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 Sun and Sea 26 A James Gang Story by Mike C

   Feedback : mikec (at) nspace.net

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   In the cloudless spring afternoon, we took 'Jester' past the coral reefs
which protect the resort and give it its tranquil lagoon.

   "We are heading to the eastern-most part of the Abacos, where the
sea-floor rises straight up from over a mile deep." Hazel informed us, "The
area is called 'Storm Point' because of the fierce storms later in the
year. Just in case, we'll keep tuned to VHF-17; the 'chatter' will inform
us of any changes in weather up to a thousand miles away.

   "But the ocean currents also bring the most food, so the sea life is
particularly rich there.  At this speed, we should be there in 30 minutes."
Hazel looked at the girls, who had begun to strip down in the heat, "Start
drinking water now!  And sunblock will be a good idea too!"

   "Yes boss-lady," Grinned Sherri, taking her hand, "Come down and show us
where to put it on!"

   After minutes of twittering, Hazel emerged with a bottle of water for
me, and, as is apparently the law on the boat now, wore her Diveskin
over... skin.

   "You look good!" I gave her the obligatory leer, "Nice tan!"

   "And you're gonna start roasting soon!" She got a tube out and slabbed
SPF on my face and shoulders, "There, that should hold you..."

   "You should put more on him!" Brenda laughed as they came on deck, "In
case he needs to work on his all-over tan!"

   "Sorry," Hazel said, "That's all I can do for now!" At their looks she
continued, "I'm not on the pill, so we have to wait..."

   "Aw, damn," Amanda said, "I was hoping you could take over the sordid
and demeaning sex we have to put up with!"

   "Ah yes, I was going to comment about the bruises all over your body!"
Hazel said with a glint and a grin.

   "You mean the ones that look just like hickies?" Wondered Sherri.

   "Ohh, that was me!" Brenda traced a redness under Amanda's breast,
"Must've hurt you terribly!"

   "I think that one's mine, dear," Sherri pointed abeam of the first mark,
"This is yours...  And I can prove it!" She dropped her lips over the first
spot, "See?  It's a perfect fit!"

   "Hmm, you may be right..." Brenda, "Let's see..." She added her kisses
and nibbles to Amanda's body.

   "Ohh...  oh..." Amanda leaned on my shoulder, "S-such cruelty!"

   "And I-I may have done this one..." Hazel leaned down and planted her
mouth where Diveskin ended and little girl began.

   "Oh g-god...  Oh god!" Amanda clung to my neck even as she twisted her
body to expose more of her injuries to the girls.

   "Ahh, guys, company coming up!" I pointed ahead.  We were fast
approaching an island to starboard with a dozen cottages arrayed along its
tree-line and all of a dozen bathers crowding its mile-long beach.  Another
fifty or so were dancing to loud music on what appears to be a decked
restaurant, high off the ground which featured bright pink and green paint.

   "Umm, er, that's Nippers Bar," Hazel said, tugging her Diveskin back
down over her body, "The most famous watering hole in the Outer Islands."
She pointed to a wide opening of water leading past the island, "That's the
North Channel on your map."

   "Why is it North?" I asked, "It's south of the Resort and other
Islands!"

   "It's the northernmost passage that has clear access to the inner
islands, that direction--" She pointed behind us "--is blocked by the sand
flats.  So boats have to detour through this channel out into the open sea
to get to the Resort.  That's the main reason this area has four times the
traffic we, just 20 miles to the north, don't get."

   "That's not necessarily a bad thing," Commented Brenda, as we were
buzzed by a couple on a noisy, smelly speedboat.  I pushed the speed up a
fraction and left them in our wake.

   Bren looked down Amanda's body, "And young lady, you'd better put your
bikini bottoms back on!"

   "And whose fault was that?" Amanda groused but allowed them to get her
more dressed.

   "We should be arriving in under ten minutes." Hazel told us, "The sea
floor here rises about a hundred feet straight up into a vertical reef
system, and you can see the cross currents there.  That's what Zack calls
the 'Devil-lairs', except here the sea grasses hide the coral heads just
inches under the water."

