Morning arrived with my pregnant wife feeling a little off. This was her first time to show any morning sickness. She blamed it on the growth in her tummy being male, saying, "You guys always make me nervous with all of your daring. This little guy's just getting an early start."
At breakfast, Sue asked for some crackers and Diet Coke. Beth said she never had been sick with Sue. Sue promptly reminded her Mom that she had a boy in her, not a girl. Beth just rolled her eyes.
When I asked Sue if she was going to be comfortable on a boat, she said she would be fine as long as they had plenty of Diet Coke and water on board. She said she would probably soon be starved anyway.
The hotel fishing boat was a sleek forty-five foot fishing cruiser. It had beautiful lines, from the flat forward deck to the wide-beamed low fishing deck aft. There were three pedestal-mounted fighting chairs for people to be strapped into for big game fishing. Four outriggers had been set up, ready to be rigged for trolling.
The captain gave a speech, telling us that we must pay attention to what he or his crew would tell us. If the weather acted up, he would have us wear lifejackets, but it didn't look like we would need them. He said the seas would probably get up in the late afternoon but that we should be fine all day.
We powered out about twenty miles to a site that he said had a couple of sunken ships and was usually lousy with fish. The crew baited our lines with chunks of cut shad and we dropped them overboard. Sue immediately hooked up with a fish that she was able to crank up. She pulled up a nice sized grouper. Phil was next, catching another smaller grouper that we let go. Abe caught and released a four foot shark, and Alice caught an ugly dogfish.
The captain said that one of the hands had spotted some sailfish and wanted to go troll for them. He set Phil and Ben up in chairs and put their lines on outriggers. We had just made one pass through the area where the sailfish had been spotted when Ben's line broke off the outrigger. It might have pulled him out of the boat if he had not been strapped into the chair with the rod anchored in the built-in socket. One of the deck hands showed Ben how to handle the line and rod, how to pump the rod and then lay the line from side to side on the spool to prevent buildup as he recovered line. Ben had been deep sea fishing several times and had some trophies in his office to show off, so he was able to do a good job, finally getting the giant fish alongside the boat. Ben told the captain that unless he wanted the fish he was willing to release it, so they hauled the fish out of the water and had Ben stand beside it for a photo, then gently lowered the exhausted fish back into the water.
Abe got a hookup and landed a nice sailfish, then Phil got his first opportunity to ever handle a large game fish. He had it almost to the boat when it got loose from the hook and took off.
The fish quit biting almost as fast as they started. The captain said he had another place he wanted to try, so we motored about forty-five minutes to a spot that he said was usually full of fish. The crew had lunch for us while we were in route to the new location.
We were about to drop some baited hooks when I spotted a diver's float. I hollered at the captain and pointed at it. He said that was unusual, as there is usually a boat around within visual when you find a float.
I climbed up on the spotter's platform and searched the area as best I could. We were about two hundred yards from an inlet of a small island. Using the binoculars that were up on the spotter's platform, I scanned three hundred and sixty degrees, looking for any sign of a diver. Sometimes, if they are not too deep, there are bubbles that rise to the surface.
While scanning the shore of the small island, I saw something floating up near some rocks. I asked the hand that was on the platform with me to look at it. He said we needed to get out the inflatable and go see what it could be. The captain idled toward the shore, paying attention to the depth finder to make sure he wasn't going to hit a submerged rock. Another deckhand had pulled out the inflatable launch with a small motor. He and I put on lifejackets and motored over to what we could now tell was a diver without his tanks.
He was dead, but had not been dead long, probably since this morning. We looked around for his tanks and regulator but couldn't see anything. We rolled him into the little launch and were about to go back to the big boat when we both saw a boat inside the rocky inlet. We decided to go investigate the boat first, so we motored over to the small twenty-five foot diving boat. Lying on the floor of the boat were the tanks and regulator that were missing from the diver. Also lying on the floor of the boat were several small metallic looking boxes covered in barnacles. We lifted the dead diver into his boat, then took the bowline and towed the boat back to our big boat.
