Steve
Chuck had come out for breakfast this morning to talk to me about something. When we had our coffee and were sitting at the bar away from people, Chuck said, "There's a bunch of things coming together all at once. Magellan called to say the boat's ready to be picked up. I've transferred funds and paid them, so we can bring it up any time."
He took a sip of coffee and said, "You want to go to Hawaii for a few days, which at a minimum is a day going and a day returning. I can get the time off, but the time may be important for other things."
Still sipping his coffee, he looked at me a little odd, and said, "I need to make a trip to Costa Rica for some personal business and that will take at least three days. That trip will depend on what Ben has lined up, but I think he's planning on making it soon."
I looked up and asked, "Anything else?"
"Plenty, Lisa wants me to give her and your new girl, Charlotte, chopper lessons. Then there are the guys out at the helicopter shop that are looking to me for leadership. I'm giving them their rein and letting Betty schedule the aircraft, and it's working out so far. Hell, they know more about running a helicopter shop than I ever will."
I laughed, "That's the way you manage Chuck. You pick out the leaders and ask them to make everything happen. Each of the people are cogs and all of them together make the wheel turn without any hiccups. You're doing right."
"What's with this anyway, Steve? You're the owner of that joint out there and you should be giving the marching orders."
Still laughing I said, "You forget so easily, Chuck. You bought in already. Tiny said everything is a done deal, right down to you autographing the power of attorney for the operation. Yep, you are the majority owner of the helicopter operation. I think you need to be in with me on the fixed wing operation too. You're spending more time out there than I am, and you seem to be interested in everything."
"Steve, Steve, Steve, don't do this to me. Christ, I'm a Deputy U.S. Marshal that hunts escaped criminals and protects federal buildings and employees. That's what I am, that's what I do. I'm not some mega-business owner that knows how to manage a thousand employees or how to make a multi-million dollar operation work."
"Give it a rest, Chuck. I need you as part of that operation, and I sort of tricked you into becoming a part of it. Somehow, someway, you've come up with enough money to do all this stuff, help some people get back on their feet, and still can go buy one of the nicest sailboats ever built. If you need help getting stuff done, let me know and I'll help. You see what's happening, don't you? You have more to do in life than being a deputy; you have to be the man of your house. You have to be the final word for a bunch of people who look up to you out at the whirlybird shop. Decisions won't come easy sometimes, but they will come. Just hang in there, and if I can help, pull my chain."
Poor Chuck, I don't think I helped him all that much, but at least he knows I understand. I leaned over to him and said, "If you want, I can send John and a crew down to bring the boat up here, or Mercy and I will go get it. That's the easy one. Just say the word and I'll get it done. As far as Hawaii is concerned, I thought we would leave Wednesday and be back Sunday. So big deal, we'll leave next Tuesday or Wednesday and not this week. We'll have enough time to work with Crystal and Bear on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and fly back on Sunday. It's a fast trip, but we're not going for a bunch of changes or decisions. We're just going to find out what Bear and Crystal have up their sleeves."
Chuck's cell phone started ringing. He answered it and then said, "Hey, Ben, just the man I was talking about. You are, huh? That soon? Okay, sure, I'll fly us down this afternoon. How about we leave around one? Okay, then we'll leave around two or two-thirty when you get out to the airfield. I'll file the international flight plan and get an aircraft ready."
"Oh yeah," Chuck said into his cell phone, "You're in Key West. Okay then, meet me at the airport at the private aircraft operations building. Make sure you thank Rosie for me and if you would, leave her a tip. I'll give you a C-note for her when I see you. I know that's too much, but she's looking after everything for me. See you then."
Chuck called out to the airpark and asked for Jimmy. "Jimmy, did you get that mod completed on the 55C? Right, the long range tanks. Great, Jimmy, transfer me back to DeDe and let me talk to her."
You could see Chuck burning the brain cells thinking, then he said, "DeDe, I need the Lear 55C for today and tomorrow. You can use the Phenom for most everything except too many passengers. Please tell me it's possible. Great, DeDe, I love you. Thank you. Right, I'll be out to preflight it around one. Please have them fill the new tanks too. Thanks."