   "Yeah," Sherri nodded at the displays, "Even ePilot is having a tough
time deciding what is solid and what isn't."

   "Right - and that is why the early islanders got rich by 'wracking', or
salvaging the frequent wrecks here." Hazel pointed to a candy-striped
lighthouse on a headland in the distance, "Back in the 1800's the Hope Town
lighthouse had to be rebuilt a few times because these 'wrackers' felt it
was taking away their livelihood and kept trying to burn it down."

   "But we're not heading in that direction!"

   "No, our destination is a small barrier reef two miles from the
lighthouse.  You may have heard that the Spanish called the reefs here
'P'red Meurte', or Wall of Death, well, they called this 'Garrad Meurte',
or Jaws of Death."

   "Is that it?  Looks kinda pretty with the white beach." Sherri said as
we approached an island just over a mile long.

   "Don't forget this is the landward side.  The structure is a reef-flat
shaped like a toadstool, about a mile at its base, with the sandy 'stem'
facing us.  Once these were just two rocky islands coming out of the ocean,
but over the centuries, the coral began growing into the food rich ocean.
As the edges expanded, they cut off the food reaching the center, which
stopped growing to give us a mini-atoll, 10 to 15 feet deep at the
deepest."

   "That means the beach is no good as an anchorage?"

   "No, there is no real purchase anywhere on this side, and the shifting
winds will easily swing your boat into the rocks."

   "So...  we have to enter the atoll?"

   "Exactly," Smiled Hazel, "Through the reefs." She pointed out the way to
the edge of the coral reef.  "This is primarily 'brain' coral, which is
much slower growing but more resilient to the violent waves here.  They in
turn provide protection to the faster-growing deep water species like the
elkhorn and staghorn coral which support the structure." The coral,
although obscured by forests of kelp and grasses, was visible under the
calm water we were sailing in.  In rough seas, they would be virtually
invisible until too late.

   "This looks like a continuous reef system.  Are there natural breaks or
did someone make a channel through them?"

   "Someone did...  somewhat inadvertently." Hazel laughed, "About 250
years ago, a sailing ship was thrown on the reef, and lasted a month before
the waves and the rocks did their job.  You can see here the coral growth
is less regular that elsewhere."

   "You mean that the coral still hasn't recovered after 250 years?"

   "Exactly," Hazel nodded, "Most people think a tree grows slowly - but
this coral is about ten times slower!"

   She directed me up to two buoys set about 35-feet apart, where I
throttled back.  "Those are the entrance markers, telling us there is up to
twelve feet of water under here, although the grasses make it look exactly
the same as elsewhere..."

   "And it's fooling ePilot too..." Sherri nodded at the ghosted image
presented on screen, "But..." She flicked a switch and the image firmed up,
showing a clear passage through the muck, "Yes...  the AI is using spread
spectrum ultrasound to select the most consistent echo as the actual
hazard."

   "Why don't you have it running all the time?" Hazel asked.

   "Two reasons," Sherri replied, "One, it needs four transducers - which
means four times the power and cost, and Two, at speed, it may show a hard
object as insubstantial because it is moving too fast - so it's just an
option for seeing through clutter under relatively low speeds like this."

   "And we're not sure it can be justified for the production model."
Brenda added.

   "Although, if this is the worse case scenario," Sherri said, "The 70Khz
and 110Khz are covering 80% of the signals, so I think we can cut it down
to just the two transducers."

   "Save the readings and we'll analyze it back at the plant," Brenda said,
"But it's a sweet system, babe."

   "It sure is," Nodded Hazel, "For deeper draught boats, just threading
the buoys would not be enough - at low tide and the wrong winds, they can
be as much as fifteen feet off to one side, so they still have to pole or
chain drag the bottom to 'feel' their way in, which is not always possible
in foul weather and cause more damage to the coral."

   "Look...  The AI is learning..." Sherri grinned proudly, as the image
firmed up with the passing seconds until ePilot painted a glowing pathway
in the convoluted jungle of rock ahead.