The captain had been in contact with the Coast Guard and had been told to hold our position until they arrived. He let the big boat drift back out to his original position, and we began fishing there. We caught a couple of more nice groupers and a nice dolphin fish, or mahi-mahi, to those who think a dolphin fish is Flipper.
The Coast Guard came roaring up and tied up to us. They checked out the dead diver, then went over his boat. They said no one had reported him missing, so he agreed with my estimated time of death. They used their small launch to go back into the inlet to look around, but didn't find anything.
They had divers on board, so they tanked up and went over the side where the dive buoy was. They were down for less than five minutes when they surfaced. They reported that there was an ancient sailing ship down about a hundred feet. They said they didn't want to stay down long, as then they would have to take too long to decompress. They were using the new military GPS system and double-checked it with our captain's co-ordinates so they could come back to the exact spot.
The Coast Guard wished us a good day and towed the dive boat behind them as they left. The deck hands and I pulled in the little launch, deflated it, and stowed the small motor for another time.
"You've been on a boat before," the captain said.
I shook my head no but said, "Not much, but I spent a few years working off oil platforms. I did some underwater welding and learned a little about boats."
"Well, you did good to spot that guy, and I'm glad you were handy to help with the diver. Not many men are willing to handle a guy like that."
"I've seen men down before. Desert Storm."
The captain looked at me and nodded, leaving it alone after that.
The party fishing mood was broken, so we motored back to the hotel dock and migrated to our new favorite place, the lobby bar.
News travels fast. Several of the hotel employees asked us about finding the dead diver. Did we know who he was, what was he doing, how did he die, etc, etc, etc.? When they saw that none of us had any answers, they left us alone to suck up some booze.
The captain came into the bar and we treated him and his crew to a few rounds. He had brought the fish we had caught; the kitchen staff were going to prepare them for our supper. He assured us that we would love the baked grouper, and especially the mahi-mahi. That lifted the mood of all of us.
Dewey and Sheila were having an intense conversation. Sue was dying of curiosity, but let them be until she could corner Sheila. Whatever it was it wasn't bad, since both of them were smiling.
We decided to clean up for supper and left the bar for our rooms. We had not been in our room but a minute before there was a knock on the door. It was Sheila. She took Sue out on the balcony for a while then came back through, kissed me on the cheek, and the two of them were out the door.
Sue came back laughing. Apparently, Dewey had asked Sheila if she might want to come and stay on his boat a while. He promised her it wasn't that primitive, and that he had running water and electricity on board even though he wasn't docked. Sue said Sheila thought she might do it and was moving into Dewey's room right then.
Sue had asked her about what she would do about her job. Sheila told Sue that she had been divorced about a year and her job had just been downsized. She had decided to take a vacation because she had not taken one in years and years. Sheila thought it was neat that Dewey lived on a sailboat. She said that she enjoyed a simple life and could enjoy being a bit of a hermit for a while. Sheila really liked Dewey, but she said that she wasn't very lucky with men. She often chose the wrong one. Sue said she still didn't think Sheila had any idea how wealthy Dewey was.
At supper, Dewey wasn't pounding the booze as hard as he usually did. He was spacing out his drinks and was drinking Dewars and water instead of straight scotch on ice. I wondered whether he had decided having a companion might be more important than booze. Time would tell.
The next three days went by rapidly. We were getting people ready to leave without making any reservations for ourselves. Dewey noted that we didn't seem to be leaving yet, and I told him I needed to bring a couple of more people on a short vacation. I also made him promise that he wouldn't try to pick up any more of the tab. Sue and I were pretty well fixed, and besides, I wanted this to be paid by S&S. The folks that I still wanted to bring were Tiny, Ruth, Shawna, and Charlie.
I called the shop on a Friday and talked first to Tiny, then to Shawna and Charlie together. Tiny asked if he could take a rain check. He had been helping his dad with the park and didn't want to leave right then. Shawna thanked us for thinking of them, but said she thought that she and Charlie would enjoy coming more if he were healed from the accident.
