A Juvenile’s Nautical Nightmare

“I don’t want to die! “I sobbed to my aunt while she held me tight in her trembling arms. We both gazed at this obscure massive entity moving slowly toward us .This mountainous body was slowly devouring anything that was in its way.
It was a stunning, eighty degree, mid-November day. The Carolina blue skies and the turquoise waters invited us to navigate its existence. It was going to be the perfect day. Since my Uncle Johnny had a side job at a nearby beach, I was going to be able to play and spend time with my favorite aunt and cousins. They lived far away and I hardly ever got to see them. We decided to sail down the Cape Fear River from Carolina Beach to Southport for the day.
“Honey make sure you packed enough fried chicken for everyone.” Mama said sweetly. “Don’t forget we have Aunt Patricia, Amie and Joy.”
“Is Uncle Johnny coming with us? “I answered back noticing that Uncle Johnny was kissing Aunt Patricia bye.
“No baby, he has a side job at Topsail Beach.”
I scurried over and started to help my cousins pack for our day trip on the boat. This was going to be so much fun. I squealed in excitement. I haven’t been on the sailboat since the summer had ended. I yearned to feel the warm breeze caressing my face while I tasted the gentle salty spray on my tongue.
We arrived at a Carolina Beach boat dock. I turned towards Mama and asked with a questionable look on my face, “Why are we at Carolina Beach? I thought the boat was at Wrightsville Beach.”
“We moved the sailboat here to winterize it.”Mama replied back. “You and the girls grab the food and help Buddy with the coolers. Let’s hurry. Southport is quite a way and we need to get back before dark.”
Buddy was my stepdad that was nothing more than an oversized child that needed constant reminding that he was an adult and needed to act like one. My mom was the sensible one while Buddy lived in the moment. When the saying opposites attract came around, it must have been about them. My cousins and I scrambled on the boat while Aunt Patricia and Mama helped Buddy untie the boat from the dock. Buddy made his usual cocktail of Beam and 7-up in his red solo cup, stirring it with his callused finger.
“Okay, Boogie, let’s go! “Buddy said to Mama like stirring his drink was the final step to sailing. He turned on some tunes while we set sail to Southport. Mama, Buddy and Patricia gossiped about the good old days while we splashed our feet in the chilly mist of water that erupted as the boat danced to the sounds of the Rolling Stones and Bob Seager.
We docked at Southport and all of us shopped while Buddy stopped in for an occasional beer in various restruarants.Mama and Buddy argued about petty things which was the normal routine for them. Aunt Patricia played, tickled, and laughed with her girls and me. It was about mid-afternoon when we started to head back to the boat to go home. The day was flawless and unspoiled…at least so far.
About halfway home on the boat, I heard Mama ask Buddy agitatedly, “Did you fill the gas up in the boat before we left Southport?”
“Damn! Boogie, I thought you were going to do it! “Buddy exclaimed with one hand on the boat’s steering wheel and another on his happy hour concoction. “Look at the gauge. We should be alright.”
I witnessed Mama looking down at the gauge as the boat sputtered its’ last breath. The sailboat drank its last swallow of fuel. We were isolated in the depths of the Cape Fear channel.
“Buddy, put the damn drink down and help me get these fucking sails up! “It’s already turning dark! “Mama pleaded.
As if the Gods were playing a malicious game of chess and we were the pawn, there was no wind to carry us on our way. The boat stood motionless with the infrequent wisp of breeze that would push us only an insufficient distance.
“What’s going on? “I questioned Buddy, since he was the only one who didn’t seem bothered by what was going on
Buddy reached in his cooler and poured another drink and looked back at me.”Everything is alright, Baby. Buddy has it under control. The wind needs to pick up though, I’m running out of Beam.”
Joy and Amie investigated the look on my face to ensure our safe harbor; while Aunt Patricia made jokes to ease the stale atmosphere. Since the wind was not in our favor, the boat crept in a painful tempo.We were soon to find out the dangers that lurked ahead with us traveling in the channel.
As if on cue, a blanket of fog came rolling in and encircled the boat as if it was saying “good night to all. “Even with the mast and running lights it would be very difficult to see us. With the fog came the gust of bitter, wintry air. The cold night air was immobilizing. All the blankets and provisions had already been removed from the boat for the winter to be cleaned.
Mama yelled at Buddy, who was still worrying over the premonition that he was going to be out of Beam, “Pull down the sails and the kids can use them as blankets. It can’t be no more than forty out here.They’ll freeze!”
