The next morning, Barney launched his boat and tied it to the ramp just as Jackie arrived. She wore white shorts, a blue halter-top, pink tennis shoes, and had her hair tied back in a ponytail,
"Good morning!" he greeted her. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she said. "That s a nice looking boat, but it looks like it s a little wide for its length. How long is it?"
He laughed. "You re right, it s wide. That s because it s what we call a Tri-Hull. It s more stable for its nineteen-foot length."
"What s its name?"
"Chickship."
"Chickship! Ummmm. Oh, I see," she laughed. "That s funny."
He grinned. "I thought it appropriate."
"Is that the motor on the back?"
"Yep, it s a twenty-five horse Johnson and it gets me where I want to go. But let me hold the boat tight against the ramp while you come aboard."
He held the boat steady while she carefully stepped in and sat down on a center seat. Making sure of her comfort, he started the engine before removing the line from the ramp. After backing the boat from the ramp, he turned it around and headed south into the Bay. Although the day looked bright and cheery, he noticed some cloud buildup in the distant southern sky; hopefully, that didn t mean rain.
For the next several hours, they cruised around the Bay as he pointed out different landmarks and places of interest on the shoreline. Around noontime he stopped the engine and dropped anchor before asking "How about something to eat?"
"Did you bring something to eat?" she replied. "I never gave it a thought. But now you mention it, I am a little hungry."
"Oh I thought about it," he said, moving to a small closet in the bow and pulling out a cooler. "I didn t know what you like, but we have a selection of corned beef on rye or ham and cheese on whole wheat. Which would you prefer?"
"I like them both, but for now the corned beef sounds good."
"Okay. Here it is. What would you like to drink? There s Coke, Pepsi, Root Beer and Ginger Ale."
"Ginger Ale is fine."
He opened a Ginger Ale for her and a Coke for himself before taking a seat facing her and began eating.
They finished their sandwiches and were leisurely sipping their drinks when Jackie asked "Are we moving?"
He shook his head "No. Why do you ask?"
She pointed at a building on the shoreline. "Well, when you stopped we were opposite that big pink house back there, and now we aren t."
Barney glanced at the bow where the anchor line had been tied. "Damn! We ve lost the anchor line. I ve got to see if I can find it."
"How can you find it? Won t the line sink?"
"No. That line will float for a while before sinking."
Starting the engine, he threw out a float cushion to mark his position and began circling around it. He scanned the water while making larger and larger circles.
Twenty minutes later, his search for the anchor line was interrupted. Out of nowhere, another boat crossed his circular path, slowed while someone reached out and grabbed the cushion, then sped off in the distance.
Barney idled the engine and just sat there staring in disbelief at the disappearing boat.
"I m sorry," Jackie said. "That wasn t very nice of them, was it?"
"Sure wasn t. I guess I m out an anchor and a cushion."
Just then a clap of thunder startled them both. Barney looked to the south.
"Whoops! Better get out of here. Rain s coming."
"What are you going to do?"
"I m heading for the bridge to park under it," he said as he gunned the engine.
Reaching his destination, he cut the engine and the boat drifted to the bridge fender.
"How about sitting in the back," he asked, "while I go up front?"
"Okay," she said and moved to the back of the boat.
He went to the bow, grabbed the bridge fender and pulled the boat until it was completely under the bridge, then secured it to the pilings with a tight line.
"Oh boy! Just in time," he said, as the sky opened and the rain came down in a torrent.
"I thought you said it would be dry under here," she said. "I just felt a couple of drops."
He looked up, saw the eight-inch drain overhead, shouted "Oh no!" and raced to the stern as a torrent of water poured down on Jackie and the boat.
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her forward from under the stream and hurried back to untie the bowline before the boat sank. The tightly secured line now resisted his fierce efforts to undo it.
She shouted, "Haven t you got a knife? Cut it before we sink! I don t want to have to swim to shore."
He grabbed a knife from a scabbard fastened to the railing and slashed the line free. It took all his strength to pull the water-filled boat forward and away from the drain s deluge.
He tied the boat again to a piling before bailing with a bait bucket and muttering to himself.
Jackie watched, but couldn t hear him. The rain on the bridge and the howling wind made a lot of noise so she shouted, "What are you saying?"
He looked at her, grimaced, shook his head and went back to bailing.
It was a very chagrined Barney who brought his boat back to the launch ramp and assisted Jackie onto the shore saying, "I m awfully sorry about what happened. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you: maybe supper tonight?"
Jackie gave just a trace of a smile. "No. I just want to get home and take a nice hot shower. Thanks anyway." With that, she hurried to her car and left.
An embarrassed Barney never tried dating her again.