That only left one more couple that I wanted to do something for right then. I called our house phone to see if Glenda was there. She was, so I asked her if she and Martin would like to come to Hawaii for a week. She got choked up then began crying. When she finally settled down, she explained that she was terrified of flying. She knew that Martin would want to go, but she just couldn't bring herself to fly. I told her not to worry; we would find another way to reward them for helping us so much.
Sue and I looked at each other and we both shrugged our shoulders. Oh well, we would have to make do by ourselves. Sue immediately suggested another day of surfing, and we had promised to stop back at Friday Harbor on our way home.
Saturday morning, we sent off the three couples who had enjoyed a whirlwind Hawaiian vacation. I knew they would remember and talk about this trip for years. Next time they came, they would have to just laze around a little and not push to do so many things. Some people like vacations like that. I'm not a very good example, but for me this vacation had been pretty laid back so far.
Sunday morning Sue and I woke a little late and straggled into the restaurant around nine. I figured that Dewey and Sheila had already been and gone, but just about the time the waitress brought me coffee and Sue orange juice, our companions showed up.
Dewey looked as if he were ten years younger. He actually looked so much better that it looked like he had been to a plastic surgeon. Instead of ordering Bloody Marys, he ordered coffee and Sheila ordered orange juice, the same as Sue. Dewey recommended that we have a light snack, then go to brunch at the luau up the road. He said the Sunday brunch was famous. When Sue agreed, went off to make reservations.
The luau brunch was wonderful. They had native porridge along with lots of fruit and several types of fish. We drank some kind of non-alcoholic drink that was supposed to invigorate a person. It was primarily coconut, but had other spices and fruit juices in it. The same group as before served the brunch, but we were not entertained with dancers this time. The unusual part was that all of the waitstaff, as well as the kitchen staff, came out and ate with the guests. I liked it. This was the friendly Hawaii that I thought of, not the commercial, glitzy, Hawaii that sells T-shirts.
When we got back to the hotel, Dewey suggested that the girls go shopping or go out and get some sun. He wanted to show me something and talk to me.
Dewey had a hotel limo take us out to the airport. We were at the private plane area, and Dewey walked straight to a pretty big airplane. Dewey walked up the stairs, waving me to come to. The plane was really fancy. It looked like it could hold quite a few people, probably fifteen or sixteen. The crew's area was large, complete with two bunks. There was a large galley area, all neat and clean in satin finished stainless steel.
"What are you showing me, Dewey?"
"This is one of my airplanes. This is a Gulfstream IV and has a range of over four thousand miles. I like to use this one when I travel overseas. I have a smaller plane that I use inside the States when it's just me going somewhere. I brought you out here to show you the plane and to ask you a couple of questions."
I was confused, so I asked, "Dewey, you told me that you flew commercial to Hawaii. You had Sheila fly first class with you. How come the plane is here?"
"I couldn't just try to pick her up and put her on a strange airplane, could I? Sheila was a very attractive package that I wanted to get to know better. Besides, she was going to Hawaii, so we might as well go together. I just bought a couple of first class seats and enjoyed the ride here getting to know her. I had the crew bring the plane here so I would have a way home."
Dewey was really strange. He was so crude sometimes, but then he was also very gentle and caring about those around him. He definitely surprised me at every turn.
I knew the plane wasn't a show off thing with Dewey. He wasn't that type of guy. We got off the plane and walked back to the operations building. They had a lounge, so we went in and ordered a beer.
Dewey thought for a few minutes then began. "I really like Sheila. She has even agreed to come stay with me for a while on my boat. She may not like it, or we may get tired of each other real quick, but I would really like to keep her around. I'm afraid that if I show her everything I have, she is going to act or be someone I won't like. I'd like for you and Sue to take this back to Washington for me and wait till we arrive on a commercial flight. I'll get us regular passenger seats, not first class, so we can talk and get to know each other even more. She says she wants to stay out on the boat for a few weeks to a month before she goes back to her home to close it up and move completely. Would you help me with this?"
"Sure, we would be glad to help you. But I have another idea."
I must have paused too long, as Dewey prodded me. "Well, what is it?"