Chuck hung up his cell and said to me, "I had the 55C modified to long range. We should have a range of over twenty eight hundred miles. We'll use it to go to Hawaii. I'll be back in a couple of days, and we'll make the trip next week or when I get back. Send John and any crew he might need to pick up the boat. That will take care of everything at this moment. I gotta run. See you later."
And just like that, Chuck was gone. I waved at Mercy to come over and said to her, "The boat's done. Chuck has to go somewhere and wants John to bring it up. What do you think?"
Mercy looked aggravated, "Darn, I wanted to make it a fun trip for his women to come up in the boat. I guess if they can't go, John might as well go get it. I'll ask Brandy to see what she thinks. The girls might want to go bring it up anyway. If they do, I think you and I could sail it up. We don't know the boat yet, but we'll learn. We could always take some crew. We should probably bring John anyway. He'll know what else we might need on it by helping us sail it up."
I said, "Sounds good to me, I'll call John and have him pick a couple crew members out that would be good. We'll take a few boxes of food for a quick trip. Call Brandy and see if the girls want to go. Hell, find Lisa and see if she wants to go. The charter service can do without her for a couple of days."
Sue came over to me and said, "What's going on, Mercy is about to jump out of her skin?"
I explained the quick trip to Sue and she laughed, "I should have known it had something to do with sailing. She's so excited about our planned vacation that she's going nuts over it. She's got all the clothes for the kids planned already. I mean all of the kids that are going. She is really excited."
I asked, "What do you think. Want to come along? We could have a night on the boat. That would be nice."
Sue said, "I have too much going on right now. I have to go in front of the county board for the permits to build the new building. They're talking that there will be too much commercial footage out here, when there are buildings that could be modified within a half-hour of here. I will explain that I need my people near me, not across town. Besides that, it is our land."
"Be nice, Honey, those bureaucrats can be a real pain. They have thin skins, so don't insult them."
Sue was heading toward the kitchen as she said, "I know, I know, it's the same old game. They would rather have us give them money than to make it and employ people."
I called John, our boat charter manager, to see what his schedule was. His easy response was, "To bring that boat back up here, I'm available in about, oh let's say, five minutes. When do we leave?"
"I'm setting it up now, John," I said. "How about picking out a couple of crewmen that can help on a quick trip like this? I'm not sure of the passenger list yet, but we could have a dozen by the time we get out of Miami."
John said, "Hell, a dozen people are few enough that they will get lost on that monster. We'll have to put GPS on passengers to find them. I have just the two who would enjoy the trip and would love to crew on that boat. They're in port and not due to sail until next week. I'll get them going and you call me."
I called out to the airpark to find out if I can get an aircraft to fly me to Miami. DeDe laughed, "What is this. The day everyone in the company is going to fly somewhere. Chuck, at least, is flying himself. Maybe he can fly you down. He's leaving here around one."
I said, "I'll have to find out whether the Lear is big enough. The 55C will only carry ten. I'll call you back and let you know."
I found Mercy and she said that all five girls were going. That would be seven with us plus John and two crewmen. There wouldn't be enough room for Ben. Then again, I wondered where Ben was.
I called Ben's cell, and when he answered, I asked, "Where are you, Ben? Are you in town?"
Ben laughed, "No, Beth and I are in Key West waiting for Chuck to pick us up around two or two-thirty. He's flying us down to Costa Rica this afternoon."
I said, "Good, the only thing better would be if you were in Miami. I'll call Chuck and see what he thinks."
Ben said, "We can get a commuter into Miami if we have to. They leave here every thirty minutes. It's only forty-five minutes to get there."
"I'll call you, Ben. Let me ask Chuck."
I called Chuck, "Hey, Chuck, since you're going to the Key's to pick up Ben and Beth, could you fly your girls, John, Mercy, me, and a couple of crewmen down to Miami. I know that would be an extra hour up and down, but if it's a problem, Ben said he could catch a commuter to Miami."
I could hear the wheels turning in Chuck's head, but he surprised me when he asked, "How much luggage?"
"You know your girls. Just tell them to bring the minimum."
