Chapter 46 Rudder or not.
Regina declined their offer to stay for dinner but promised to come again tomorrow.She said some time was needed to digest everything she just learned, but promised not to tell a soul.Will assured her that had never been a concern.If she was anything like her younger sister the, she was to be relied on.
“Dad, I never found the biscuits, did you eat them all already?”, Minnie asked.Shaking his head Will answered “Nope, haven’t even seen a biscuit all day, and only had one cuppa, very sad.”.Naomi pointed to the large mass of crates, barrels and boxes that made up their supplies.
“Right there, beside the baking powder and salt..there’s one box of rich tea biscuits.”. And there they were.That called for a fresh pot of tea, and milk of course.
“I poked around all over there, couldn’t see a thing”, Minnie ears drooped. “Well we have them now. It might be a part of Naomi’s homemaker skill, she knows her home and where everything is.”, added Will, dipping a biscuit. Minnie shrugged, as long as she had her biscuit all was well.
Will brought up what the plan was for tomorrow. The rudder for he and Min, finishing off the guest cabins for Naomi. Then they could all work on things like menus, work schedules and the like. Keeping a running inventory would be a good idea for the galley too. Teens, especially boys, tended to eat more than most adults do.
And it happened.
Time stopped, Will in mid dip, Minnie in mid card toss, Naomi in mid step. “Whoa, there we go again, what the heck is it.”, thought Will. Naomi looked scared but couldn’t say a word. Minnie was not worried, she still thought a wizard did it…she was probably right too.
Again it only lasted a few seconds but was still frightening. Losing yourself like that was not something Will enjoyed. Dangerous too and it had lasted longer this time. There was no one to call, no handy scientist to explain everything, to reassure the crew.
Luckily the whole world seemed to freeze, not just people.Will couldn’t imagine the carnage this would cause in their old world.Absolute chaos.
Their dinner was an easy one, they did breakfast for supper.Eggs, bacon, potatoes, very tasty.And of course toast, Minnie loved her toast.After Will did the dishes and cleaned the galley he went to his office to write in his log.Naomi had walked to town to visit old friends and Minnie had gone with.
This was the first time they had been apart since arriving in this world and Will was nervous. He totally trusted Naomi, and Minnie’s abilities but he just worried
After a couple of hours, according to his shiny pocket watch, a clatter of feet above decks told him they were home. He could hear happy talking and laughter as they came down. Apparently Naomi had packed up several boxes and bags of possessions. Will couldn’t imagine as he had always tried to travel light, that usually meant his wife just had more room.
As they stowed Naomi’s stuff in her cabin Will looked over what he had written.Notes about the time freeze, excitement about the kids coming aboard.Mostly about the sharp hunt.That would be a trial.
He heard Minnie saying goodnight to Naomi, called “Goodnight”, too and he went to his cabin for the night.
The next day dawned bright and warm.Thank goodness as they would be in the water for hours.
Breakfast was an easy toast and jam meal. There was still lots to do and Will was itching to get to it. Hopefully the lake was warm today, and hopefully the rudder repairs went well. “More tea?”, he offered Minnie. “Yuck.”. was the reply, he laughed.
Will checked with Naomi if she needed anything to get the cabins ready for tomorrow, but she had it all under control.So he and Minnie got to the rudder.
A massive wooden contraption, several parts sheathed in brass. First step was to connect to one of the cranes to prevent it sinking. Unhooking from the skeg, or steering post, then lifting it to the deck. Sawhorses had been set up beforehand and the rudder was placed on them carefully.
Minnie set to unbolting all the brass fittings, Will was heating tar to coat it after the repairs.Luckily they had replacement wooden parts, both below in their workroom and here in the dock.It was a matter of taking out the damaged parts, fitting new ones.Then waterproofing and reattaching the brass fittings.Sounds easy but it took the two of them 6 hours to finish.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The tar had to dry before they could place it back in the water. So dinner had been planned around this. Burgers again, which was all right with Will, cheeseburgers were one of his favourites, along with baked potatoes.
Relaxing on the deck, still hours of daylight left.Minnie and Will were in danger of food coma, so Naomi helpfully tossed a bucket of nice cold lake water on their snoozing forms.“Aaaaahhh”, screamed Minnie “I am gonna get you back so bad dad….wait why are you wet too?”.Turning she saw a giggling Naomi, “It was you!”, she accused.Will had also sprang up looking for danger.
Catching sight of drenched Minnie and laughing Naomi there was only one thing he could do, join in. The next few minutes were an intense water fight, no one coming out dry. It was only stopped by the appearance of Stephen, who unfortunately was the target of three buckets. The force of the water sent him flying back out the door of the dock. “Ohoh, game off guys, gotta check Stephen out,” said Will.
