Smooth Sailing

by Susan X Meagher

  It was just eight when she disembarked, and the day was bright and clear, with a salty-fresh scent in the air. Even though it was early, all of the shops were open in the tiny mall next to the cruise-passenger terminal in Philipsburg. They were quite upscale and she found a store that sold the small crystal animals that her mom liked. With Christmas coming, she was tempted, but she hated to buy anything without comparison shopping. That need led her to an Internet Café where she did the research, then read her personal mail. She couldn’t get into her work e-mail thanks to Fernando the Evil, and no one was at the office in LA or Osaka at this hour, so she decided to go for a brisk walk like the ones her doctor had been recommending ever since she’d started having heart palpitations a year ago.

  Laurie headed for the waterline to check out the short piers full of sailboats. Growing up in Cincinnati, she’d been on her share of houseboats and small speedboats, but had no experience with sailboats. For some reason they fascinated her, and she tried to compare one with the next as she walked along.

  One boat she happened upon was decidedly different from its neighbors. The Flying Dutchwoman looked like two big, enclosed kayaks held together by a wide cabin of some sort. It resembled a spider or some other bug. Or maybe something from a sci-fi show. Its other attribute was a woman lying on a large piece of material stretched out between the front of the two kayak-like pods. At first Laurie assumed it was a regular owner taking a nap on a lovely day, but there was a sign hung on the side advertising “full day / half day / overnights” with a phone number and a website address. A boat for hire? What kind of crazy business practice was it to have an employee sleeping on the job? Or maybe she was the boss. Either way, the person was lazy and showed a complete lack of salesmanship. No one wanted to wake the staff to ask about going on a sail. She couldn’t stop herself from saying, “This looks more like The Sleeping Dutchwoman.”

  The woman tilted her cap to expose her eyes, then raised a hand to shield them from the sun. Expressionless, she said, “Did you wake me for a reason?”

  Laurie spent just a moment figuring out her archetype. If she was the owner, she was far from serious about her business, and you’d have to be very serious to earn enough to buy such a big craft. She was probably one of those women who dabbled at things. Pretty, bright, and talented, with lots of family money. There were hundreds of women like her in LA. Laurie’d met a ton of them when she went to Hollywood parties with Colin, her last boyfriend. This particular indolent woman was probably between advanced degrees, or maybe her father was trying to teach her a lesson by making her work for a while…after giving her a huge boat.

  “I was just wondering why everyone else is over at the passenger terminal trying to drum up business. Does your way work better?”

  The woman lowered the bill on her white baseball cap and let her head rest on her hands, which she’d linked behind her head, providing a low pillow. “I’m not looking for business.”

  “Your sign says you are. This is your boat, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. Are you from the government? I have a license and I pay my taxes.” She lifted her hat just an inch and said, “Or do you want to go for a sail?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to put you out…”

  The woman dropped her hat again, completely covering her eyes. “Okay. Bye bye.”

  It was all she could do to not jump onto the boat, take that hat off her, and slap her with it. “Are you serious? How do you make a living with that kind of work ethic?”

  “By sailing. I asked if you wanted to go.”

  “You certainly don’t seem very enthusiastic about it.”

  The woman finally sat up and took a few seconds to settle herself. She crossed her legs and rested her elbows on her knees while gazing at Laurie with a puzzled look. “Who are you? Is this a joke?”

  “I’m a potential customer.”

  “Everyone in Philipsburg is a potential customer, but you’re the first one who’s ever harassed me for taking a nap on my own boat. Do you hate naps that much?”

  “No.” She stood there for a second, thinking, “Well, yes, I do, to be honest. You sleep at night, you work during the day.”

  The woman showed a full, rich smile. The one she’d probably used to get her father or older married lover to give her the boat.

  “You’re funny. I’m not sure you mean to be, but you’re funny. What ship are you on?”

  “Who said I’m on a ship?”

  “I did.” She laughed at her own lame joke. “You’re too pale to be local. You’re either on a ship or a tourist just walking around. Which is it?”