Chuck said, "Okay, we can do that it'll only add an hour to the trip down. We can leave whenever you want. I can be ready in an hour. I've got my travel bag and I'm ready. Should I call the girls?"
"You call your women, and I'll get everyone else out to the airpark."
I went in and stuffed a couple pair of jeans, some T-shirts, shorts, and a couple pair of deck shoes into my duffel bag. I took it and my protection suitcase out to the patio. Glenda said, "I wish I had the time or I would ride up with you. I'll bet that boat is really something."
"It is, Glenda. You'll be riding on it soon, anyway. We'll take it out a couple of weekends before our trip. I need to take Chuck out for at least a three or four day cruise to familiarize him with sailing again."
Glenda said, "Our trip will be the biggest event of our lives, Steve— since our wedding, anyway. Martin is really excited about it too."
Mercy came out and stuffed her clothes into my duffel bag and said, "I'm ready. The girls just called and said they were on their way and had used Chuck's duffel bag for all of them. Let's head to the airpark. John and the crewmen should be about there."
Out at the airpark, Chuck was fussing around the Lear, doing his preflight. He was checking over the modification and checking the fuel gauges over and over again. When I brought my duffel bag out, Chuck grabbed it and stuffed it in the luggage compartment and shut the hatch. Shortly, John and the two crewmen showed up with only gym bags. They all said they would just stuff them under their seats. Chuck just shrugged his shoulders.
Then came Frieda's SUV with her, Lisa, and 'Oh shit, ' that's eleven. Chuck just nodded and said, "Lisa or Steve can ride up front with me."
Chuck grabbed the girls' duffel bag and put it into the luggage compartment too, and this time, latched and locked the hatch down ready to fly. He got everyone on board and looked at everyone, mentally adding up weight. He should be fine considering we didn't have much luggage and had some small people on board. Then I remembered that the aircraft was heavier due to the added fuel tanks.
Lisa got into the right seat with Chuck and I saw them go through the startup procedure. While we were taxing out to the runway, some great blues music began playing over the cabin speakers. Lisa announced, "This is music from our Atlanta trip a while back. Hope you like it."
When we took off, Chuck really poured on the coals making sure we had enough speed to lift off. We seemed to get into the air easily and were descending for Miami almost as soon as we had reached altitude.
All of the women were excited about the boat, so when we landed, they were all anxious to get a taxi to the boatyard. Chuck unloaded the two duffel bags for us and was ready to takeoff almost immediately. Mercy had Chuck off to the side, talking to him as if there might be something wrong, but she came back to the group with a smile.
Chuck received kisses and hugs from his women, then we watched as he started up the Lear to continue his journey.
The two taxis dropped us off at Magellan at one thirty, where we were then shown through the plant, followed by a formal presentation of the work that had been completed on the boat.
The girls were most interested in the interior of the boat and were excited over each of the changes. I was impressed by the way they had designed the two main cabins. Both were oversized, with a lot of room around massive beds. There was a hot tub room between the bedrooms that also contained a cedar sauna. It seemed the boat was luxurious in every way that one could imagine.
The galley and eating area flowed through to a large lounge that had distinct areas, so groups could be involved in something without disturbing the other group. The children's rooms were unique as the girls had designed the rooms with multiple bunk beds. There were more beds than kids, but Chuck was trying to remedy that.
The guest rooms were extensive. There were a lot more guest rooms with private bathrooms, or heads, than you would think there could be. It did appear that the size of the boat did allow a lot of space to work with.
Up in the main deck lounge was another staircase or ladder that went to the roof of the lounge, where there was another hot tub, and a large sunning area for people to lay out. Just strolling around the deck was a treat, as there were so many lockers and items of interest. The topside lounge had a massive weather helm. There were multiple screens with dozens of gauges that reminded you of the cockpit of an aircraft. A great feature was the arrangement of a large chair for the captain, with two couch type seats on either side of it. The visibility was superb and made you feel comfortable inside.
There was a large locker at the rear of the boat that contained a heavy duty Zodiac inflatable dingy that was inflated and had an outboard motor on it. Also on the rear deck was a lift with another large inflatable dinghy on it.
When we went to look at the outdoor main helm, I was surprised to find only a wheel. John, Mercy, the two crewmen, and I were all surprised at how sparse it was.
