Walking down the dirty, over-grown shipyard dock, Jay and Connor walked down the path towards a rusted ship, starting to fall apart due to the elements.
Carrying a bag of tools, Jay looked up at the USCG Cutter he'd just bought. A smile of sadness and sympathy for the old girl.
Cutter Chase Katrino sat lifelessly in the water where it was tied up at. It's sad, slightly rusted shell a permanent reminder that the ship was dying, waiting to be saved.
Paint beginning to chip away and fall off, it's Coast Gaurd orange a dirty brown from moss, rust and dust. It was a shell, one Jay hoped he could repair with his team and CG engineers.
Jay looked up to the decommissioned vessel, a look sympathetic look on his face, "I have a friend of mine, Coastie engineer, asked him to come down here and help evaluate the damage on this poor girl." Jay glanced down at his husband.
Connor looked over to the taller man, a soft smile on his face, "I know you'll do the best you can to get her up and running again."
Jay looked back up at the cutter. "I know I will, I know we will." Connor rolled his eyes, "I'm not the one trying to repair a government's ship."
"I will make it my goal to get her running, and out in open sea." Jay rolled his eyes at Connors remark, looking at the U.S. COAST GUARD painted on the bow of the ship, a deep wave of confidence and determination hitting him.
The sound of a car engine echoed over the empty, lifeless dock.
Footsteps neared the two men, the clinking and clanking of keys, tools and other metal objects hitting eachother. Jay looked back, straining his neck over the strap of his tool bag.
"Yo, you called?" A black man asked, walking up beside Jay's lanky form. "Shawn Barnes, my husband, Connor." Jay introduced, smiling at both men.
"Nice meeting you, Shawn." Connor and Shawn shook hands with a downward nod.
"So, let's see what this old girl is made off, shall we, gentlemen?" Jay smiled. Shawn nodded, beginning the walk to the ship.
Jay, Shawn and Connor walked along the rusted walkway up to the deck. The metal creaking and groaning under their combined weight. Her hull gently rising and falling with the water currents.
"Well, we gotta start with strippin' the deck and getting to the inner hull." Shawn state, kneeling over th rusted floor, the paint chipping away.
"Noted. We also need to repair all the inner hull panelling, support beams, walls, etc." Jay added, pointing to wheelhouse.
"It's like rebuilding a house that's been abandoned for a decade." Connor said, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling with admiration for his man.
Jay smiled, and turned to Shawn, nodding. "She's a lot of work, but I know a bunch of guys who know guys. We'll manage it, I'll have Ella run and transfer the important calls to my cell, and leave the others to her."
Ella Harmon, Jay's "Third In Command" of his business, after Connor, his "Second In Command". She was very trusted, and has handled the responsibility of keeping Bay Mechanics in order before, three time actually.
"I'll let her know on the drive home, see ya in the evening Jay." Connor pecked his husbands cheek, before turning and walking to his car, casually as if he hadn't hust kissed Jay infront of someone.
Jerry's face flushed a soft pink, rolling his eyes, "I love that idiot." With a small smile.
"I can tell, you get hearts in your eyes when ypu look at him." Shawn smirked, playfully punching Jay's shoulder, causing the taller man to roll his hazel eyes.
"Let's start with evaluating everything, and the estimated cost." Jay chuckled, pulling out his notepad and pen, writing down the date of 3rd May, 2015, CK Evaluation.
"First off, we have to get inside the control room, check the inside of the wheelhouse, see if its stable, if not, we need to rebuild the whole 'house." Shawn stated, standing up and making his way to the stairs yp to the rusted wheelhouse.
"Will do, sir." Jay said sincerely, with no mockery in it.
After hours, hours and hours of writing, checking the ship all around, checking if the engines still all run, and they did, barely.
It was in the late hours, Jay already calling his husband that he would be home later than expected, possibly back in the morning.
"Okay. Rounded everything up. Repair value would be around 10.6 million, and replacement for everything 79.3 million." Jay winced at the higher number, but shook it off, "Hopefully we don't need to replace anything, just repair."
Shawn smiled gently at his best friend, "I know your team and your friend's friends will help you get her sea worthy." Jay scoffed, putting away his notepad, "I know guys who know guys, they'll help, I have a few guys who owe me, this is how they can repay."
Jay looked up at Chase's identification and build number, 497. The black numbers painted on the bow, again, the paint chipping away with the elements.
"Y'know, I'd hire you as her engineer if I was allowed to build up the crew." Jay looked over to Shawn, both standing on the over grown dock.
"I know, but, from what I've heard, UG already has a crew lined up." Shawn pointed out sadly, looking over Katrino's rusted frame.
"We'll manage, hopefully. I still have to plan my fishing trips, for King, Opilio and Bardi. And possibly events to be held onboard while in dock at Homer. You're invited, by the way." Jay sighed, the stress of it all weighing on him ever since his last crab season ended and he got back to port.
"I'll be heading home the stop by the office to pick up papers, fill them in, and hit the bed." Jay waved goodbye to his best friend, and headed to his car, reading over the notes on the evaluation.