  “Kingdom of Denmark,” Laurie said automatically, having noticed that ship in port. She wasn’t embarrassed to work for Luxor, but she was a little embarrassed to be a single, adult woman on a ship named The Teddy Bear.

  “Let’s go for a sail. Half price.”

  “Half price? How can you make a living doing that?’

  “Fine. Full price. Want to go?”

  “How much is full price?” Listening to herself for a moment, she realized she was being an idiot. Not everyone was as focused as she was, even though she’d never understood why. “Never mind. I’ll go. I don’t care how much it costs.”

  “You are very, very funny.” The woman scrambled to her feet, gracefully leapt onto one of the kayaks, then onto the dock, landing right next to Laurie. She extended her hand. “Kaat-ya Hoog-e-boom.”

  Must be a St. Maarten name. Were they called Maartenians? That was probably something to research later. “Laurie Nielsen.”

  “Swedish?”

  “Half Norwegian.”

  Kaatje chuckled, clearly finding herself very funny. “I’ll take you anyway.”

  They walked down the pier until they reached the back of the boat. Laurie was behind Kaatje and she spent the seconds available checking her out. Her opinion of her was changing, and she was trying to sort out her impressions.

  Kaatje was probably gay or at least bisexual, and that had led Laurie to read her entirely wrong. She had that hard-to-define vibe some lesbians give off. An “I’m not trying to impress you” attitude that made her seem slightly haughty.

  Adding to the puzzle, Kaatje was pretty enough to be a jet-setter, with her long, glossy dark hair and striking features. And she certainly had the build of a rich girl—tall, very thin and angular. But her excited smile when they decided to go sailing made that seemingly haughty façade disappear.

  “Have you been on a cat before?”

  “If this is a cat, no I haven’t. Actually I’ve never been on a sailboat.”

  “Then you are in luck. A catamaran is, in my opinion, sometimes faster and always a lot more fun than a regular sailboat.” Kaatje jumped on board and steadied Laurie as she followed. “I’ll give you a very quick tour. This is the cockpit.” She pointed at the thick vinyl-covered cushions in a U shape. “You can sit there”—she slapped the deck a foot and a half higher than the cushions—“or here. You can also go up where I was trying to sleep, but then you can’t listen to me talk, and I’m pretty interesting.”

  Definitely a lesbian. She had that vaguely flirty attitude that could easily be explained away as mere friendliness, but it could also mean she was hitting on her. Lesbians could get away with much more of that than guys could, and some of them were shameless about exploiting it. “You sail this big boat by yourself?’

  “I can, but it’s easier if I have an assistant. I had one during high season, but she left a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Are you sure you can do it alone?”

  With a smug smile Kaatje said, “Positive. I could use some help casting off, but if you don’t want to, I can find somebody to help.”

  “I’ll do it if you tell me how.”

  “If I don’t tell you how to cast off properly, you’ll get left on the dock and then I can’t charge you full price. So, it’s in my best interest to train you well.”

  “It’s in your best interest to stay awake and
try to find clients.” She batted her eyes and gave her a big Teddy Bear smile.

  Chapter Four

  LAURIE WAS NOTHING if not fastidious about following directions, and she was a stellar cast-off mate. She nimbly hopped back onto the boat at the exact time Kaatje told her to, and managed to balance herself with the aid of Kaatje’s steadying hand. “Well done! You’ve got good balance.”

  “I had years of gymnastics training. It’s paid off.”

  “Ready to head out?”

  She looked up at Kaatje who had climbed onto a wide bench that faced a big wheel and a dozen black gauges. “Yeah, but I won’t be able to talk to you.”

  “Come on up. You can sit right here.” She patted the seat next to her, trying not to look like she was flirting. When Laurie hesitated, Kaatje pointed to several relatively level spots that surrounded her. “Or here, or here, or here.”

  “Can I stand behind you?” There was a flat surface directly behind Kaatje’s seat.

