaired, but only a metric version was available. There were even battery-operated drills and saws aboard, along with drill bits and saw blades, just in case something required some unforeseen repair.

  As I moved towards the stern of the vessel, I spotted the propulsion motors and the steering and dive mechanisms. The drive motors were very small, but I realized that the small four blade propellers I had seen on the back end of the vessel when I first entered the building would require minimal horsepower. The electric propulsion drive system should provide enough power to move the vessel when docking, and provide forward thrust when the vessel was submerged.

  As I looked around, Becky stepped up beside me and began explaining the design of the vessel. Her understanding of nautical engineering fascinated me. She told me that the Pacifica measured twenty-seven feet long and she had designed it for surface running, but the two top hatches sealed like a submarine to prevent water entry during stormy or high wave conditions. Propulsion for the vessel consists of two collapsible sailing masts in the top of the deck, with drain ports out the bottom of the vessel. All it took to set sail was to raise the upper eight-foot tube section and insert a pin to lock it into position, hang the sails, and then raise the lower eight-foot tall section and insert another pin. The total mast height was sixteen feet above the deck. Spare mast posts, pins, sails, and rigging were stored inside the vessel under the removable seat cushions at the bottom of the ladder. The sails were triangular, and the design allowed the captain to rig two sails on each mast. This provided a sail configuration that Becky described as opposing sails.

  As the tour continued, Becky explained that an alternate method of propulsion was by the two direct current motors that received power from the special deep cycle marine batteries. The motors drove two ten inch four blade propellers out the back of the vessel. The two propeller drive shaft seals prevented water entry by bolt in place seals, one outside the vessel, and a secondary seal located inside the vessel where the shaft exits the vessels hull. Replacement of the seals would require nothing more than a few wrenches, although one must remove the propeller or drive motor beforehand, depending on which seal requires replacement. The dive/steering plane shafts used the same seals and mounting system, which simplified the replacement parts inventory aboard the vessel. She had designed the dive/steering planes so we could adjust them with a handle mounted just inside the cabin, at the top of the ladder leading up to the stern hatch. It was a simple matter to reach down into the hatch, and by using the handle, move the rudders to any position required to keep the Pacifica on course.

  Two portable generators were stored inside the vessel’s cabin, but they were light enough to allow us to hoist them up on deck where they could recharge the batteries whenever needed. Becky had created a crank up lift table to move the generators up to the hatch wher
e one person could easily lift them out onto the deck.

  The vessels design is such that it can be set down on the bottom of the ocean like a submarine. The bottom is flat and all propulsion and steering mechanisms are located on the sides and back of the vessel, allowing the flat bottom of the boat to rest on any underwater flat location at depths of 100 meters (328 feet) or less. The hull construction consists of three-inch thick double wall steel plates to form a hollow space between the exterior and interior walls. This hollow area creates the ballast tanks, which provide a holding area for seawater for submerging the vessel. The exterior of the vessel is coated with resin to help insulate it and to provide some corrosion protection. The ballast tanks have baffles built into them to prevent excessive water sloshing from wave action or during diving and surfacing operations. A pair of small air compressors and a storage tank near the stern can quickly blow the water out of the ballast tanks for rising to the surface. Valves are located inside the vessel to seal up the tanks during surface running. Once the vessels hull is pressurized, and the hatch sealed, the vessel is watertight and cannot sink in even the worst of storms. Becky turned to me and said, “I hired a certified welder with an X-ray machine to do all the welding on this vessel. Every weld has been X-rayed and carefully inspected to insure that no weld will fail while we are out in the Pacific.”

  Becky continued her narrative as she showed me every detail of her innovation. She explained that she had hired a contractor to coat the inside of the ballast tanks with a special resin to prevent corrosion. They mixed the resin into fresh water and filled the ballast tanks to insure every minute crevice received the material. Becky had scheduled the contractor and supplier of the resin to apply a second coat of the material in a couple days, after the first application hardened. Becky pointed to the two fans blowing into the ballast tanks to help dry the first coat of resin. She explained that once the contractor applied the second coat, the interior of the ballast tanks would need to air-dry for three days minimum before we could fill them with seawater. Becky looked me in the eyes and said, “I have planned to begin sea trials in ten days from now, but we may need a little longer. There is much to do yet.”

  Becky said, “I would like you and me to visit the sporting goods store first thing tomorrow and purchase supplies. I would like a couple of good propane camp stoves and lanterns. As you think of other things that I have missed, please take a moment and write them down. I have provided two note pads on the table beside the red toolboxes at the bottom of the wooden stairs. One is for food and supplies, the other for hardware items I have missed. I also have the coast guard Admiral scheduled in here on Monday morning to help us determine things I have not thought about yet. I know I need life vests, flares, and a life raft or two. I am certain that I need running lights on the vessel, but I have no idea what kind, how many, or where on the vessel to place them. The Admiral should be able to help us with that information. Once we have determined our needs, we will mount the running lights, drill holes in the upper deck and use special cable seals to prevent water entry into the vessel.” “Swimming pool lights, yes, maybe swimming pool lights are what we need for the running lights. No, can’t use them, they have to be submerged when turned on or they will burn out,” Becky said to no one in particular. Then she turned and faced me. She giggled and explained that she often talked to herself like that and to ignore her when she rambled on.

  Becky’s cell phone began to chime and she pulled it out of the case on her belt. She looked up at me and said, “Where has the time gone. We have reservations at a nice restaurant for dinner. Did you bring a sports jacket by any chance?” I laughed and assured her that I had a sports jacket in my bag, but I should press it before we left the house.

