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Aleksey fingered the instrument panel. ‘What dogs?’
Ben’s sigh did not escape him. He ruffled the dark hair. ‘Get the kit onboard and we’ll go.’
‘I think that’sstowthe kit and getunderway. You are not increasing my confidence in your boat knowledge.’
‘Ack, I learnt to sail in Denmark, so I cannot translate the correct terms for things.’
‘Wait a minute. You…I thought you’d done lots of sailing in Russia! You mean to say you haven’t sailed since you were ten! Rusty! Oh, my, God! This is worse than I—’
‘I said learnt to sail. When I was in Russia I was a master of the art. Now, do something useful while I study the maps of the coastline.’
‘Charts?’
Aleksey gave a cheerful grin and waved him away.
He really did need to look at some maps, charts, whatever, because he’d suddenly remembered the fact that he now owned a lighthouse. Lighthouses, as everyone knew, were put there for underwater hazards like rocks and sharks. There were two hundred islets in the chain known as Scilly, and only five of them were fully visible above water. Consequently, he made the decision that they wouldn’t try to take the line of the main ferry, as they didn’t need to dock at St Mary’s. They would go south of the entire island group, then west further than they needed to, and then swing back east to the La Luz, coming at it from the deeper ocean.
It was a good route. Course. Whatever.
They waited for high tide. No one questioned this decision, as it not only gave them an easier passage out to open sea, but it provided an opportunity to get settled in a little, stow things safely in case of any Poseidon Adventure-level incidents, and have something to eat. Tim was dubious about this last activity as he confessed he sometimes suffered from motion sickness. Radulf ate his share. As Aleksey pointed out, Radulf upchucked frequently anyway, had apparently eaten a rotten seagull on the beach, and so might as well take the opportunity of a handy swell for a nice purge.
It was now two o’clock. They would be at the island no later than six, still plenty of light in May.
They started the engine. Aleksey had no intention of actually putting the sail up, and planned on motoring easily the whole way. He’d never had a boat with an engine before, so it was a novelty.
Squeezy went to the bow to watch the depth. Ben stood by Aleksey, and Tim was in the cabin, calming the dogs, and probably himself. So far so good.
They actually made it out to open water with no incident at all. He gave Ben a tiny complicit smile, and Ben slung his arm around his shoulders and knuckle-rubbed his hair. Just as Aleksey was about to protest this treatment, being the master and commander of the vessel, the sun suddenly came out. The whole day seemed to change in a moment. Gone was the grey of the river. The open waters glistened with sparkling light. A light breeze started to blow. Aleksey felt his hair lifting in the wind as they bounced over the waves.
Tim came out of the cabin with four mugs clutched in his hands, looking pleased with himself. ‘The kitchen is very cleverly designed.’
At exactly the same time, he and Ben chorused, ‘Galley,’ and on their shared laugher Aleksey felt a sense of lightness and wonder return to his life. Yes, he was in pain. But what was that compared to this? He decided life was too short to be cautious.
‘Man the halyard and set the sails, Mister Rider-Mikkelsen.’
‘Huh?’
Aleksey sighed. ‘Hold this.’
‘Hey, any manning or holding of bits and bobs is my job, Cap’n Cock. First Matey Hornblower at your service—any horns blown, any time.’
Squeezy grabbed the wheel from Ben and seemed to be able to point things in a straight line, so Aleksey went to set his own sails.
He glanced back towards the little cockpit for one moment and saw a complicit glance shared between the other three. He couldn’t interpret it exactly, but it only added to his sense of rightness.
Ben flicked Squeezy’s ear and then climbed up to help him.
That’s just the way they were together.
* * *
Chapter Twenty-Nine
After an hour, they were out of sight of the Cornish mainland entirely. It was slightly unnerving, but Aleksey checked his instruments, which were also something he’d never had on a boat before, and knew they were heading in the right direction. It was almost too easy, and he was tempted to turn the boat’s satellite navigation off for a bit of a challenge.
Instead, he returned to the cockpit and took the wheel from Ben.
The light reflecting off the sea was dazzling. They had all changed into T-shirts and Ben and Squeezy were in shorts. The sails were cracking overhead and they were still close enough to land to be trailed by gulls. The dogs were being kept inside for safety, but the other three seemed to Aleksey to be entirely in their element, even Tim who was photographing everything, even the waves breaking upon the bows of the boat.