  “Sure. But you should probably take your sandals off. The deck can get slippery.”

  Laurie slipped out of her sandals, then climbed up and stood just to the right of Kaatje. With a big, genuine smile affixed to her mouth, she looked as interested and engaged as it was possible for a human to be. “Did I tell you I’ve never been sailing?”

  “Sure did.” Kaatje expertly steered the boat away from the docks, and the wide bay opened up before them. “As soon as we get a few hundred meters out, I can cut the engine and we can really sail.”

  “Cool. Very cool.”

  While the front of the boat dipped and rose in the swiftly deepening, quickly darkening blue water, Laurie watched intently, as though studying for a test. When they were clear of the channel, Kaatje stood up and cut the engine, leaving them in silence.

  “This is great,” Laurie said, just a second before a wave dropped her onto her seat. “Whoa!”

  “You’ve got to stay alert. After a while you’ll unconsciously follow the cues the boat gives you.” Kaatje hopped onto the top deck and started to unfurl the very large sail. In just a few minutes she had it properly raised, and after securing it she sat back down. “I’d suggest sitting down, or holding on.”

  “Really?”

  Kaatje lowered her dark glasses so that Laurie could see she was serious. “Really. Ready to rock?”

  Laurie looked like she was having second thoughts, but she nodded decisively. “Yeah. Totally ready.”

  Kaatje turned the boat to let the wind fill the sail and catapult them forward. This was when sailing was particularly sweet. With a novice on board, who was about to get a thrill that might make her into a sailing junkie. The first time was the best.

  “Whoo!” Laurie giggled while holding onto a couple of pieces of metal that were firmly anchored to the deck. “This is fast!”

  “Want me to slow down? I can. Easily.” Don’t do it. You’ll love it if you give in and let it flow.

  “No. This is fun. I just have to get used to it.”

  “When you’re moving around, the best things to grab are the stays. They’re strong enough to take all of your weight.” She reached behind herself and grabbed a bunch of very thin stainless steel wires that ran down to the side of the boat. “These hold the mast up and keep it in place. They’re the backbone of the boat.” She pointed at the back of the boat. “There are stays right there too. Grab them when you need to. They’ll never let you down.”

  “Okay. I think I’ve got it. You know, the only times I’ve been on a boat, I’ve been on a big houseboat cruising down a slow river. That’s a lot different than this.”

  “Ahh. I like that, too. I’m from Amsterdam and we spend a lot of time on boats of all kinds.”

  “Cool. That’s what I’d expect from a flying Dutchwoman.”

  “Yeah. That’s me. I like to go fast.”

  “I want to learn to. Don’t hold back. I like to make myself adapt.”

  “Are you sure?” Kaatje didn’t want to scare her, but they could have a lot of fun if Laurie was as game as she seemed. And there was nothing better than showing a beginner how fantastic sailing was.

  “I can take it. Let ’er rip.”

  “Okay.” She moved the wheel a little bit and seconds later one of the hulls was almost airborne.

  “Holy crap!” Laurie yelled. “The thing’s in the air!”

  “That’s a hull,” Kaatje said calmly. “Come here. Let me show you how to have some fun.”

  Holding onto anything she could grab, Laurie moved around so she was right next to Kaatje, standing duck-footed with knees bent. It was a real charge to see someone who looked so frightened agree to do whatever she was told.

  “Sit on the deck and put your legs over the side.”

  “You’re crazy!”

  “No, no, it’ll be fun. Really.”

  Very tentatively Laurie followed instructions. She managed to get one leg up, but a major dip had her sprawled across Kaatje.

  “I’ll help you,” Kaatje said, her voice loud to compete with the cresting waves. She jumped onto the deck while holding the wheel with one hand. Then she grabbed the waistband of Laurie’s shorts, holding onto her like a mother cat would a kitten. That stability allowed Laurie to right herself and get her legs over the deck. “Hold onto the lifelines,” Kaatje commanded.