The Magellan owner opened a couple of large latches and swung out the two large doors that created an instrument helm area that rivaled the one inside. Three radar screens, along with a large GPS screen, were easy to see standing at the wheel, with switches for sail control located within easy reach of the wheel area. One of the very unique features was the computerized monitoring system. The computer monitored every vital function of the boat and displayed a synopsis of the status on the screen. There were even areas you could enter 'What if' questions, so you could make the right sail choices.
We were instructed that the outdoor helm was weatherproof, but it was recommended that during severe weather, the helm be closed and secured to limit the corrosive effect of wind driven saltwater.
Brandy had been designated to take care of any unfinished business with Magellan, so she and John spent a few minutes with the owners. When she returned to all of us who were still gawking in awe of the massive boat, she was carrying a large satchel that she said contained instruction manuals and guides for all of the equipment on board.
Now, Chuck's planning paid off, as he had made sure that our initial shakedown voyage would include one of Magellan's sailing engineers. Also along for the ride were an interior engineer, and a specially hired chef to cook for us and to show the folks how the equipment within the boat and galley worked.
The presentation of the boat took almost three hours, which meant we were going to encounter a lot of boat traffic out on the water after a workday.
When it was time for us to depart, Mercy placed the girls around the deck to watch for various events, and placed Frieda on the bow with a pair of binoculars and a bullhorn to warn approaching boaters.
The huge motors started easily and ran almost completely silent. We cast off with John, the engineers, and our crewmen watching us to make sure we could handle a boat this size. I was able to gently leave the Magellan docks and crawl out to the channel that led to the Atlantic. Our goal this evening was to get out far enough that we could raise sail, then go to the south of Key West and sail back northwest. Our main objective was to get some experience with the boat and to see how it sailed. We also wanted to avail ourselves of the two engineers so we could learn as much about the boat as possible.
I used the computer to give me the information for what sail I wanted to raise and initiated the sequences that would raise yards and yards of sailcloth. As two huge sails were hoisted, I had to smile as on the front sail was the cartoon character 'Deputy Dawg, ' on the rear sail was a large S&S logo, and below it, the Quality Wear logo. I wonder whose idea that was?
That's when I wanted to look to see what the name of the boat was.
Mercy said to me, "No one has named the boat yet, but there are several suggestions. I'm sure Chuck will name the boat soon."
I asked Mercy, "So what was the serious talk with Chuck about when we landed?"
Mercy said, "He's up to something, and he won't let me in. I can tell that it's something he's uncomfortable with, but he's determined to do whatever it is he's doing. Chuck can sometimes be real scary. You know he wouldn't do anything to hurt you, or anyone else that didn't threaten his family and friends, but he can get involved in things even faster than you. He assured me that he was fine and everything would go well. I made him promise to use his gift if he needed it."
Once the sail was powering the boat, I let John man the helm while Mercy and I explored the rest of the boat.
On the second below deck, we investigated the engine room, the maintenance shop, and the desalination room. The gym was really nice sized and full of good equipment. The office area was very plush. It had its own small head, and had four portholes for natural light. The two large cabins on this deck were really fancy, and there was the very big, and very modern, laundry room with two huge washers and two huge dryers. I suppose there could be a need to wash a lot of clothes with as many passengers as the boat could carry.
The crew's quarters were very nice and comfortable. They had their own galley, as well as two nice heads. There was captain's quarters and bunks for twelve additional crew. The bunkrooms were actually spacious, with only two bunks per stack instead of the usual three. This deck did have a lot of room. Up in the galley, the Magellan chef was busily preparing a baked fish dinner that was going to be good, if the smells were any indication. The big table was set so all of us could eat together.
Mercy and I went up to the main lounge, then on up to the sun deck above. We had to laugh as all six of Chuck's women were nude, enjoying the late afternoon sun. Lisa said, "This is better than the nature park. This is so quiet and smooth. I know we're moving as the boat rocks a little, but it is so smooth and quiet."
Mercy had to agree. We cautioned the girls to dress soon so they wouldn't burn. They agreed and began dressing right then. We went to see John at the helm and he was enjoying himself while chatting with the sailing engineer. I suggested he take a more detailed tour of the bottom deck as it was very interesting.