   At dead slow speed, we let ePilot guide us through the twenty-odd feet
of half visible reef into the mirror flat lagoon within.  A handful of
white buoys were already in place and we picked the closest one to secure
to.  The atoll was a mile across and over 500 yards long, with a sparkling
sandy bottom over the coral, shoaling to beaches along the far rocks.  The
outer fringes were festooned with colorful sea grasses, and hosting
innumerable schools of darting fish.

   "Look!" Amanda pointed to half a dozen conches on the sea bottom,
"They're just waiting to be caught!"

   "Probably not - chances are they are just the shells.  I'll show you--"
Hazel dove in, picked one up and returned it to us.  She Shook the shell to
show us it was empty.  "See the saw marks on this edge?  That's caused by a
crayfish - a lobster - cutting into the flesh with its grinders.  This is a
mature conch - you can tell by the pink tinge and the 'skirt' around the
base.  And these are the only conch you can catch - just look under the
plants along the reef...  "

   "What a glorious place!" Sherri exclaimed, "Why're there no other boats
here?"

   "At normal sailing speeds, it's a lengthy trip in the open ocean and the
anchorage is minimal for larger boats, plus the name probably scares the
tourists off.  The area is closed to commercial fishing, so they stay away
as well.  Divers do come here but it doesn't have any one thing which
stands out, but it DOES have a bit of everything within a couple of square
miles." Hazel told us.  "We've got three hours - let's suit up and do a
dive, take a short break, and decide whether you want to watch the fish
some more, or--" She grinned in Amanda's direction, "--stay and catch the
shit out of them.  We won't be going below 45-feet so the water should be
warm enough for just your DiveSkins.  But we will need the torches - the
Eastern reef walls will be in shadows in the afternoon.""

   We finished our equipment check and helped each other.  "We will be
swimming through the kelp, so watch it so you don't get tangled.  If you
do, just back up and it will come off." Hazel led us into the bath-warm
water and to the edge of the grass.  She watched us go through before
following and took us to the buoy on the left.

   "We'll stay with the north wall this time - remember the wall drops down
to over a hundred feet, so make sure you watch your depth!  There is a
ledge about 45-feet deep, so stay above that at all times.  And remember
the ship that was destroyed while making this gap?" Hazel pointed down, "We
will see a reminder of her below here."

   With a final adjustment of our equipment, we followed the buoy line down
into the depths.  With the sun three-quarters down the western sky, the
gloom grew rapidly in the shade, and we had to depend on our torches
beneath 10-feet, especially when wide outgrowths of a fern-like sea-grass
and the untold thousands of small fish using it as habitat further obscured
the light.  And it was from within Sherri hauled out a large conch, fully
9-inches long, with the wide base of age, waving it around for all to see
before stuffing it in her mesh net.

   Now that we knew where to look, we were able to locate more of the giant
sea snails but most were too small to be keepers.  Giant urchins were also
present in large numbers, and some went into our collection as well.

   About 30-feet down, Hazel pointed to a coral-encrusted post coming out
of the reef.  Closer inspection showed the shaft of a large iron anchor,
whose body had been embedded in coral after its failed attempt to keep its
ship from colliding with the same reef.  It now sits stoically, largely
entombed by coral and obscured by growth, with decorations of red and green
plants the only recognition to its valiant efforts.

   Hazel led us away from the reef face and down to the 'ledge'; a strip of
white sand which had collected where antler- and finger-coral grew out of
the 'brain' formation.  Like open hands, they cradled a precious gem; an
awe-inspiring tableau of life and beauty.

   As our lights played on the huge living mural, it glimmered and
sparkled, and fish of all shapes and sizes swam past us in majestic
splendor.  From their sea-anemone home, Nemo's cousins, a small family of
orange-and-pink Clownfish peeked out at a school of bright red Bigeyes
streaming past.  Nearby, a polka-dotted grouper pecked sedately, to be
joined by a couple of zebra-striped triggerfish.