  “I’m holding on like rigor mortis has already set in.”

  “You’re perfectly safe. The wind is brisk today but it’s steady. This is my favorite kind of day—wet and wooly. I’m really glad we came out.”

  “Me, too. This is a lot more fun than sitting on that ship.”

  Kaatje didn’t comment. There was nothing she could say about cruise ships that was complimentary. She just jumped back up to her seat, pulled her cap a little lower, and kept guiding the boat along the waves.

  They skimmed along for a half hour, with Laurie squealing like a baby every few minutes when water washed over her legs or they bottomed out in a deep trough. She seemed giddy with delight, and all of her previous stuffiness was gone. Finally, Kaatje slowed the boat down and they moved along at a very moderate pace. “I didn’t ask if you were wearing sunblock. You are, right?”

  “On my face.”

  “Go down below and grab some. It’s in a cubby on the starboard side.” When Laurie blinked at her, she added, “The right.”

  “Okay.” She went below and came back a moment later. “That’s a pretty impressive spread of food you’ve got down there. Expecting company?”

  “Yeah.” Kaatje let the sail billow while Laurie carefully applied sunblock to her wet legs. “Want a towel?”

  “No, I’m good. I’m drying fast. Who are you expecting?”

  “The people who reserved an all-day sail. Six of them.”

  “Is that why you weren’t looking for business?”

  “Partly. It’s almost impossible to fill the boat with people who didn’t sign up with a cruise ship or via my site.”

  “Isn’t it better to have a couple or a single?”

  “No, not really. It’s often more trouble than it’s worth. For one or two I might as well stay in bed.”

  “You’re losing money on me?”

  “No. The people who reserved pre-paid.”

  “And…and you’re going to keep their money?” She was sputtering with what looked like indignation.

  “Maybe.” Now Kaatje was getting annoyed. If some cruise-ship day-tripper thought she could climb aboard and dictate policies…best of luck.

  “Maybe what?”

  “You ask a lot of questions. Are you planning on going into the business?” This woman was so self-righteous it was comical.

  “No,” Laurie said as she continued to vigorously rub sunblock onto every exposed part of her arms and legs. “I’m just surprised you’d keep the money, given that they didn’t get to sail.”

  “I don’t like to screw people, but I don’t appreciate being screwed, either. If they’re nice and they have a good excuse, I’ll jus
t charge them for my expenses. If they’re idiots”—she made a cutting motion across her throat—“their money is now mine.”

  “Still, they didn’t get to sail.”

  This was getting serious. It was time to lay out the facts. “I should give up six hundred dollars because they changed their minds or they weren’t in the mood? How do I recoup that?”

  “You could go out on the dock…”

  Kaatje knew her voice had grown deep and strong, but there was no reason to sugar coat this. This woman was questioning every tenet of her business…of herself. “That’s for those huge party boats where they drag you out to the most crowded spot, let you splash around in the sea for less than an hour, then drag you back…while letting you drink their watered down rum punch that gives rum a bad name. No serious sailors stand on the dock.” She could have spit just thinking about being in that class of boat. “That has nothing to do with sailing. Their big, belching diesel engines pollute these waters at an amazing clip. I’d give half my earnings to get those monstrosities out of the water.”

  “I didn’t know…”

  “No, but that didn’t stop you from having a very strong opinion about me and my work ethic.” She leaned over so Laurie could see her eyes behind her dark glasses. “An opinion that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  “I’m sorry.” Laurie put a hand on her shoulder. “That was stupid of me.”

  “Yeah, it was. This is my business and I take it very seriously. I motored over to the dock and waited for an hour. Then I told every guy I knew to keep a lookout for the Harris family. But if one of those punks saw them, they’d tell them they didn’t know me. Then they’d lure them onto their boat.”

  “That’s unconscionable!”

  Kaatje shrugged. “That’s what happens. Those guys get a couple of bucks for every person they deliver. It’s dog eat dog.”