The engineer and John left the helm and went below. This was very pleasant, but also very exciting, as this boat would soon carry us across the Atlantic to visit Europe and go deep into the Mediterranean Sea.
After supper, Mercy and I got together with everyone and discussed what we would do about the direction we were going to take. I wanted to head northwest and get out into the gulf. There was a good storm coming across the gulf, and I wanted to feel the boat in adverse weather. The engineers, John, and the crew thought that was a good idea, so we headed out. We had also agreed to two hour shifts at the helm, with two people responsible for the boat at all times.
As always, we were aware of our surroundings and constantly monitored any traffic near us. Mercy took some time and instructed the ladies on what their responsibilities would be if we were to come under attack when we were in some hostile areas. None of them seemed alarmed and were ready to help defend the boat if necessary. They were considerably more mature about it than they acted most of the time.
Our first night out in the open Gulf of Mexico was uneventful. Mercy and I took the first shift, from midnight to two, after everyone had settled down. We actually had the helm from about eight on through two as we figured the next shift guys would be tired from a long day. We could sleep through till six and be fairly refreshed.
It was funny how this big boat was really nice, but it wasn't like the Mercy Mercy, or the Have Mercy, yet. It didn't have the familiarity the other boats had. Of course, this was just the first outing in it so it was still new and strange. I liked the way it handled, and I enjoyed the way the sails caught the wind. The boat was big enough to have been three-masted, but only had two, with large booms to hold big sails.
When John and a crewman came on duty at two, John commented that this boat was really a premium sailboat. He said, "This is a boat for billionaires, an escape boat for the high powered businessman that needs to rewind. You need to advertise it that way and maybe only rent it out to one executive type at a time. They could always invite another couple while traveling."
I asked, "How many crew should a boat like this have?"
John thought a few minutes and said, "Probably six. A captain, a chef, and four deck hands that are also engine room capable. They would also have to do laundry and cleaning, unless the charter specified maid and wait staff. You could go with a crew of eight to ten if you really thought you need them. The intimacy factor would probably keep the crew small."
"You'll have to talk to Chuck to see how he wants to rent it out. You never know what he'll do when he gets a taste of the open sea. He might just drop out and live on board with his harem."
John laughed, "When you hired me, I thought you were really over the top to have multiple women. Chuck immediately outdoes you. I can't tell though, are there more women that he didn't bring along?"
I nodded, "Yeah, these six are the main players, but he has another young lady that wants to be a part of the group, but she's in medical school right now. You know my niece, Tina, right? There is another, but Chuck wants her to be just a friend, not a part of the intimate group."
Shaking his head, John asked, "How does he keep them happy; how does he manage so many women and they stay out of each other's hair?"
"There's something about Chuck that is very calming to most people. The man gives off good feelings to those around him. The girls he has are very female oriented, if you know what I mean. They like girls but they adore Chuck at the same time. Their relationships could be interesting in the future, so we'll see what happens."
The next afternoon, we were getting into some heavier seas and encountering some winds that were fifteen to twenty-five knots, gusting up to over thirty-five. The sailing engineer assured us we could keep our sail up all the way up to near fifty knot gusts.
We kept checking the rigging to make sure it was holding, as the strain from the wind was showing some really heavy pull on the gauges. We did play in the wind some, pulling around so we could tack in the heavy wind in order to feel how the boat handled with a heavy crosswind. The boat is so big there was not a lot of lean. The kids would have a difficult time rolling across the floor.
When the heavy storm came with the driving rain, we did lower the sail and power up the engines. We were happy with the boat's easy handling of the fifteen to twenty-five foot waves that broke over the bow.
Below deck, Tiani and Judy were a little queasy from the constant rolling from the big waves, but the others did well. One experienced crewman even got a little unsettled for a while. He was in the galley getting a Seven-up and crackers after the first hour of the storm.
When the storm finally passed the next day, we turned the boat and began sailing back toward home. I think John, Mercy, and I were happy with the way the boat handled the heavy weather. The sailing engineer said, "You know, this is the first time a new buyer ever put one of our boats through that kind of test. I'm surprised more don't do that, but you've proven that you respect the sea and you know how to handle a boat in weather."
