by Bill Myers
“Buck says he can do it, but I'm afraid he might hurt his back. But if you came with us, you could do it. That'd keep me and Buck from getting hurt, and you'd get a chance to see the houseboat. It's still for sale, you know.”
“Polly, I'd be happy to help. Just let me know when you want to go.”
She smiled. “How about tomorrow afternoon? Around two? We can take my minivan, head over to Lucy's, hook up the boat trailer and then go to Chadwick Park.”
I nodded again. “Sounds good to me. Just knock on my door tomorrow whenever you're ready to go.”
The next day the weather was perfect for going out on the water. One of those Florida spring days, with bright blue skies, light puffy clouds, no humidity, and a slight breeze.
Just before two in the afternoon, Polly was at my door with Buck at her side. They were holding hands. “Walker, you ready to go out on the water?”
“Sure am. Let's go.”
We loaded into Polly's minivan. Buck and Polly in the backseat with me driving. Before we left, I asked, “Oscar's not going with us?”
Polly shook her head. “Not today. He's not good in the boat, so he's staying home.”
I drove the two miles to Lucy's and as I pulled up into her driveway, Polly tapped me on the shoulder. “The boat's around back. Just drive across the grass. Lucy won't mind.”
I drove across Lucy's lawn and around to the back of her house where the dinghy was stored. It was sitting on a single axle boat trailer, covered with a gray tarp.
Removing the tarp revealed an aluminum v-bottomed boat, with a small outboard motor in the back. Inside the boat were three life jackets, a small first aid kit, and a metal case marked 'flares'.
The boat had three metal bench seats – one back by the motor, one in the middle, and one near the bow. Even though the boat was small, it looked sea worthy.
Polly went to the back of the boat and checked the fuel level of the orange gas tank. “Tank shows almost full. That's good. Means we won't have to stop for gas. But before we get out on the water, let's see if we can get the motor started.
“Walker, come back here and help.”
Polly pointed to the rubber fuel line. “Plug that into the motor. Then pump the primer bulb until it gets hard.”
Polly watched as I followed her instructions.
“Good. Now, make sure the motor is in neutral, and pull out the choke.
“Then grab the starter rope and give it a good pull.”
On the first pull, the motor coughed, but didn't start.
“Don't worry, that's what it always does. Now, push the choke in halfway, and pull again.”
This time, the motor started right up. It ran rough for about ten seconds until Polly pushed the choke all the way in. After that, the motor smoothed out into a steady idle.
After thirty seconds, Polly pressed the kill button, and the motor shuddered to a stop. “You got to love these old Mercury two strokes. They start every time and run forever.”
She pointed to a paddle leaning against the back wall of Lucy's home. “Get that. Never know when we might need it.”
With the paddle in the boat, Polly had me back the minivan up so we could hitch it to the trailer.
As I backed up, Buck stood near the trailer and talked me in.
“Slow. Slow. Straighten up. Good. Stop.”
I put the van in park, killed the motor and headed back to hook up the trailer. But before I could get back there, Buck grabbed the tongue of the trailer and pulled it over to the van. He didn't have to move it far, but I could tell by the look on Polly's face, she wasn't pleased.
She didn't want Buck hurting himself. That's why I was here, to do heavy lifting. But Buck had been quick and lifted the tongue of the trailer and drug it over to the minivan before I could intervene.
When I caught up with him, he was lowering the tongue onto the ball of the trailer hitch. Once he had it set, he wiped his hands and smiled at me. “She didn't think I could do it. But I can.”
He pointed to the chains hanging from the front of the trailer. “Since you're here, you can do the rest.”
I knelt down and connected the safety chains and the light harness. When I got back up, Polly was standing behind me. I smiled and asked, “Anything else?”
She walked around the trailer, inspecting our work. “Everything looks good. Let's go.”
The three of us got back in the minivan and headed to the boat ramp at Chadwick Park.
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
It took us less than ten minutes to reach the boat launch. The minivan had no problem pulling the trailer.
It took another fifteen minutes to get the boat launched. Polly supervised while I backed the trailer down the ramp, and the she showed Buck and I how to unstrap the boat from the trailer and get it in the water.
With the boat in the water, I used the bow line to guide it to the nearby dock so we could get in. Polly sat on the bench nearest the front of the boat, Buck took the middle, and I sat in the back and manned the motor.
With everybody in, I started the motor and backed away from the dock, then headed out across the bay toward Polly's houseboat.
The little v-bottom boat quickly came up on plane, and we skimmed across the bay leaving only a small wake behind.
As we got closer to the houseboat, I throttled back and we glided toward its gleaming white hull.
Polly turned toward me and said, “Pull up close on the right side. But be careful. I don't want you bumping into my boat.”
I nodded, showing I understood.
I brought us around to the right side of the Escape Artist and closed to within three feet of it's hull, then killed the motor. Our momentum kept us gliding forward toward the boat. When we got close enough, Buck reached out and used his hands to keep us from bumping into the houseboat's hull.