  As we walked towards the house to get ready for dinner, I asked Becky if she had any help with this project, since she had used the word, we, a couple of times. She giggled and said, “You will get to meet Jim and Fred at the restaurant. Jim is the welder I have spoken to you about and Fred is my carpenter, painter, and he helped me insure that the electrical wiring was safe and watertight. Without their help, I would never have gotten the project this far. They have finished their work with me, and I have paid them handsomely for their skills, but I wanted you to meet them. They are both incredibly gifted engineers. You and I will do the remaining work unless we need Jim and Fred’s help on something special. Tomorrow, I will ask you to begin double and triple checking everything we have done with this vessel to insure that you and I, and this vessel, remain safe. I am very excited to get out to sea, but I would like to live through the adventure. Our safety is of the utmost importance to me, and we will take the time needed to insure this boat is sea worthy before we travel out on the ocean more than a couple miles from this boathouse. If she sinks, I would like her close to home so I can salvage her.” I laughed at her words, looked her in the eyes and said, “Might I ask that you stop using that word in my presence. The word sink makes me nauseous.” I watched a huge smile appear on Becky’s face, but she did not chide me over my fear of drowning.

  Chapter 4 - Chamber Pots and Boys Toys

  When we returned to the beach house after supper, I looked Becky in the eyes and said, “I see why you have such high regards for Jim and Fred. They really are very special people. They both speak highly of you, and I can tell they are very jealous that I am sailing with you instead of them. They would love to take this adventure with you.” Becky smiled and said, “I need another beer and a swim in the pool before bed. Would you join me?” I laughed and said, “I was hoping you would offer. I could use a cold beer and a dip in the pool would feel really good right about now.” As we walked out to the pool, Becky got two cold bottles of beer from the poolside refrigerator and handed one to me. As we sat down at the table and began to talk, Becky stood up and began pulling off her shoes and socks. She looked at me and said, “Are you going to join me in the pool?” I laughed and said, “I guess I will,” and began pulling off my shoes and socks.

  Becky walked to the edge of the pool, stripped off her clothes and dove in. I chuckled to myself over her lack of modesty, sat both bottles of beer on the edge of the pool and stripped down. After swimming a couple of laps, I moved to where I had sat the bottles and sipped some of the cool beverage. Becky soon joined me at the edge of the pool and we discussed the trip to the sporting goods store we planned for first thing tomorrow. When the beer was gone, Becky said, “I am off to bed. It has been a long day and I am tired. I will see you just after daylight in the morning. There is food in the kitchen. Please make yourself at home around here. This place is now your home, so please get comfortable with it. I have nothing to hide, so don’t concern yourself about snooping around. Good night partner.”

  I watched Becky leave the pool, dry herself off with a towel from the cabinet beside the kitchen door, and then wave goodnight to me. As things stood right now, I understood how this adventure was going to go. Becky had let me know that she had little modesty and showing me her body was of little concern to her. That took a large burden off my mind. I had worried from day one, over how a male and a female were going to coexist in a tiny submarine. Now I understood that we were going to get along quite well. All that I had to do as a male was show some discretion with my own sexuality and we would be able to work together just fine.

  ***

  It seemed as if I had no more than closed my eyes when the smell of perking coffee permeated my bedroom. I heard my door open and Becky giggled as she carried two steaming hot cups of coffee towards my bed. I sat up and leaned against the headboard as she sat the hot coffee on the nightstand beside me. Then she walked around to the other side of the bed and said, “I thought we should get to know each other a little better. I am one who jumps out of bed and is perky and cheerful. I understand that others do not wake up in such a happy mood. I came here this morning to see if the sound of my voice would piss you off, or make you smile. I need to know these things since we will be sleeping very close f
or the next few months.”

  I looked her in the eyes and said, “I normally wake refreshed and ready for the day. However, this morning, I seem to be a little sluggish. This hot coffee will quickly put things right.” As we sipped our coffee and talked, she said, “I think we will get along just fine on this adventure. I want you to understand that if we have sex when the temptation gets to strong, we may have fewer arguments and distractions. My sexual attraction to you is strong, as you certainly must have realized by now. I hope you don’t mind if you find me under the covers of your bed from time to time. I am telling you this now, so you have a chance to fly home and avoid this adventure if you are so inclined.” I almost choked on my coffee over her comments. She laughed and said, “Sorry for that, but I thought you should hear these words this morning, before you fall in love with the Pacifica.”

  I put my coffee on the table, leaned close to her and kissed her hard on the lips. Then I said, “That kiss is to let you know that I have no qualms about seducing you and that it is much too late to fly home like a frightened little boy. You see, I have already fallen in love with your Pacifica.”

  As I slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom to pee, I heard her giggle. I turned back around and let her stare a moment, and then said, “Yup, I sleep in the nude.” She giggled again and asked, “Do you always wake with an erection?” I looked her in the eyes and said, “Only when a beautiful woman wearing skimpy Donald Duck pajamas crawls into my bed.”

  As we ate breakfast at the kitchen table and listened to the CNN morning news, we spoke very infrequently. When I had finished eating, I drew hot water in the sink and began cleaning up the kitchen. When Becky brought her dishes to the sink for me to wash, she asked, “Have you ever taken a bath in the ocean?” I thought about the question and said, “Yes, I have often swam in salt water, but right now I need to brush my teeth.”