Mercy had the girls out on the deck with buckets of clean water, scrubbing the beautiful teak decking where it was installed. She also showed them the proper method of polishing and cleaning the rest of the exposed boat. It was funny to watch the three pregnant girls working so hard to be a part of the crew. I was impressed and felt as if our future trip might be a real pleasure. The two crewmen were scrubbing right along with the others, instructing them as to how to get the clean water to scrub out the salt spray.
With our sail up, the rigging dried out quickly, and we used some treated water to wash the rigging as we raised and lowered it in order to treat all of it correctly. Everyone enjoyed a day of sailing in the bright sunshine, with a nice wind pushing us back toward Florida. We were on schedule to arrive in Dunedin around three or four in the morning. We decided that we would just stay on board while tied up at the dock.
John said, "The yacht club has installed some great lighting. When we get in close and need the light, I'll use my cell phone to call the number. You push one to turn them on and two to turn them off. You'll like it as the lights are like stadium lights and make the whole club waterline as bright as day. Then to find your berth, you push in the berth number and a rotating blue light comes on at the front of the berth."
We slowly made our way into the channel and after turning on the new lighting, we turned the boat ever so slowly, and backed into the new berth John had made ready. Mercy and the two crewmen were doing the lashing to secure the boat to the dock.
Once we were tied up, we connected to shore services and switched over. One of the crewmen went to the Mercy Mercy and came back with two bottles of champagne. He said, "This trip needs to be celebrated. Too bad the new owner isn't here, but we'll do something with him too."
Even the three pregnant women celebrated with a toast and a few sips. I think we were all very pleased with how well the boat sailed. That's when one engineer said, "Other than the original shakedown trips, this is the first time for this boat to be out on the open sea. Everyone in the company was wondering how it would be and now we have first hand experience. We'll get Steve, Mercy, and John to write up some sailor comments for our advertising. Comments from our customers are what will keep us in business. We do have an order for a sixty-footer right now, but we want some orders for more one fifty plus sized boats."
I said, "You never asked us for comments on the hundred and ten footer. That boat is just about as sweet as sailboats get. Mercy would rather sail that one than the big Have Mercy."
The engineer said, "The original owner of that boat didn't have a great experience with the boat because he didn't know anything about sailing, and if you remember, that boat had been targeted to be a drug boat. We just figured the boat should just be a great boat and leave it at that."
Mercy said, "Well, if you ever want some testimonials on it, I'll write something and I know any of the crew who work that boat will happily write some. That is a great sailboat."
"You know," John was saying, "the hundred ten foot boat was so magnificent when I saw it that I didn't believe Steve was actually making a deal on it. The man who sold it didn't know how to make it something personal, how to make a boat a happy place. Sue and Mercy remodeled it twice before they got it the way they wanted, and it's been chartered continuously since. People call and ask for it. They'll do that with this one too, when the girls get done decorating it."
The two crewmen said they would go on to their house and bring more crewmen back with them to begin scrubbing the boat top to bottom. They said that everyone will want this boat to really shine.
The rest of us went below and crashed for a couple of hours. In bed, Mercy said, "This is going to be a good boat for our families. I can feel it. The boat is talking to me already. She wants her owner though. It's as if this boat, although just an object, knows that her owner isn't with her yet. She's waiting. Chuck will have to come see the boat to make it whole."
"Mercy, you can be really strange. You talk to something like this boat as if it were a person. It may have a personality, but it is just a boat."
Mercy said, "Ah, Steve, you have to feel it. The boat really enjoyed showing off for us, but she knows her master will make her complete. Those ladies were part of her master and made the boat almost complete. It only awaits Chuck."
We slept until six and woke to find the girls already busy messing in the kitchen with the chef. The chef was sitting at the counter, watching as the five were busy playing with the big stove and utensils. He would give a direction here and there, and when he saw Mercy and me, he just grinned. "These women were in here just about to take over, so I came out to help them get acquainted with the galley. I think they'll do fine."