"It would be a shame to waste the space on this plane, so since it's Sue's and my plane, how about if we were to ask you guys if you wanted to ride back to the continent with us?"
Dewey began thinking about it.
"The trip would be long, but relaxed. You two would have a ton of quiet time to get to know each other better. I saw all that various high tech communication equipment. Sue and I could do some work while you two have a gabfest all by yourselves. You'll have to let your crew in on it and give me some instructions as to how I relate to them. Other than that, it doesn't seem like a big deal to me."
Dewey was smiling his crooked smile, "You know, that's going to work. Why don't you ask us to fly back with you guys tomorrow? We'll go surfing this afternoon a little, then fly back tomorrow. I'll have the guy who flies me into Friday Harbor use his big plane so we can fly into there together. When you and Sue leave, he'll come and get you and take you back to the Seattle airport. I think we have a plan, and I think we can pull it off. Damn, I hope this works out. I really do enjoy having Sheila around."
We were back at the hotel in plenty of time to call Steve and have him take us out to surf. The waves were pretty big, but he thought it was still safe for us. We put on the life jackets and were paddling out to line up for waves in just a few minutes. Dewey talked Sheila into going to the far side and riding the smaller swells into the beach. He said he was not very good at surfing.
Sue took a large swell and did a great job all the way in. It was going to be my turn on the next big wave, so I was ready when I saw a big hump coming. I didn't make it all the way into the curl, and wiped out under tons of water rolling me around twenty feet deep. Even that is fun, when you think that you've cheated drowning each time you wipe out.
On my way back out to the waiting surfers, I saw Sue take a wave much bigger than a swell. She rode the swell until it broke then slid down into the curl, and thank goodness, seconds later I saw her shoot out the far side. I begged to get the next wave in so I could get her out of there. We had too much at stake for her to do much more surfing.
Sue didn't want to leave, but I finally talked her into it, telling her that her son was probably enjoying the ride, but we shouldn't take a chance of hurting her or him.
We cleaned up at the hotel and I had time to explain the ruse we were going to use to help Dewey. Sue thought it was a good idea, so that Sheila could enjoy Dewey without worrying about his money.
At supper, I looked at Dewey and said, "All good things must come to an end. Sue and I are going to fly back to the continent tomorrow. Would you two like to fly with us? We have a ton of room, and it would be a lot more comfortable than flying steerage on an airline."
"You have your own plane?" Sheila gasped.
"Of course," I explained. "We have to travel constantly, so we might as well do it in comfort. When we're not using the plane, we rent it out. It pretty much pays for itself."
"Wow, Dewey, can we ride in a private jet with them. Will you guys take us back to Seattle?"
I smiled at Sheila, "This is my plan. We'll fly back to Seattle, then I'll have a guy I know fly us in his big seaplane out to Friday Harbor. I promised Dewey we would stop out there on our way back, so we'll stay out there a day before going home."
Dewey sealed it, "You're very generous. I'll bet we can get a refund on our tickets. There is always a demand for open seats to the lower forty-eight. I'll call about your ticket now, Sheila. Did you pay cash or did you use a credit card?"
Sheila nodded, "Credit card, but I'll pay it off when I get the bill. I have some savings."
"What time are we going to leave?" Sheila asked.
"How about we check out of here by eight, and I'll have the crew ready to fly at nine. That okay with you guys?"
Dewey and Sheila both answered, "That'll be great."
We didn't stay and drink in the lounge, but went up to our rooms to pack our clothes. Sue called the bellhop to get a large box. She packed everything we were not going to need into the box and had the hotel ship it back to the shop. We would have some light suitcases and one carry-on, so we were set.
We enjoyed each other in our room, with the sliding door open, so the sea breeze could blow in on us. The setting was very romantic.
Sue and I woke early, as usual. We had cuddled, loved, showered, dressed and were in the lobby with our bags by seven. We both had put on jeans and a shirt, as we knew the day would end at Friday Harbor, so we might as well be comfortable.