Here I was, wrapped up in sail, hovered together trying to keep warm with my cousins. This was not what I had fantasized how the day would conclude. Fright and uncertainty rushed through my body not knowing what was to happen next.
All of a sudden darkness overwhelmed all of us and silence swallowed us whole. The battery had run dead. We were in the center of the abyss with chaos mocking leaving us in the blanket of fog that surrounded .Now, it was extremely dangerous. We couldn’t make out any obstacles that lay ahead and they couldn’t see us. As Buddy steered the boat, finally not caring about his Beam, Mama sat on the bow trying to establish any resemblance to a marker that would steer us in the right direction to home. Panic –stricken Patricia bravely held us under the hard uncomfortable sail. All of us noticed in unison a dark mysterious void in front of us. No stars, no moon shined in the sky, nothing but a disturbing darkness.
Mama shrieked in horror at Buddy. “OH my God, It’s a ship! “We all looked up and saw the red and green lights almost on top of us and we were directly in its’ path. My cousins and I held my Aunt Patricia even tighter while tears saturated my cheeks.
“I don’t want to die! “I sobbed to my aunt while she held me tight in her trembling arms. We both gazed at this obscure massive entity moving slowly toward us .This mountainous body was slowly devouring anything that was in its way.
Mama hurdled at Buddy yelling, “Steer to the starboard side now, DAMN IT.We’re going to be crushed!”
Buddy yelled back oblivious what was going on since he was two sheets in the wind, “I’ve got this, Debbie!”
“Damn it, no you don’t, “she screamed back in a panic.
Buddy finally painstakingly did as she asked only seconds before the water pushed by the ship lifted the bow of our lessor vessel and tossed it to the side like spitting out a bad seed. The massive craft was so close you could brush the rust with your hand while counting the rivets on the side. We were so close to being smashed to smithereens and barely escaping Death’s hands. Mama remembering that we had a flare gun shot off a flair trying to signal the passing cargo ship, but received no response.
It was very cold by then and the temperature was dropping by the hour. “Mama, Uncle Johnny has to be worrying about us by now. He will call someone to save us. “I sniveled.
Mama looked back at Buddy who was quickly sobering up from the realization of escaping death by a thread and whispered, “We are the only ones that know that we moved the boat to Carolina Beach.”
Meanwhile, back at the house my Uncle Johnnie was extremely worried and wondering why we weren’t back from our sailing trip. It was almost midnight and we haven’t been heard from. Horror-stricken Johnny called the Coast Guard to report us missing. The Coast Guard immediately started searching for us in the ocean off of Wrightsville Beach not knowing we were faraway. When the Coast Guard reported back that they had ran across what was thought to be wreckage from a boat, Johnny fell to the ground pleading that it wasn’t so.
Back on the sailboat, the intense panic filled the air. Not only was I scared but everyone on the boat shared the same numbness. There was no way where in the heck we were on the river. We couldn’t see past the mast due to the fog or lights of the shore. All hope was lost. We were going to be another statistic lost at sea. I was only 10.This was not how I saw myself leaving this world. If there was a God, now was the time to show his face.
About two in the morning, we all heard the sound of a motorboat.
“Get the flashlight, Debbie! “Buddy exclaimed.
Mama shined the flashlight in the direction of the motorboat. The guy driving it saw us and immediately turned tail and took off.
“Must be making a marijuana drop. We might as well give up on them. “Mama replied woefully.
About 3 in the morning MamaAbout 3 in the morning Mama noticed a search light moving back and forth on the river far off in the distance. We only had two flares left. I moaned in despair as I witnessed the searchlights move on down the river in the opposite direction of our location.
“Well, here we go. “Mama said while shooting off the second flare only to receive no reaction.
We had to be careful. We only had one more flare.
Mama said”Fuck it!” and shot off the last flare over the river. The search boat was finally turning around.
“I can’t believe it, Mama! They see us! We are saved. “An intense calmness and relief saturated my inner being as I saw the boat slowing emerging towards us.
The Coast Guard finally pulled up beside us and tied off. They asked Mama questions and started to search the boat from one end to another. After not finding anything but scared children in a corner covered up in a sail, they hooked onto us and pulled us to the slip in Carolina Beach. I found out later that my Uncle Johnny had noticed Mama’s bank statement lying on the kitchen counter that revealed a check that was for a boat slip rental in Carolina Beach. That was also the moment I realized that there was a God, and he wasn’t ready for me yet.

Tags: inspirational, scary, hope, imagery, fear,