I used my cell to call home. Sue answered and said she would be on the way over to get us soon. She said, "Call Chuck. He's home, as he came by here on his way home yesterday. He'll want to see the boat too. As a matter of fact, since its Saturday, there might be a lot of people that want to see the boat. I'll wait, and when the patio is full, I'll announce it. Call Chuck though, as he was anxious to hear."
I dialed Chuck's cell, "Johnson."
"Hey, Chuck, drive over to the marina and see your new boat. Mercy said you need to make your boat happy and show it its master. You need to drive to the airpark and get Frieda's car though, so there will be enough room for your family to get home."
Chuck said, "I'll be there as fast as I can. Probably forty minutes, at the most."
Brandy had heard me and said, "Maybe we should wait to make breakfast for him?"
Mercy said, "No, don't do that. Let's have some breakfast and get the galley cleaned up before the mass hysteria begins. If this is like most of the time, there will be nearly a hundred people showing up."
The two engineers and chef said, "We should probably make arrangements for a taxi to get out to the airport."
I told them, "Have a little patience and I'll see that you are flown back to Miami as soon as I can get you to the airpark. If there isn't a charter going that way, I'll get someone that needs time in a King Air to get you there."
The three were happy to hear that. The chef got me off to the side and said, "Would you be in the market for a chef that enjoys boats? I'm just a casual temp for Magellan and I am looking to find someone that could use my talents. I am one hell of a chef and know how to please everyone's tastes. I have a degree as a nutritionist, and have studied with some great chefs in New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco. I would love to work on a boat like this or any of the boats I see out here with your logo on it."
I motioned John over and asked, "Do you need a chef? This man is looking."
John said, "We do need a chef. One of ours just took a job with one of our charter couples. They hired him away from us as they loved his cooking. I'll get you an application and have our personnel lady work your app. We can give you an answer Monday."
The man sat back smiling and said, "That will be great. By the way, Mr. Sharp, I used to cook at a restaurant in San Francisco that you probably know, Merlin's. I remember Mercy from there."
Mercy had heard that and looked at the guy, "I thought I recognized you. Dad was so upset when you left. Where did you go?"
"I was offered a job I couldn't refuse on Donald Trump's yacht and to be the head chef at his hotel in New York. I couldn't stand the city so, after a year, I took a position in Miami and have been there since. I almost called your dad to beg for my old job back, but I enjoy being around the water and would love to work a boat like this."
We were having coffee and some fresh rolls the girls had baked when a voice called from the lounge, "Hello, down there. Can a guy get a tour?"
Tiani was up the big curved stairs or ladder instantly. Brandy and Lisa followed, but the three pregnant ladies smiled and waited, knowing Chuck would come down.
When Chuck was in the galley area and had hugged and kissed his pregnant women, he hugged Mercy, and said, "You sure have been persistent trying to get into my head. Some things are private, Mercy. I was taking care of some personal business. You'll probably know about it in the future, but now isn't the time. Now what's this about this boat needs its master?"
Mercy and the six women began talking at once. It was almost comical, as you really couldn't understand what was being said. Finally, Mercy put her fingers to her mouth and whistled loud enough to hurt our ears. "Hey, I was talking," she said. Then, when it quieted, she continued, "Chuck, this boat needed you to come explore it, to let it know her master is on board and likes her. Plan on taking her out soon, very soon. She's waiting for you to take command."
Chuck was grinning, but just nodded his head. "I'll take her out right away. I'll probably need some guidance to learn the boat and it has been a while since I've sailed. I do want to sail her though."
Brandy said, "Come on, girls; let's show him our cabin and the rest of the modifications."
The interior engineer went with them as Chuck was given the tour. He took his time and spent an hour going over all of the cabins on this deck. He didn't even go below to the bottom deck as it had not been changed. When he came back, he complimented the Magellan engineers. "You have done a wonderful job on the boat. It is beautiful. I really appreciate how fast you were too. I'm looking forward to sailing her very soon."
There were voices coming from up in the main lounge. People from home began coming down the stairs. That's when Chuck said, "Let me gather my brood and get them out of here so there won't be any more congestion."