The man at the desk was not cooperative about taking payment for the rooms. I was going to owe Dewey forever. The hotel bill for all my people would be over fifteen grand. I'd bet the day out fishing was an easy thousand too.
While I was at the desk, I asked if he or anyone had heard anything more about the dead diver. The desk guy said that the diver had apparently suffered a heart attack while he was getting back into his boat. It was a shame. The sunken sailing ship had been carrying a small treasure in Chinese jewels.
Dewey came down to the lobby and told Sue and me to meet them in the restaurant for a quick breakfast. He was carrying a tan corduroy sport coat. He told me to put it on, as he and I had to be near the exact same size. It fit perfect. He said the crew was to look for the tan sport coat and address me as Mr. Sharp for the trip.
Sue and I went into the restaurant and Dewey went to the desk, then back upstairs. A couple of minutes later Sheila and Dewey joined us. We ate a light Hawaiian breakfast with lots of fruit and juice, with a generous serving of coffee for Dewey and me.
A hotel limo took the four of us to the airport, going through security right up to the stairway into the Gulfstream. It was everything Sue could do to keep from gasping at the size of the plane. As soon as I stepped out of the limo, a uniformed lady said, "Good morning, Mr. Sharp, Mrs. Sharp. Are these your guests?" I introduced Sheila and Dewey then had them go up the stairs first. When Sue entered the cabin, her chin bounced off her chest. A man in a pilot's type of uniform greeted me at the door, again using Mr. Sharp prolifically. I rolled my eyes, and he just smiled and winked at me. He then surprised us by saying, "The crew and I saw two of your trucks while we were watching the NASCAR races. They sure are unusual. Your salespeople were very busy. There seemed to be several crew chiefs at each of them."
The attendant said she would have coffee for us as soon as we selected a place to sit. Two more men came back to greet me, introducing themselves quietly as the alternate pilots, since this was to be a long overseas flight. They told us the flight should be right at six hours unless they were able to pick up more of a tailwind than they anticipated. The weather looked good all the way, with Seattle experiencing its usual low ceiling and intermittent rain.
The crew introduced themselves to Dewey and Sheila and gave them the same information they had given to us.
I directed Sue to two seats that had foldup desks in front of them, with two screens and computer keyboards. I told her that the plane was equipped with a satellite system so we could access the internet. Sue thought that might be a good idea so she could catch up on her e-mail since our vacation seemed to be coming to an end.
Once we were off the ground and leveled off, the attendant kept us supplied with coffee and later with a Diet Coke for Sue and a bloody Mary for me. We were able to check our personal email but we couldn't access either of our company's email servers. We had never anticipated that we would need remote access, so we had not set up our servers to permit remote login. I was trying to calculate what time it was in Florida. I finally figured out that if it was nine AM in Hawaii, then it would be five hours later in Florida. Then again, Hawaii doesn't have daylight savings time, so it would be six hours difference. So that would make it a little after three. I sent Tiny an e-mail asking him how everything was, and pointed out that I was using my personal e-mail address.
It was just a couple of minutes until I received e-mails from Tiny, Phil, Judy, Ruth, Shawna, Abe, and Debbie. Our recent guests were full of thank yous, but Debbie said she was going to need another assistant. She and Deanne had been so busy that they had worked late two nights straight.
I couldn't understand what was making them so busy, but I wrote her back and told her to ask Ruth to get her another person.
Shawna's e-mail said she had received five more orders for custom bikes. She said she had called back on the orders and told each of the buyers she wouldn't start on their personal bike until she met them and found out a little about the people who had ordered the bikes. Her note said if she were going to ask twenty to twenty-five thousand for a bike, then it should at least be personalized. She wrote in the note that it looked like we were now about thirty days back-ordered on engines. She said we could only build and ship so many. People would have to wait. She was prioritizing shipping to our current racing teams, then to other NASCAR teams, and finally to other racing venues as the motors were completed.
Tiny's note said that he had not received notification of many credit card charges. He thought it was probably because we were out of the continental forty-eight.
I answered back that I would explain it to him when we came home. I further explained that we were going to spend a little time in Seattle before continuing home, so for him to just stay in control.