Polly pointed to the houseboat. “See that opening in the railing? I need you to move us down there. Don't start the motor, just grab the hand rail and pull us over.”
Pulling hand over hand, Buck and I moved the little boat toward the opening Polly had pointed out.
When we reached it, she said, “That's far enough. Now hold the boat steady.”
She stood and unlatched the section of the handrail that doubled as a gate, and pulled herself up on deck. Her momentum pushed our little boat away from the houseboat. We quickly floated out of Polly's reach.
“Oops,” she said, “I should of tied us off before I got out. Throw me a line, I'll pull you back over.”
Buck tossed her a line, and she was able to pull us back up close to the house boat. She wrapped the line to a cleat on the houseboat's deck, which would keep us from floating away.
She did the same with a line from the rear of the dingy. With both the front and the back of the dinghy secured, she stood and said. “You two wait here for a minute. I need to go get something.”
She walked to the back deck of the houseboat and returned with two rubber boat bumpers. She snapped their lines onto deck cleats and then dropped them into the space between the two boats.
“Okay, guys. Come on aboard.”
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
Buck went first, using the hand rail on the houseboat to help him make the step up from the dinghy. I followed.
Once aboard, we could see that just about every surface of the boat was freshly painted white. The contrasting blue curtains covering the many windows, gave the boat a real nautical feel.
Polly unlocked the main cabin and invited us in. It was clean inside, but there was a slightly musty smell. Polly pointed to the windows. “Lets open some doors and windows so we can get some fresh air in here.”
Buck opened the sliding door overlooking the front deck, while I opened the windows that wrapped around the main cabin.
While we were doing this, Polly went down a short set of stairs to an area below the main cabin. We could hear her opening and closing cabinet doors. A few moments later, she came back up and joined us.
“The main electrical panel is down there. You have to flip on the battery switch to have lights and power. When I leave the boat, I always turn it off, and when I come back, I turn it back on.
“To keep the batteries charged, I come out here and run the motors at least once a month.”
She reached into her shirt pocket and retrieved a keyring that had three keys along with a bright yellow piece of rubber that had the words 'Boat US' printed in red.
“Walker, let me show you how to start the motor.”
Polly stood behind the helm and inserted one of the keys into the boat's ignition switch and turned it one click to the right.
“First, you start the fuel tank exhaust fan by flipping this toggle switch.
“That humming sound you hear means the fan is running.
“Next you start the fuel pump.”
She flipped another toggle switch, this one labeled 'fuel pump', and we could hear a slight clicking sound from down below.
“Then you lower the motor into the water.”
She pulled a large white lever and we heard the deep humming sound of electric motor, followed by a splash.
“That splash means the motor is in the water. Now we'll see if it'll start.”
She turned the ignition key to the far right, and we could hear the starter turning.
After five seconds, the motor hadn't fired up. Polly turned the key off, counted to ten, then tried the starter again. This time the motor roared to life.
She smiled. “That's the way it's supposed to work. The first time primes the motor. The second time starts it.
“If you follow the steps just like I showed you, it'll start every time.”
I nodded. “Seems pretty easy. Start the fan, run the fuel pump, lower the motor, and turn the key, twice.”
Polly nodded. “That's right. Just remember to do it in the right order, and you won't have a problem.”
She then asked, “You guys ready for the tour?”
We both said 'yes'.
“Okay. I'll tell you what I know.
“This is a thirty six foot Sea Rover. It's a fiberglass tri-hull. They tell me that means low maintenance, more stability and a smoother ride.
“It's got a two foot draft, which means we can go into pretty shallow water. That's good for around here, because the water can be shallow up in the rivers and canals.
“Back when this boat was originally built, it had twin inboard motors, but the previous owner took them out and replaced them with a single outboard.
“He told me this made the boat lighter and easier to handle. It also opened more storage below. Supposedly the outboard is a better motor for the conditions here in Florida.
“I don't know if that's true or not, but that's what the guy said.
“Up here on the main deck, we have a small galley kitchen with fridge and microwave.
“Behind us is the head, with toilet and shower. Further back is the captain's quarters with a small bed and desk.
“Down below, there's a guest cabin with twin beds.
“Outside, we have a sun deck up front, a fishing deck out back, and a party deck up on top.
“Any questions?”
I raised my hand. “Why do you park it out here, instead of the marina?”
Polly smiled. “Good question. I'd prefer to have it at the marina. It'd make it a lot easier to get to. But at the marina, they charge by the foot for dock space. And for this boat, they wanted four hundred fifty dollars a month.
“That's way more than I wanted to pay. So I anchor it out here in the mooring field where it doesn't cost me anything.”
I nodded, “I guess that makes sense. But how safe is it to leave the boat out here?”
“Actually, it's pretty safe. Not many people bother to steal boats from the mooring field. Too much trouble to get to them, and there's almost always people around watching for that kind of thing.
“The big worry is tropical storms and hurricanes. If you see one of those coming, you do have to move the boat to safety.
“But so far, we've been pretty lucky in Englewood. Last big storm to hit this area was almost forty years ago.”