   Our passage dislodged a small colony of finger-long flatworm, whose
colorful plumage and undulating motion earned them the nickname of 'Spanish
dancers'.  They glided and cavorted in the spots of our torches until a
deep-blue Doctor fish darted out from inside a crevice and had one for a
snack.  The rest of the troupe scattered back into the foliage while the
girls gave the greedy fish a stern finger wagging.

   The gleaming surface of the sandy ledge also made lobster sighting
easier.  After a quick lesson from Hazel, using a smaller example to show
us how to hold one without getting stabbed by its flailing barb-edged
antennas, we were also able to add a few nice specimens to our dinner fare.

   The ledge followed around the atoll, growing larger and shallower as we
approach the lee-side, where the fragile but fast-growing antler-corals are
more shielded from the elements.  We began to see more of the soft corals,
some looking like rainbow-hued jellyfish with their hydra-like bodies. 
Flamboyantly colored and textured, their long tentacles swayed in the water
seeking food.  Before long the sand buildup become the white beach we saw
on our trip in.  After removing our fins and our tanks, we followed Hazel
out of the water to stretch out and soak in the sun's warmth.

   "Oh man, I want to live here forever!" Sherri sighed, then added, "Until
the storm season anyway."

   "Can we stay overnight?" Amanda asked.

   "No, high water is too close to the rocks." Hazel said.

   "We can stay for the sunset, right?" Brenda said.

   "Erm...  What are we going to do for food?" I asked.

   "Gee, I don't know..." Grinned Sherri, "Starve?"

   "There's all the stuff we caught," Hazel said, "We can collect some
firewood and..."

   "Sweetheart, you don't have to pamper him quite so much," Laughed
Brenda, "We're not going to let him do without!"

   "Yeah, just relax babe!" Amanda snuggled up to Hazel, "Let them collect
the wood, and you and I can warm each other up!"

   "Why don't I bring the boat over and we can stay as late as we want." I
suggested.

   "Good idea honey!  We're just getting in the mood to work on our
all-over tan," Sherri smiled, "And we'll be needing the sun block!" I stood
and stared at the tantalizing glimpses of her flat tummy as she started
wriggling out of her DiveSkin.

   "Go!" She grinned, "We'll save the show until you get back!"

   "I'll come with you." Hazel offered.

   "Just show him the way," Amanda said, "We'd rather you come with us!"

   "Come...  where?  Oh..." Hazel started, then blushed hotly and punched
Amanda's arm.  "You're so BAD!"

   "Are you complaining, babe?" Amanda kissed her.

   "No..." Hazel sighed, "You're quite an effective teacher..." She kept
her arm around Amanda and turned to me, "Just walk along the rocks -
there's an opening which leads into the lagoon..."

   "C'mon," Brenda grabbed my hand, "Let's go do some exploring!"

   "Brenda, you don't have to avoid me." Hazel said, "I, ummm, I wouldn't
mind spending some time with you too!"

   "Hey, that's great!  You and me, sweetie, we have a date - when you're,
er, less occupied." Brenda grinned widely.

   "Now that's so sneaky!" Amanda sighed, "Coming on to my friend - and
right in front of me too!"

   "So that's not being sneaky, is it?" Laughed Hazel, "You should be proud
that I learned so much from you so quickly!"

   "Honey, if you want to practice sneaky, I'll be happy to accommodate
you!" Sherri offered, sidling close.

   Brenda took my hand and we set off.  Hazel's directions took us over an
outcrop of dark rock to more soft sand the length of the island to reach a
twenty-five foot gap separating the two volcanic islets.  Sand which had
been washed in from the lagoon, and ocean side had overflowed and spilled
through to form the crescent-shaped beach we were on.

   The channel we stepped into was barely shin deep with water and carpeted
with wiry sea grasses.  Within the growths thrived innumerable small fish,
fingerlings and smaller, of every color of the rainbow.  We waded through
them towards the boat, about 200 yards ahead of us in the atoll.  We made
it about 3/4 of the way before the water reached chest height and we swam
the remaining distance.

   "What an incredible place," Brenda sighed, resting her head on me as we
cruised back around the outer reef towards the girls, "I wouldn't mind
spending more time here..."

