Loose Control

G. Harrison A.

Description

It was after midnight when the motorboat gave up its fight against the raging sea and overturned. The fact it had made it this far against the punishing force of the waves was a testament to its sturdy construction, but the storm was too much for its open cockpit design. When it finally did turn over, the four men in the boat tried to launch the life raft and did, but the raft ended up upside down. Without trying to right the raft, the wet, tied and determined men piled into the raft anyway, anything to get out of the raging water.

Informations

• Publié par: A. G. Harrison
• Date de parution: 29 juillet 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781839783500
• Langue: English

Extrait

Loose Control
 
 
Book series: “Coral Bay”
 
 
Part 7
 
 
Series by A. G. Harrison
 
 
Publication as of July 2021
 
Introduction by A. G. Harrison
 
Introduction
 
From the time human felt the necessity to communicate, he realized the value of the written word and wrote by drawing on cave walls, clay tablets, stones, papyrus, parchment, paper, and today, with the development of technology, he has created e-books.
 
The object "book" is classified in industrial products, but at the same time it is a cultural good. Personally, I emphasize both of its dimensions, but mainly in its cultural dimension. I consider the book to be the most important expression of culture because quite simply, in addition to being the same work of art, it supports all other expressions of culture.
 
As an industrial product, through the many stages of its creation and before it reaches the hands of the reader, it financially supports a wide range of professions, such as writers, philologists, translators, designers, publishers, paper merchants, printing houses, bookbinders, distributors and, finally, bookstores… Let us not forget, of course, that today it also greatly supports the huge online market industry.
 
The governments of many countries, studying and delving into the economic benefits of the book, have invested and supported this industry in various ways, which flourished and offered them great financial gains.
 
Starting with the Sumerians, Babylonians and other peoples of Mesopotamia, who wrote on clay tablets, Egyptians and Romans, who wrote on papyrus, the Jews on parchment, the evolution with handwritten books images in the Middle Ages in Europe, the creation of the first wooden typographic elements and paper by the Chinese, who printed the first books, the discovery of metallic elements by the German Johannes Gutenberg during the Renaissance and the really rapid development of printing in 1450 until 1456 and, finally, during the 19th-20th century the Industrial Revolution, which makes the production of the book flourish are some examples of the value of the written word.
 
The agony and effort of all these civilized societies, over time, in various parts of the world, teaches us that the book is an integral part of human existence.
 
Throughout this course the book records and transports from the depths of the centuries ancient civilizations, which teach us about the mistakes that we can avoid or imitate the achievements of our ancestors and adopt timeless principles and values, supplies for survival. but also the evolution of the human species.
 
By reading a book, we have the opportunity to create with our imagination the heroes of history, landscapes, various objects, etc. In the pages of a book, the author, in addition to his study, research, experiences, also expresses his feelings. He makes us members of his own world and gives us the opportunity to learn.
 
It helps us to acquire knowledge but also to enrich our vocabulary, improving our own writing.
 
It contributes to our mental alertness, increases the ability to focus, improves our memory, helps to develop our analytical mental abilities, entertains us, calms us down and helps reduce stress.
 
Of course, apart from the importance of touch and contact with a hot material, reading a quality book contributes significantly and decisively to our self-education, the cultivation of critical thinking, the upgrading of our aesthetics and consequently contributes to our quality of life.
 
It conveys art, informs, cultivates the spirit and the soul, elevates intelligence, finds solutions to problems, conveys messages, circulates ideas, forms consciences.
 
I hope my books convey a message of personal experiences and you could find segments of your own truth as well.
 
Thank you in advance for being here and being ready to start reading.
Chapter One
 
The boat had taken on a little water upon impact, but Dane managed to get the engine fired up in short order and when it did the bilge pump went to work immediately. As he drove around and picked up the rest of his crew, the boat pumped itself out and was ready to go.
 
However, the seas were so big, and with the whitecaps spaced out the way they were, they could not go very fast. When they did speed up, green water charged over the bow all the way back to the windscreen and sometimes over it, and into the boat where the men sat hanging on for dear life.
 