Polly turned to Buck. “What do you think of her?”
He smiled. “From what I can see, this is a pretty sweet deal. A little get-away out here on the water. No one to bother you and all the comforts of home.”
“Yeah,” I said, “I agree with Buck. This is pretty nice. I'm impressed.”
Then I asked, “Polly, would it be okay if I walked around, checked things out?”
“Sure, make yourself at home. Just don't use the toilet. I haven't turned on the pump and don't want to have to dump the holding tanks.”
While Polly and Buck stayed on the upper deck, I explored. I started by going down the narrow set of stairs just behind the helm. This took me to the lower deck and the guest cabin.
It was surprisingly roomy, with twin beds, two closets, a night table and a lamp. Port hole windows on each side of the cabin provided light and cross ventilation as well as a water view.
To the rear of the guest cabin, right behind the night table, was a narrow door. Presumably this door led into the engine bays. I tried it, but it was locked.
Leaving the guest cabin, I headed back upstairs, and checked out the captain's quarters – a small room overlooking the back of the boat. It had a single bed, a small desk and chair.
Windows on three sides provided ventilation as well as a good view outside the boat. With the door to the captains quarters open, the captain would be just steps from the helm, and have a clear view of the front and back of the boat.
Just outside the captain's cabin was a small bathroom, with toilet, shower and sink. Like all the other rooms in the boat, the bathroom had a window, but in this room, it was placed high on the wall for privacy.
Going outside, I followed a narrow catwalk to the front deck where Polly and Buck had pulled up two folding chairs and were talking.
Seeing me, Polly turned and asked, “So, did you see it all? Any questions?”
“I think I saw everything, and I'm really impressed. Much more room than I expected. My only question is about the air conditioner. I see you have one, but how do you power it?”
Polly pointed to the back of the boat. “There's a 4,500 watt gas generator in one of the engine bays. Whenever I need to run the A/C, I press a button on the helm, and the generator starts right up.”
I nodded. “So how big is the boat's fuel tank? And how much fuel does she use when cruising?”
Polly smiled. “Those are the same questions I asked before I bought her. The previous owner told me it had a sixty gallon fuel tank. He said the boat uses about four gallons an hour while cruising.
“But I don't know if that's true or not. I've only taken it out once. Up to Sarasota Bay and back. Took about three hours and used an eighth of a tank.”
I pointed over my shoulder. “Mind if I go back and check out the motor?”
“Check out whatever you like. Me and Buck are going to sit up here and watch the dolphins.”
I made my way to the back of the boat, along the port side catwalk. About half way back, I heard Polly call my name. “Walker, you won't be able to get into the old engine bays. They're both locked. Keeps thieves from stealing the generator and batteries.”
That made sense. Keep things locked, just in case uninvited guests make their way on board.
At the back of the boat, I stood on the fishing deck, right above the still running Honda four stroke motor. It was surprisingly quiet, just burbling along at idle, spitting out a constant stream of water from above the prop.
Looking closer at the motor, I could see it was securely locked into an all metal bracket that had been welded to the back of the boat.
This would tend to discourage would-be thieves, as would the large expanse of water they would need to travel to get to the boat in the first place.
As I stood there, the motor suddenly stopped running. It had been ru
nning smoothly, with no problems. Then it just stopped.
Looking over my shoulder toward the front of the boat, I saw Polly standing at the helm. She had apparently switched off the motor.
Behind me, the motor lurched, then slowly started tilting backwards, lifting up out of the water until the prop was a good eight inches above the surface.
Turning back toward Polly, I gave her a thumbs up, and she signaled me to join her. As I made my way to the helm, I could hear Buck closing the windows we had opened earlier.
When I reached Polly, she said, “It's about time to head back to shore. We don't want to be pulling the trailer back home after dark.”
I frowned. “Seems like we just got here. We going back so soon?”
She smiled. “Walker, we've been out here almost two hours. It'll take us another hour to get back to shore and load up the trailer and get it back to Lucy's. And by then it'll be close to dark.”
I pulled out my phone to check the time and Polly was right. We'd been on the boat for two hours - a lot longer than I thought. Time had flown by.
I didn't want to leave. It was nice out here on the water, and it wouldn't bother me a bit to stay longer. But I was Polly's guest. And if she and Buck wanted to get back to Lucy's before dark, then that's what we were going to do.
After Buck had closed all the windows and doors, Polly went around and double checked each of them.
She explained, “You have to check everything twice. Leaving a window just slightly cracked could cause a major problem. Rainstorms, birds, and uninvited guests will take advantage of any opening.”
After she was certain that everything was secure, she locked the main cabin door and we headed back to the dinghy, which was still lashed to the side of the houseboat.
“Walker, you get in first. Get the motor started. Then Buck and I will get in.”
I climbed down into the dinghy and with one pull of the starter rope, got the motor up and running. Buck held Polly's hand as she stepped in, and he followed. Once we were all settled in, we untied the lines and pushed the dinghy away from the houseboat, and headed back.