Sue said that everything seemed to be going smoothly at the plant and in the office. She said all the catalogs were being ordered from very heavily, and that her main manufacturer said he was at maximum production, as were his two major subcontractors. Sue asked me, "We just bought the plant, and it looks like we could use one at least the same size again, maybe even larger. How do you think I should do this?"
"When we get back, let's look at what might be available within, say, a hundred miles of Tampa. There might be some facilities that we could either rent or buy. If it comes to it, we'll use the land behind your plant to build an even larger plant. There seems to be no end of good seamstress labor available."
Sue nodded, then added, "I'm going to have to be careful of illegal immigrants. I had Betty begin going over our current employees. She has already found a few who have bogus documentation. I'm going to e-mail Ben to begin working on a way we can sponsor these people so we can use them legally. If we set a precedent that we require legal residency and help them attain that, I'm sure we'll have more applicants than jobs immediately."
"Good idea. Tell Ben to try to find a young attorney that is knowledgeable about immigration law and possibly bring him into his firm. There's no sense in Ben not being busy if we have to be."
Sue laughed, saying she was sure Ben had become considerably busier since we joined together.
We took some time out and visited with Dewey and Sheila a little while. While we visited, we were served a delicious steak dinner. The attendant had fixed a very nice meal. She said that the crew ate the same thing, so she always picked out good food. We had a few drinks, all except Sue, generally relaxing and enjoying the trip.
Dewey said that his sailboat had enough room for Sue and me to stay on board. Steve said he would enjoy having us. Sue thought that it would be fun to stay out on his boat at least one night.
While we had been in route, Dewey had come to me while Sheila was dozing to have a chat with the crew and me. He didn't foresee any immediate need for the plane, so he would put it up for rental and try to get some long corporate hauls. Dewey told me again that the key to owning a plane like this was to keep it in perfect shape and rent in out whenever it wasn't in use.
Dewey used the computer to send an e-mail to his rental agent, directing him to use the available airplane hours and to co-ordinate possible charters with the crew. He explained that some flights required a second attendant but didn't require the third pilot. He said the odd man out flew charters using his smaller planes and kept fairly busy.
This prompted Sue to have a lengthy discussion with Dewey over what type of planes he had, and what he thought might be a good plane for her to get.
Ha! Her plane. Guess if I complete my license requirements, I'll have to get my own plane. The thought of his and hers airplanes made me chuckle to myself. I mentioned to Sue that I'd bet that Gene had an airplane and she looked surprised, then said, "I never thought of it. You're right, he's often in town right up to the day before a race. The only way he could get there would be to fly. He would never be able to maneuver commercial flights to his schedule. Wonder what kind of plane he has?"
"Write him an e-mail and ask him. You know his address, you're working on all his crews' uniforms."
Sue fired off an e-mail to Gene, asking how he was doing and what kind of plane he had.
Dewey thought Sue's enthusiasm over airplanes was cute. He looked at me and said, "She's about to become high maintenance, Steve. The next thing you know, she'll want a Lear or one of these Gulfstreams."
We landed in Seattle a little after six PM. A limo met us as we came down the stairs. After saying goodbye to the crew and thanking them for the great ride, we rode out of the airport to a seaport about fifteen miles away. We parked next to a large single engine airplane on pontoons. It was called some kind of air wagon.
There was room for eight passengers, in addition to the two seats in the cockpit. As we entered, Sue talked to the pilot a minute then told me she was going to fly up there. As soon as our luggage was aboard, the pilot started the engines. Crewmen on the dock stowed the lines and bumpers in the pontoons. There appeared to be a lot of storage area inside them.