While Dane drove the boat, he slowed down even more so the three men who were with him could get the fifties mounted. Then they could really get their assault organized when that was accomplished. Once the guns were in place Dane pushed the boat as fast as he could and when they reached the top of the waves he could see the sailboat, but it was way out in front of them and they were not gaining on them at all. What in the hell does this damn sailboat have in it anyway?” he asked himself, wondering why they were going to sink this fast, beautiful, yacht.
 
“Can we test them out?” Keith shouted over the sound of the engine and the waves that were crashing against the boat .
 
“Yeah, go ahead.”
 
The fifties were loud, even over the other sounds they were contending with.
 
The problem was that they were not overtaking this damn sailboat at all. If anything, it looked like they were losing ground to it. Then Cal suggested they point the boat to a forty-five-degree angle from the waves and get ahead of them. They could zigzag the way ships do.
 
Dane was ready to try anything. He cut the wheel over to starboard and pushed the throttle open slowly. Soon they were shooting across the water the way they were supposed to be doing, but they had to slow down to make the cut to head in the other direction. No matter, it seemed like it was taking them a hell of a long time to catch up with that damn sailboat, no matter that they did.
 
**♥**
 
Even though there were weapons on board the Mermaid Dream, Pete left them below. Instead, he was using every trick he knew to stay in front of the approaching speedboat. Right now, distance was his best defense. He did not know who they were, but he was damn sure they didn’t want to stop them here in the middle of the ocean and hand out an award for seamanship. That fact became very evident when he heard the sound of the guns firing. With the approaching hurricane’s wind backing them the way it was, they were safe for the time being. At least in this weather they had the advantage over the powerboat. A sailboat, at least one like this, was designed for heavy seas. That powerboat was not. He turned the helm a few degrees to starboard and managed to eke out another quarter of a knot from the wind. Then he remembered the centerboard. If he raised it, the boat would be tougher to handle and the ride would be rough, but he needed the speed. Hopefully, once it was up, it would give them another knot or two and with the boat cutting through the water like the thoroughbred she was, they were hardly leaving any wake at all.
 
Leaving the safety of the pilothouse, Connie approached Pete and asked, “What other kinds of weapons do you have onboard?”
 
“Besides that shotgun and the LAW’s rocket launcher, there is a Remington .308 in that locker in the pilothouse. I keep it there to keep sharks from getting too close to my guest as they are swimming in the ocean. Why? What do you have in mind?”
 
“While you are busy keeping us at a safe distance, Penny and I are going to set up a little surprise of our own. If they do get anywhere close, they will find out just how dangerous it is to approach another boat on the high seas.”
 
Pete smiled at her and approved of her suggestion. This was not just a pretty face, she had balls as well. Apparently, the girls were not ready to roll over and play dead, not yet. A .308 at a range of under a hundred yards was a hell of a powerful weapon, especially in the hands of a skilled shooter. He hoped that Connie could deliver on that account.
 
A short while later Pete could see both women inside the pilothouse setting up their little surprise and hanging on for dear life while they moved about. He gave them a thumbs-up and a smile, but the smile didn’t carry to his worried eyes.
 
As the centerboard slowly came up, Pete was having trouble finding that damn boat again. He knew it was not behind them anymore because from time to time he could hear its noisy engine in the wind off to one side or the other of their course. That did not tell him where it was, nor what it was doing, just that they were still out there. Why in the hell were they after them? It had to be to keep Connie and Penny from reaching safety. The girls must have been right in their assumption that someone was out to kill them. He was also happy that he’d taken the right precautions in London; they really were loaded for bear. He’d bought two extra boxes of shells for both the shotgun and .308.
 
With one eye over his shoulder and the other on the wind, Pete skillfully jockeyed his boat through the heavy seas. He was drawing on years of experience to stay on the ragged edge in order to make the boat almost fly across the waves.
 
**♥**
 
“Damn it! Keep an eye out for that damn sailboat. We don’t want to run into it now do we?” Dane shouted to his crew.
 
When they topped another wave, Fred shouted, “It’s over there on our right.” Everyone looked at the yellow sail blossomed out like a huge cup catching the wind.
 
“Cal swing that fifty around and see if you can give that sail a burst. Maybe if we can slow the damn thing down, we can finish this job and get on with our long boring trip back to the islands.