   "Even without threats of the hair brush?" I asked.

   "Even without..." She kissed me and hugged me, "But you may still need
it to remind me what is good for me..." She sighed, "And I hope you're OK
with Hazel...  with me..."

   "No problem - I know all you want to do is make her feel good, right?"

   "Oh absolutely!" She grinned, "And I DID promise to give her advice on
how to handle you!"

   "Which you've shown yourself to be quite expert at!" I grinned back.

   "Where did they go?" Brenda wondered when we rounded the rocks and,
while the scuba gear was still there, there were no one in sight.

   "Help me with the aft anchor," I said, "The beach is steep enough we can
have the boat up against the sand for a few hours." I took the heavier main
anchor and secured it in the rocks while Brenda did the same with hers. 
With the bow and stern secured, and a few heavy boat fenders between the
hull and the sand, the boat was snugged parallel to the beach.

   I transferred the bursting bag containing our catch in the cold storage,
cleaned and racked the tanks and vests, then joined Brenda who had wandered
in search of the others.

   "Look!" She grinned and pointed.  There, behind an outgrowth of rock,
the three of them were splashing around in the water.

   "Got one!  Got one!" Screeched Amanda.

   "Me too!" Hazel joined in.

   "Here!  There's a bunch here!" Sherri laughed.

   The three of them had their hands cupped, trying to scoop up the small
fish around them and launch them into a wide tidal pool in the rocks.

   "You'll need a few more hundred of them for dinner!" I informed them.

   "They're not food, silly!" Sherri laughed, "They're just...  fun!"

   "Yeah!" Amanda added, "They'll swim out once the tide rises over the
rocks!"

   "Look!  There's a school of green guys here!" Brenda called out.

   As they crowded around her trying to get more pets, I gave them a quick
wave, "Enjoy guys!  I'm going to start dinner"

   I'd no sooner than reach the rocks when Hazel came and took my hand.

   "Oh, uhmm, I'm sorry.  I should go get the gear on the boat..."

   "Don't worry, Haze," I laughed, "It's already done, just go have fun!"

   "Well, I still have to hook them up to the recharger!"

   "If you want..." I said as I followed her to the boat, "We have all
evening to get that done."

   "I need to..." She sighed, "I forgot myself, and my job back there..."

   "Haze," I stopped her, "You're ALLOWED to enjoy yourself!  Don't forget,
it's one of the cardinal rules that we agreed on!"

   "But...  but..." She sighed again.  She looked so forlorn I had to give
her a hug.

   "Remember, there's no 'list' here.  Just people who care for you and
want you to be happy!"

   "Yeah..." She nodded slowly, "It's still hard...  lots of conflicting
values."

   "You'll do fine," I ran my fingers through her short curls, "Take it
easy and take your time.  I'm looking forward to discovering more of the
beautiful woman inside..."

   That put a huge smile on her face to which I added a kiss.  "Why don't
you show me what to do to recharge the tanks?"

   "The portable is just a gas-powered compressor, but one which uses no
grease or lubricants which will foul the regulators.  It'll be a bit noisy
but the angle of the boat should turn the sound away from the beach." She
gave a running commentary and we went over all the connections.  Then she
fired it up.  "It's actually three compressors..." She shouted over the din
as we cleaned a tank fixture and attached the pump to it, showing me the
gages a bit.  Nodding in satisfaction, she stepped away on to the beach.

   "Each level gives about 16:1, so we can get the right pressure in the
tank," She continued, "It will take four minutes for each tank.  During
which we can go looking for driftwood for a cook fire."

   "Wow, you're organized."

   "Well, I've had some experience, and once we got things ready for
supper," She grinned mischievously, "You could show me that you meant by
'discovering the woman inside.' "

   = = = = =

   (C) Copyright 2001-2009.  MikeC. All Rights Reserved. All Reproduction
for fee or profit forbidden.

   Copies of this and other stories can be downloaded from:
<http://www.asstr.org/files/Authors/MikeC/JAMES/Sun&Sea/>
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