Lisa and Brandy were frowning at Chuck, "But, Chuck, this is our boat. We want to show it off. Please, let us show off our new boat to everyone. We'll go home early. Do you have something you need to do?"
Chuck said, "I do have a quick trip I have to make to see John. It's only for a short meeting, but I need to do it before it gets late."
Tiny handed Chuck his keys and said, "Take this to the airpark and we'll pick it up on the way home. Work is work; you have to do what you have to do."
Chuck got kisses from all his ladies and said, "I should be back by five or six. Save some food for me."
Chuck's women were now complete, as Tina came with the patio crowd as did the super tall, Lena, and her sister, Tina. It was amazing how big Tina looked like a young Bobby. You could tell she was slimming down like Lena, but she still had her family's big heavy look. She was beautiful, but still very large.
Everyone explored the boat from top to bottom, looking at everything on it. Glenda and Martin picked out the cabin they wanted, and Glenda went looking for something so she could claim their room. Mercy told her that it would be hers and not to worry.
Sue loved the boat and was totally ecstatic with our cabin. It was the same size as Chuck's and much larger than the cabin on the Have Mercy. Sue couldn't believe the closet space that was so well hidden. Again, every cubic inch of space was put to good use.
Later, I found her on the bottom deck sitting in the big leather chair behind the desk. She said, "This is a nice office. I wonder if Chuck will let me work down here while we're sailing."
I said, "I'm sure he will. We'll all use it. He may have to have some private files, but he'll probably be fine with us using it. Did you see the nice gym?"
Sue said, "I did. We can use the gym then get some sun up on that top deck. This is really a nice boat. You know our air charter pilot, John, and Wanda may come along? He was saying he had now hired sufficient staff that some of the people can take a vacation for a change. I think he knows Lisa is going with us, and if he comes too, that will be really nice for him."
"We have been pushing out there for quite a while. Now that the fixed wing and rotary wing charter services are well staffed and booked, we can relax a little. It's time to get DeDe and Star some time off too."
Sue said, "You'll have to work on that. They may not be interested in time off until Wes wants to take a break."
"You're probably right. Say, what did you do with the kids?"
"Motocross day, do you think they wanted to see a boat when they can ride their motorcycles? Tina had to beg to be let go. Dennis said he was sure he could get Marie to come over later to look at the boat. Kevin said he would come see the boat when he went fishing tomorrow."
My cell phone rang and I saw it was Chuck. He asked, "Since you blew off the trip to Hawaii this past week, what are your plans? I need to make arrangements if I'm going. I did get the Learjet 55C modified for long range and if we want, we can take that. It's a little faster than a G5."
I said, "We should go no later than Tuesday or Wednesday and still come back Sunday. Can you go?"
Chuck said, "I'm planning on it. I'll make the arrangements. Talk to you later, I'm cranked up and about to takeoff."
Wow! I had blown off the trip to Hawaii with the extra days in the gulf. The testing was important, but I should have stuck to my schedule. Oh well, we'll get there soon.
It took most of an hour to get everyone ready to return home. We had several different directions to go in order to pick up Tiny's car and to get Magellan folks home. The excitement of the new boat was intense, but life goes on and the boat would wait.
At home, all the kids were happy to have had a great day riding their motorcycles. They greeted me as if I hadn't been gone long. Mercy's four hung on her for a minute, then joined their siblings and friends. Life was instantly back to normal.
I called Crystal to explain the past week. She said, "Sail the new boat over here and let me see it."
"Chuck just might do that. He seems to really like the boat. Anyway, we'll see you by Wednesday evening. We're not bringing a lot of people, just a few. See you then, Crystal."
With that done, I could relax on a lazy Saturday afternoon and evening. Around six, Chuck showed up at the patio to have a drink before going home. We chatted for a few minutes, planned to visit the boat tomorrow, and he left for home.
I enjoyed being in my own bed, surrounded by all my beauties. We were all in the mood and it took a couple of hours of intense loving to calm everyone. The addition of Mickey had me working overtime, as she wanted some male attention. Sleep did come, and it was a good night's rest.
Primary editing by Pepere
Proofing by Sagacious
Additional Helicopter and FAA legal knowledge by Old Rotorhead
Last one through — Deenara2000