SS Pacifica

by Coleinger, Ronnie

  When I climbed up onto the deck with a cup of coffee on the second morning, I saw Becky standing near the bow with a notepad, pencil, calculator, tape measure and drafting ruler. When I walked up beside her, she looked up at me and said, “I have a minor design modification that needs attending to.” I said nothing, but I could tell she was planning to add a spinnaker sail to the stern of the Pacifica-Two. Since we had multiple tie-down rings along the hull, she intended to attach the clews of the sail to a ring on the port and starboard side of the stern, and then add a block on the mainsail mast to attach the sails swivel. She planned to run a halyard from the swivel through the block and down to the deck. There she would fashion a winch and a cleat to raise, lower, and secure the spinnaker. Her plan looked good on paper, but the sail she intended to use was huge. I wondered if the mast would support such stresses in high wind. Finally, I asked the question. She turned to me and said, “Double check my math, but I am certain we have three times the strength needed to support the spinnaker.” She thumbed back through her notebook until she found her calculations and handed the notebook to me. I did not know if her formulas were accurate, but somehow I knew they were. I could have spent a couple hours looking them up in the engineering manual in the cabin, but I decided not to waste my time doing something that would only prove that my wife’s mind bordered on Genius. I did take time to double-check her calculus to insure she had not missed a step, and that she had performed the calculations correctly. I chuckled as I handed her notebook back to her. She smiled and said, “Any problems?” I smiled and said, “You are correct, Captain. The bow mast should hold up very well.” Becky giggled and said, “I will have the calculations double checked when I call Jill in a few minutes. The engineers have a computer program to insure we are using accurate strength values for the aluminum and composites.”

  Then I asked her the million-dollar question. “How much speed will we gain over the sails we are currently using, and will adding the sail be cost effective?” She stared into my eyes a moment and then looked down at her notebook. When she looked back up at me she said, “It would take me days to calculate that equation. I am certain from experience that the spinnaker will help us, but I cannot give you an honest number.” I chuckled and said, “Captain, your judgment has been impeccable and I will not push for any firm answers. We will know the answers soon enough after we set sail back towards San Francisco.” She leaned over and kissed me hard on the lips. Her kisses tasted of brown sugar and oatmeal, and I slowly licked my lips.

  We sailed the Pacifica-Two back to the repair facility and anchored a few hundred yards from their docks. Just as we headed down to the cabin to bring up the dinghy, Becky’s cell phone rang. She answered it and realized it was one of the engineers from the repair facility. He asked if we needed assistance. I heard Becky giggle and then she explained that she needed to purchase some items to build a spinnaker for the Pacifica-Two. When she disconnected from the call, she looked at me and said, “Jill is coming out to get us. The engineer I talked to said they should have everything in their inventory, including the sailcloth.” She giggled and said, “Could we settle for a bright orange sail with the words, Howard Boat Building Company, stenciled on it in large black letters.” I laughed and said, “No one will see the sail except for us. It will only be used far out at sea.”

  Within a few minutes, we spotted Jill headed out to pick us up. When she maneuvered the speedboat up to our hull, we quickly stepped into her boat and headed towards shore. Jill talked nonstop about the articles and pictures in the newspapers she had seen about the beautiful submersible sailing vessel that had left the harbor a few days ago. It seemed that the SS Pacifica and the SS Pacifica-Two had mesmerized the sailing community around the island.