We taxied out into the harbor and added speed until we lifted off. It was only about a forty-five minute flight up to the San Juan Islands, so we were landing at the entrance to Friday Harbor as it neared eight PM. The plane taxied up to a huge sailboat anchored away from everyone. As he drifted up to the boat, Dewey got out and stood on the pontoon and pulled out bumpers and a line to tie up to a cleat on the rear deck of the boat. The wing of the airplane just cleared the rear deck railing. There was a small platform and ladder for boarding on the rear side of the boat, so we had the two ladies climb up, then Dewey and I unloaded our luggage. Dewey had a few words with the pilot, and after I climbed up to the deck, he put the bumpers back in the pontoons and released the lines, stowing them in as well. As the plane drifted away from the boat, Dewey stepped onto the boarding ladder. He had obviously done this many times.
He said for me to help him pull the canvas off to open the boat. We untied the canvas from the front of the cabin then folded it back until it was lying across the aft deck. He then opened the cabin and went inside. Lights came on.
Dewey said he needed the generator, so he went to the rear, or aft portion, of the boat, opened a hatch and climbed down into a small shaft. A minute later a fan came on, then after another minute, a very quiet motor started. When he came out, he closed the hatch and we went up to the deck cabin where he threw a breaker. The lights that had been on, went off and brighter lights came on. The deck cabin was a very nice lounge. There were comfortable seats like a couch around the outside, with a fancy wet bar. The front had a covered helm that could be used instead of the big wheel outside on the rear deck.
Dewey led us below deck, to show us a large galley. Next he led us through a dining area, then through a living room he called a lounge, then he showed us the front head and cabin. The room was large for a sailboat. It held a king size bed comfortably. There was a large closet, plus built-in drawers throughout the room, and a large chair with a table and lamp for reading. Then he took us back through the lounge, a dining area, past the galley to his cabin. It was huge, with an office area in one front corner and a closet door on the other. There was a king size bed with plenty of room on each side. Dewey explained the boat had nearly a twenty foot beam in this area. There were seats and storage areas around the walls, with built in drawers everywhere. He was obviously proud of his home.
As we walked back to the galley, he pointed out areas that were storage or cargo areas, so that if he needed to, he could haul ten to twenty tons of most anything he needed. He said within the doors he didn't open there was an additional cabin.
I commented that he sure did keep a clean boat. Dewey answered that he had a couple of ladies that came out to the boat a couple of times a week to clean so he wouldn't live like a slob. I commented that I couldn't hear the generator. He pointed at the area where the desk was and said, "The generator is behind there and has some great sound insulation."
He said that we should get our bags into the cabins, then we would run into the bar/restaurant in town to tell everyone we were back. We could have supper there as well. He said he would use his cell phone so they would have something fixed.
Fifteen minutes later, we had pulled the dinghy loose from its davits and uncovered it. The dingy was a twelve foot boat that obviously served as a fishing boat sometimes, as there were fishing rods stowed under the gunwales. We rode into the main dock, tied up, and walked up to the restaurant. As soon as Dewey entered, people were hollering and clapping. A couple of ladies came up and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
Dewey stood with Sheila at his side and said, "Attention everyone. I've brought a fresh ray of sunshine into my dreary life. This is Sheila. We met in Anchorage and have been inseparable since. If she'll stay, I'm going to keep her, so treat her as one of us. You already know Steve and Sue, I told them they had to stop on the way back to Florida to help try to drink this place dry."
That brought down the house. We all were served and toasted each other. The bartender even remembered that Sue drank Diet Coke without any additive.
We ate a great salmon dinner with an excellent cream sauce and continued to drink and talk to the entire group until Sheila was becoming unsteady. We slowly walked back to the dinghy, having to guide Sheila a little. On the trip back out to the boat, Sheila said that she felt so comfortable with Dewey, she had let herself go knowing he would take care of her.
Dewey was beaming at her proclamation.
Boarding the boat was a bit of a problem, as Sheila was not very co-ordinated. Dewey didn't know what to do, so I picked Sheila up and put her over my shoulder and climbed up the ladder. Sue helped me with the last step onto the deck. Dewey came up and said, "I guess I'm going to have to work out or not let her get that way in the future. If she has too much, I'll have to get a permanent room at the hotel."
We went to our cabins, undressed, and got ready for bed. I opened a porthole on each side of the cabin to let the cool fresh air flow through. Sue and I snuggled together and drifted off to sleep.