Minnie and Naomi put things back to rights on the boat, Will found Stephen lying in a sodden heap, laughing. “Sorry bout that, we got a bit carried away.”, Will reached down and helped him up. “No harm done.”, replied Stephen, “I’ll dry quick enough.”.
They returned to the dock to find Minnie and Naomi cleaning up. “Sorry for the water blast”, said Naomi, “Me too”, added Minnie “but you sure flew out of here, it was awesome.”.
Stephen reassured them he was all right, accepted a cuppa and sat at the bow with them. They talked of the days to come, the barge construction, the sharp hunt and the ore run. After a short while he left, back to his bakery. The crew got on with chores.
The rudder went back down and was connected to the skeg again. All the fittings were tightened, the rudder was tested and worked like a charm. One large problem solved.
The other repairs had been completed the previous day and they were looking forward to getting back on the water tomorrow.Perishable supplies and the teen crew would be delivered just after breakfast and they would cast off right after.
But for now the sun was dimming, falling into the west. They closed off the large water doors, turned off the dock lanterns and went below. Will went to his cabin for a warm bath, Minnie had already washed up, changed and was in the mess. The bath water was from their boiler, and would be topped up tomorrow, but for now he was enjoying the luxury. Clean clothes, even socks.
Will had always had the habit of laying out his clothes for the next day, and he still did that here. He found it was one less problem for the day, same with hair. No bad hair days for him. Quarter inch of hair and no more, lot easier to take care of. He was still mostly clean shaven too, just a small moustache to break up the monotony of his face, but no monumental beard. Too hot, too itchy and too hairy.
Throwing on a caftan he had found in one of the many wardrobes in the ships store room, he was ready for the rest of the evening. Sniffing, he could smell something tasty, oh yeah dinner time.
He could hear Minnie and Naomi as he exited his cabin, and entering the mess he found them playing cards…it was war.One of his favourite games, apart from double solitaire.But he needed to find a three person game that they could all play together.
“Hey dad, you sure smell better, you smelled like a fishie before.”, said Minnie.“Thanks Min, your fur is looking especially shiny too.”, laughed Will, “Need a hand with your ears though, they look kinda scruffy.”.Minnie gasped, Naomi shook her head at Will “They do not Minnie, ignore him.He’s just jealous of your ears.”.
Patting his friend on the shoulder “Just kidding sweetie.”.Sitting beside her at the table, he saw they had waited for him to eat.Covered dishes revealed bangers and mash with onion gravy.One of his favourite comfort meals, it reminded him so of many things.
Dinner was fairly quiet. All a bit worn from the days work, not tired but mentally down a notch. “I can’t wait to see the littles again, they’re so much fun.”, said Minnie. “Oh me too,”, added Naomi, “Is it the same group as before? …minus Chuck though.”. Will couldn’t think if Stephen had mentioned, “Sorry, no clue really, I don’t remember if it came up.”.
“We’ll find out tomorrow, but for now let’s finish up here, check the boat to make sure we’re ready.”, suggested Will.He did his usual task of washing up, it gave him thinking time while his hands worked away.His mental list gained a couple of items, some were ticked off done.
Galley cleaned he found Minnie and Naomi is their pantry. All their supplies were quickly put away, and the biscuits found to Minnie’s delight. There was only one thing to do, fresh tea, milk and biscuits. Then off to bed.
Will tried to beat Minnie to the head but no way. She was just too slippery. The night was warm so their ports were wide open, the salt air helped Will fall asleep quickly.
He started awake during the night, scaring Minnie awake too. “What’s wrong dad, and who is Captain Jensen, you called his name.”. Will had no clue, “Dunno Min, I don’t even remember saying it.”. Laying his head back down, he closed his eyes. Next thing he knew…morning had come.
Menu
William Harris
Age 36
Intelligence 22/50
Strength 40/50
Vitality 35/50
Stamina 35/50
Affinities for gardening, cultivating, fishing, knitting, swimming, mariner ,
Captain of the heartboat Rose
Navigation 3
Mechanic 3
Mason 1
Outdoor Chef
Arborist 1
Labourer 1
Minnie
Best dog of all
Age 5
Intelligence 15/25
Strength 20/25
Vitality 20/25
Stamina 20/25
Affinities for fishing, swimming, husbandry, mariner
First Mate of the heartboat Rose
Piloting 3
Mechanic 2
Crab Catcher
Shrimper
Joker
Arborist
Labourer 1
Naomi 0’Malley
Age 16
Intelligence 20/50
Strength 20/50
Vitality 21/50
Stamina 21/50
Affinities for cooking, fishing, gardening, swimming, mariner
Second Mate of the heartboat Rose
Management 2
Cooking 3
Homemaker 2
Arborist 1
Labourer 1