  When we walked into the repair facility, the lead engineer stepped up to us and began talking. He had worked the calculations to insure the Pacifica-Two could handle the large spinnaker and he smiled as he told us everything looked good. Becky opened her notebook and discussed a couple of details with him, and then showed him the material list she had created. He smiled and said, “I believe we have everything in stock. I also checked with a company down the road that makes sails and they said they could have a spinnaker with the SS Pacifica-Two lettering on it in twenty four hours, if you wanted.” Becky giggled and said, “Would you please order two of them immediately?” The man looked at Jill for her okay. Jill giggled and said, “You may place the order. I will call them in a few minutes with the purchase order number. ” He walked away from us and made a call on his cell phone. While he talked to the man who would be making the sails, he turned back to us and asked, “Mrs. Becky, do you want to know the price now. The man I am talking to gave me the final number if you wish to know.” Becky giggled, put her hands over her ears, and said, “No. Please don’t tell me. I will only stew about the money. I will pay in cash when you present me with the invoice.” I saw Jill’s eyes light up over Jill’s statement. Jill smiled at me and asked, “Stanley, does Becky allow you to pick the hundred dollar bills off the money tree, or does she just keep you around for her own personal pleasure.” I thought a second and said, “Actually, Jill picks the money herself. My job is to apply the proper amount of fertilizer to keep the tree healthy, and I find ample amounts of fertilizer every time people like you open their mouths to speak.” Jill got a funny look on her face and then said, “Touché.” I saw the lead engineer turn his back to us and begin to laugh. Jill stomped her foot over his laughter, and turned to leave. She had spun around so fast she ran headlong into both of the owners. They grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her upright, and then one of them said, “Jill, you must remember to engage your brain before speaking. Some people are quite willing to throw the mud right back into your face.”

  I turned to Becky and said, “Sorry for that, Captain. I should have kept my mouth shut.” I saw a smile form on my wife’s face, but I knew the incident had embarrassed her. As the staff located the materials we needed and packed them into small cartons, one of the owners said, “The easiest way to insure that all the pieces and parts fit properly is to bring the Pacifica-Two into the dry dock canal and put everything together. I would hate for something to not work after the vessel was out to sea.”

  The following afternoon, Becky’s cell phone rang and the caller told her that the sails were ready. They said we could sail the Pacifica-Two up to the dry docks and then two tugs would move our vessel inside. When Becky pressed the end call button on her phone, she laughed and said, “I guess Jill is not speaking to us anymore.” I smiled and said, “For that I am sorry, I consider Jill a friend. As for my comments yesterday, I have changed my mind and I am not at all sorry.”

  As the tugs moved us into the canal, the staff quickly secured the Pacifica-Two to the tie down rings along the canal. They did not want the vessel moving around and bumping the planes on the concrete walls of the canal. When they had us securely tied in place, they moved the ladder platform up over the deck. As the staff brought the cartons up onto the deck, they quickly began following Becky’s instructions. Within an hour, the new sail was in place and ready. Becky and two of the staff began to furl the spinnaker as I lowered it down to the deck. Soon they had the sail secured, and the upgrade was complete. Becky walked with one of the owners to the office and paid the bill with hundred dollar bills. When she returned, she said, “It is time to get underway for San Francisco. I just saw the weather forecast and there is a large storm headed our way. We will put our stern to the storm and ride it out in deep water.”

  The tugboats moved us out of the canal and out into the harbor. We set the foresail and Becky navigated us out to sea. We could see the storm building behind us. Once we set the mainsail, we seemed able to stay out in front of the storm. It was easy going with the wind pushing us along and the Pacifica-Two seemed very stable. As we moved along, Becky realized that the dive/steering planes were almost coming out of the water when the bow followed a wave crest. I quickly went down an
d added some ballast water to the tanks. Once I added a hundred gallons of water or so, the Pacifica-Two settled down and the planes remained below the surface. Having the planes rise up out of the water was always a concern. The forces of the planes slapping the sea just before they entered the water produced tremendous shock waves that could damage the welds or collapse the hollow structures.

  The storm was gaining on us, as we knew it would, but the Pacifica-Two seemed indifferent to the weather or the large waves. The flatter hull design, the added rails under the hull and the increase in physical size of the vessel and planes seemed to make the Pacifica-Two much more stable than the Pacifica. As the storm caught up and overtook us, we moved down into the hatch towers and navigated by looking out the viewing windows. Within two hours time, the storm passed us and the waves calmed somewhat.

