Note: The boat mentioned in this chapter is not a boat from the series. I came up with it on my own…as you'll see why after you read it…just FYI!
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Chapter 13: Lucky Catch
"Watch out!" cried Sarah on the intercom as a massive rogue wave poured past her.
The deckhands below scrambled for cover as the wave roared over the railing and swept across the deck.
Sarah cursed under her breath. The weather was getting worse the further North they went. She wondered briefly if this was a good idea, but the allure of the Opilio crab reminded her that this risk they were taking was worth it. Their livelihoods depended on the crab they caught and so far it had not been a promising season.
They had started out with average numbers and made their first offload date on time. But over the past couple of weeks, the crab dwindled to below average numbers. Sarah knew they could fish twenty average for a long time and make the last offload date, but the chance of getting it all at once seemed like a much better option at the time.
The weather radio blared the dreadful news yet again. A fishing vessel near the area they were heading for had capsized just moments ago. The Northwestern was only two miles away. Sarah had quickly maneuvered the vessel in the direction of the downed boat. They were just arriving at the scene when the radio beeped.
"This is Sarah Hansen on the Northwestern."
"Ms. Hansen, this is the U.S. Coast Guard," said a male voice, "We see that you are near the missing vessel, Lucky Catch."
"Yeah, we are and I'm going to get my crew out on deck to help search for survivors. I'll let you know if we see anything."
Sarah ended the call and hurriedly grabbed the other radio.
"Okay guys, we're here!" she announced, "Stop prepping pots and start looking for survivors. Grab some life rings too."
"Roger!" shouted Jake as he and Alex moved to get the life rings.
Jon and Amy split up and stood on either side of the boat and began to scan the dark water. Andrew climbed around to the bow of the Northwestern and strained to see in the pitch black night.
Sarah flipped on the high-powered lights and the area around them soon glowed brightly.
"I don't see anything," murmured Andrew and Alex joined him out on the bow, carrying a life ring in one hand.
Alex's jaw tightened, "It doesn't look good. Coast Guard said the ship capsized. Sounds like it went down pretty fast. And how long did it take us to get here? Fifteen, twenty minutes? Unless those guys were in survival suits, they're already gone."
Andrew nodded grimly. The outlook for the crew of Lucky Catch was not good.
"Anything yet?" asked Sarah over the intercom.
Alex turned to look up at the wheelhouse and shook his head. Just then a Coast Guard helicopter flew over them, its broad spotlight searching the very choppy seas.
Sarah turned to look at the deckhands behind her. Jake shook his head sadly and gritted his teeth as he turned to look back out on the water.
The waves rocked the Northwestern violently from side to side. Sarah suddenly understood how easily a boat could be overwhelmed and capsized in the rough, twenty-five foot seas.
Suddenly, a loud shot from the bow caught her attention. Alex and Andrew were pointing at something in the distance. Sarah's heart raced when she saw what they were pointing at. It was bright orange and looked like a person floating in the water.
"We got a survival suit off the bow!" said Sarah, calling the Coast Guard, "Can you see it from your position?"
"Roger that Northwestern, we can see the body now," replied the man, "We're swinging around for a closer view and we'll take it from there."
Sarah watched tensely as the chopper hovered over the bright orange figure. The fast-moving blades stirred up the already high seas and sent freezing spray flying out in all directions.
The basket dropped from the hatch and slowly made its way down to the Coast Guard diver in the water. The man had one arm wrapped around the person in the survival suit and one arm trying desperately to keep them both afloat. The two were gathered inside the basket and raised back up into the helicopter.
"What's his status?" asked Sarah into the radio.
"I'm afraid he's DOA," replied the Coast Guard man, "The Cutter just radioed in. They found three more DOA. There are two more still missing."
Sarah felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach. It suddenly became very hard to breath. She swallowed, cleared her throat, and reached for the intercom.
"Hey guys…I got bad news."
The deckhands turned and braced themselves. Jake frowned worriedly. Alex and Andrew exchanged sorrowful glances, already predicting what had occurred. Jon and Amy shot each other nervous looks and waited for Sarah to continue.
"The man was DOA. And the Coat Guard Cutter found three more dead…two are still missing."
Sarah felt emotion begin to tighten around her throat. She swallowed again and tried to regain her composure. She had to be strong now for her crew. That's what her dad and Sig had told her from the beginning. If she wanted to be a skipper she would have to be twice as tough as any deckhand in the fleet. She would have to put herself last and the boat and crew first. This was one of those times.
Jake hung his head in despair and turned to lean out over the railing to hide his emotion. Alex snarled in anger and hit the rail on the bow in frustration. Andrew shook his head in disbelief and gazed back out into the dark depths of the Bering Sea. Amy tried desperately to compose herself, but began to cry silently while Jon wrapped a comforting arm around her.
Sarah was fighting desperately to hold back her emotions in the wheelhouse. Tears fell silently down her cheek and she brushed them away quickly. Now was not the time to lose it. She had to stay calm and collected for what was about to happen. Steeling herself, she picked up the intercom radio.
"I want you all to be fully aware of the situation we're about to put ourselves into," she said gravely, "We're going to be heading right through the middle of this storm tonight and into the morning. It's the same storm these guys went through…its serious stuff. Forty to fifty foot seas are about a four hour ride away. Are you guys with me?"
Sarah waited tensely for the reply. She knew she was asking a lot from her crew. She could very well be leading them all to their deaths for all she knew.
Jake exchanged glances with Jon and Amy before he turned to push the button on the intercom down on the deck.
"We're always with you, Sarah," he said sincerely, "Take us to the crab!"
Sarah smiled through her tears. Jake's loyalty never ceased to amaze her.
"We're game!" shouted Alex from the bow, "Let's do this!"
He pumped his fist into the air and turned to curse the sea.
Sarah could not suppress her laugh at the sight: mean, tough, big-shot Alex challenging the Bering Sea.
"Alright," she said into the intercom, "Then brace yourselves. I think we're in for one heck of a wild ride!"
PLEASE REVIEW!!
I'll be gone for the next few days doing various things. So I probably won't get to write more until around June 1rst...
Thanks again for your feedback!! I REALLY appreciate it!!