  As the light of day subsided, we moved down into the cabin and prepared some food. We now felt comfortable enough with the vessel to set the autopilot. The Pacifica-Two’s GPS autopilot would guide the steering rudders and keep the vessel on course for the remainder of the night, as long as the wind continued pushing us. In the morning, if the weather permitted, we would test out the new spinnaker. The large sail should provide an increase in the vessels speed, but we had no way to know if it would compromise the Pacifica-Two’s stability until we tested it.

  My eyes popped open and I sat straight up in my bed. Something had startled me. Then I realized that Becky was also wide-awake and looking at me as if something had frightened her. I quickly got up and went to the viewing window on the starboard side near the bow. I could see the Pacifica-Two breaking large waves. We seemed to have run into another large storm. I quickly put on my cloths and went up onto the deck. The waves were high and rolling under us, but the storm was far off to the east of us. When Becky came up on deck, she said, “What woke us was the sound of the hull slapping the crest of a wave. I think we should tack to port and run diagonal across the waves.”

  Within a couple of minutes, we had the Pacifica-Two settled down and sailing without flogging the sea below her bow. I saw Becky relieve her full bladder and then return to the cabin. I stayed up on deck and enjoyed the beauty of the Pacific. The wind was whipping the waves into froth and formed huge whitecaps, but the sky was the most beautiful blue I had ever seen. I did not know the exact reason for the high winds, but it seemed that we were on the southern side of a low-pressure area and the counter clockwise winds were now blowing out of the west. As I stood there enjoying the moment, I smelled the wonderful aroma of perked coffee, so I went down into the cabin and helped my wife fix breakfast. She seemed undisturbed by the high waves and the rolling of the Pacifica-Two, but I must admit that I felt uncomfortable.

  As we sat eating our breakfast at our tiny folding table, Becky said, “The front has passed and the ocean is starting to calm.” I did not know where she got this information, but I began to listen to the sounds coming from the open hatch door. She was right, the wind had died somewhat, and the rolling of the Pacifica-Two had settled down. When I finished eating, I checked out the weather. I discovered that the sky and the white capped ocean waves painted a spectacular scene, and the sea around me was absolutely breathtaking. As I stood on the deck looking around, Becky stepped up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She said, “A penny for your thoughts.” I chuckled and said, “It is difficult for me to express in words how beautiful the sea is today. I have spent many weeks out here, but the beauty of the ocean this morning is enchanting.” Becky began kissing the back of my neck. I heard her giggle and say, “I guess you find the beauty of the sea more exciting than the advances of your wife.” I turned around to her and kissed her hard on the lips. She giggled and said, “The autopilot will guide the Pacifica-Two for an hour, could I interest my husband in some romance?” I took Becky’s hand and guided her to the privacy of our cabin.

  Later that morning, we decided to test the new spinnaker. We had a light westerly breeze and conditions were perfect to push the vessel to its limits. We lifted the spinnaker sailcloth up onto the deck and attached the lines and tackle. Once we connected the clew, the sail began to flop around on the deck. We quickly hoisted it up and into place. As the sail filled with air, it almost knocked us down. The spinnaker was much larger than I had imagined.

  We could feel the speed increase of the Pacifica-Two. It was as if we had a twenty-knot wind pushing us. I powered up my handheld GPS unit and let it find the satellites it required. When I looked at the display, the reading surprised me. I stepped up beside Becky and said, “Captain, you might want to see our current speed. I think you will be surprised.” When Becky looked at the display, she saw that it read, 5.6 knots. She did the math in her head and said, “That means we could travel 136 miles per day.”

  I looked at Becky and said, “Captain, we have dropped two days off our return trip by adding the spinnaker. I think your intuition and engineering skills are amazing to say the least.” I bowed deeply and watched her eyes light up. She said, “I knew the spinnaker would help, but I did not realize it would add such an incredible speed advantage.”

  She headed towards the cabin, but turned back to me before she climbed down the ladder. She said, “The spinnaker is a great advantage, but we must remember to pay close attention to the weather, the waves and our tacking. The spinnaker could put this vessel in harm’s way if we let our navigational skills get lax. Please let your engineering skills and instincts guide you as you stand watch. ” She stood looking at me to insure her warning had sunk in. I walked over to her and asked, “Can we safely tack this vessel without pitching her on her side?” Becky said, “When we tack for the first time, both of us will wear our life vests and attach our lanyards.”

  As she continued down the ladder, I realized that the captain’s words had spooked me, which I suspect she intended. I turned my attention to the spinnaker; it was pushing us hard. I hoped we were not exceeding the vessel’s design limits. The math calculations said everything was well within limits, but I understood that Mother Nature does not use the same computers and calculators that we mortals do. I had no desire to spend my eternity in Davey Jones’ Locker.

  On the morning of the third day, I asked Becky if she needed a bath and some fish for lunch. She looked at me and said, “Do I smell that bad or do you just want to get your hands on your captain’s naked body?” I laughed and said, “That too, but I am hungry for some fresh fish.” Becky headed towards the stern of the boat and then turned back around to me. She said, “I could use some help with the spinnaker. Or would you just like to watch me work?” I laughed and said, “I will watch for now. If you need any help, just holler.” She turned completely around and put her hands on her hips. I knew that if I did not move shortly, the next thing to move would be her toes on the deck. I knew that once she began tapping her toes, I would be in hot water for the rest of the day. I intended to have sex with this woman on the swim platform, so making her angry was not a good thing to do. As I walked past her, she swatted me on the butt and said, “That is better. Remember who is captain of this vessel.” I laughed and said, “Yes, Captain.” If she wanted to role-play, I was game. I was certain I would end up on my back, underneath her anyway; I might just as well become subservient to her now.

  Once the spinnaker was down and stored in the cabin, we lowered and secured the bow sail to the mast. I went down into the cabin and found our large beach towels to lay on along with two bars of soap with strings attached. As we stripped and moved down the ladder to the swim platform, we began washing in the salty seawater. I reached around Becky and began washing her chest with my soapy hands. That was all it took to spark a desire in Becky that would put a smile on both our faces for the rest of the day. By the time the captain was done with me, my back hurt horribly from lying on the hard surface of the swim platform. As I sat up, I rubbed my back and groaned. Becky pushed me down on my stomach and began washing my back with her soapy hands, massaging in just the right places to ease th
e pain. I heard her giggle as she slid her soapy hand between my legs and washed places that only my mother had ever washed before.

  Once our bath and lovemaking was over, we carried up two fishing poles and some bait from the cabin. We had discovered that the fish in the Pacific liked the bait that comes in a glass jar. The small artificial worms were soaked in a liquid that smelled like bacon. Since the bow sail was still pushing us along, we added extra weight to sink the tasty delights down to where there might be some fish looking for a quick meal. We knew that sometimes there simply were no hungry fish around us, but we also knew that if we could get a fish to notice our offerings, we might end up with a fish large enough to feed us for two or three meals.

  As we sat on the edge of the swim platform and talked, I saw the tip of Becky’s pole make a sudden bounce. She giggled and waited patiently for another bite. Just then, the fish was on and Becky began cranking the handle on the reel, trying to get the fish to move. I laughed and said, “Captain, you have hooked a coconut or a log. That cannot be a fish.” Becky said, “It is to a fish, no log nibbles on the hook.” The fish rose to the surface out behind the boat and then splashed back into the water. The fish was obviously a three foot long Yellowtail Amberjack. The fish fought Becky for ten minutes before she could slide it up onto the swim platform. As it slid up where I could reach it, I quickly grabbed it by the tail and threw one of the towels over it. Then I quickly sat down on top of the fish to keep it from flopping back into the water. I was glad I had kept my hands away from the fish’s mouth. It had rather nasty looking teeth.

  Once we had the fish subdued, we cleaned it and allowed the unused parts to wash into the sea. Then I cut four fillets from the fish and slid the remaining carcass into the sea. The critters that lived here below the Pacifica-Two would consume what we humans found inedible. We realize that we would not be getting into the water or out onto the swim platform for the rest of today, now that we had placed fish guts into the water. We had not seen any sharks hanging around the vessel during our adventure and hoped not to have them join us today.