Nightmare Voyage come true!!

As all of you know, earlier this year I published my first novel Nightmare Voyage.  That is NOT why I asked you to read this blog today. It's strange how things we create can actually occur. Read below to find out what the heck I'm talking about. After the account of the story I have a couple of important points.
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Yesterday, I was out sailing Rum & Tonic, about five miles offshore due west of Gordon's pass when I heard a MAYDAY. It was from the sailing vessel Windbourne, who we see out in the Gulf all the time. There was not response. So the skipper of Windbourne called again. "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, this is Windbourne, my wife jumped off the boat and I cannot find her. We are three miles west of the Registry at position....." No response. I grabbed the mic to my VHF and called, "Ft Myers Beach Coast Guard did you copy the MAYDAY call. Finally the Coast Guard responded. I glanced at our GPS/plotter and did a quick mental calculation. We were about seven miles southwest of them sailing southeast. It would take over an hour for us to reach them. What help could we possibly be? I didn't hesitate to fire up the motor and yank in the jib and motorsail as fast as possible to the position Windbourne had given. Her husband called the mayday at approx 1315 (1:15pm). 

All I could think of was "Dear God save her" and "If that was me in the water, I would want everyone to try." And try they did. The radio was flooded with calls from both sail and power boats responding to the scene. We blasted along at only six knots and it was heart breaking to hear her husband repeatedly call the Coast Guard asking for a helicopter. Her husband did an awesome job of holding his emotions together and searching for her. It was also heartbreaking to hear she is 75 years old and not a good swimmer. We approached the search area a little over an hour later. I was running up the longitude, when about a mile south of the MAYDAY position a huge turtle surfaced making me alter course to port. My crew and great friend, Cheryl, and I listened when the Coast Guard advised everyone to head more east, because of the wind and currents. By now the sea breeze had kicked in and the chop was picking up. So, when I approached a position 1/2mile south of the mayday position (I was running up the longitude of the MAYDAY call), I turned east intending to run a few hundred yards and then turn south again. After about 1 minute of easting, I turned around to see the Coast Guard Chopper hovering directly behind us about 75 yards away. I swung the boat around and motored at full throttle, along with a crab boat to the helo's position. A red Coast Guard inflatable screamed by us, fifty yards from the helo and pulled the lady out of water, thankfully alive. Good on her for treading water for an hour and a half at 75 years of age and not being a good swimmer. And thank God for saving her. I must say I was impressed by the large number of boats that responded. We ended up being the closest boat to her, though we didn't find her. If I had turned west instead of east when I made my turn, we would have found her. So what did I learn from this (yes even a salty captain of thirty years who sailed around the world can learn something everyday!).

1. Always try to help. Even though it took us over an hour to reach the search area we might have been the boat to save the lady.

2. Don't assume the search area is exact. We should have turned west for at least one loop, because of the large number of boats to the east. 

3. Had we found her, my plan was to put on one of our Type 1 PFD's (lifejackets) and jump in with another one. The lady I was sailing with is not a great swimmer, but could have handled the boat, while I kept the woman in the water afloat until the Coast Guard reached us, or she could climb aboard. I am assuming she was too "spent" to climb our steep ladder after an hour and a half.

Good Job to the Coast Guard for the rescue!!

I am so proud of all the boats that responded. Too often these days people figure, "oh someone else will do it", or "I can't get involved." Good for all of you!! You all get a gold star from me today!! 

A boat is a boat is a boat... or is it?

I've been repeatedly asked by many folks including my friends who also have Pacific Seacraft why in the world would I pick a Westsail 32 as our hero's boat and name her Dark & Stormy? everyone who knows me well, knows how much I adore Rum & Tonic (I'm taking her out for a spin Sunday, can't wait!!) our Pacific Seacraft 31. Since several of my friends that read the early stages of the book kept saying Linda sounded so much like me, I thought I would mess with everyone's head just a little bit. So, we know the late Bill Crealock designed Rum & Tonic, right? (We do?). So what is the closest boat (in my humble opinion) to a Pacific Seacraft 31 also designed by Bill Crealock? You may say the Mariah. OK you got me on that one. But for some reason the Westsail 32 popped into my head. The big difference is the canoe stern, which I'm not particularly fond of. So it was funny picking that model boat and the name Dark & Stormy plays off the Rum & Tonic nicely. Also, Linda ponders whether or not the name also reflects her relationship with Joey. If you wondered where the boat is docked, in my mind, at the Cove Inn, she is two slip to the west of the Chickee Bar only two slips over from Rum & Tonic. Pretty convenient. So now you know the secret behind Dark & Stormy...don't tell anyone!!

A little more Linda

So far, we have explored Linda's character through the boat prep, sinking and rescue by Tom and Eric and looked at her fear of flying. So, where do we go from here? The next phase of the book took place in Beaufort, NC, one of my favorite haunts. As soon as they dock in Beaufort, Linda jumps ship so she can think about Joey without the "guys" around. Of course, Mark is still responsible for her, so he sends Eric to follow her. (how cconvenient)
She's still in shock over the sinking, but has to deal with having no clothes, no money, no credit cards... no way to live or survive. Top that off with the impending Coast Guard meeting. It's no wonder she sits in the pilot house crying until Tom comes in and talks to her.

Tom. Maybe it's time to delve into Tom and Eric a little. Both are Bering Sea crab fishermen. They are brothers. They are business men who won their own boat and participate in a fishing show. Why? Why did I select these parameters for them. Why not Maine Lobster man or Gulf Shrimpers? Good question. I picked crab fishing, because there is so much on TV and in the press about these guys. And they are hard core. I've know many, many fisherman and captains throughout the years, so I wanted to pick a profession that had really tough guys. I thought it would be interesting to explore their possible softer side. You can make either Tom or Eric sensitive to Linda's plight without making them wimps. They can't be wimps, it's just not possible. So when picking a profesion for a character, pick something opposite of the way you want the character to act. Like a florist who is an axe murderer. The contrast is awesome. The other reason I picked Bering Sea Fisherman is because they make a lot of money in a short period of time. That was important because I wanted to give Eric another lifestyle where he could bring Linda to recuperate and advance their relationship. It had to be non-water related. Horses and cows. Perfect. Having ridden horses since I was a kid (my sister had a palomino named Sonny... another similarity with Linda? LOL). A nice quiet country ranch in Texas (why Texas?) is a great place to get your head together. Why Texas, you ask. My sister lived in Cleburne just sw of Fort Worth. So I roughly knew the area.
Just one more quick point for today. I said it was important for Eric to have some money and make the bulk of his money in a short period of the year. Why? This will become apparent in Treacherous Voyage. I don't want to give anything away at this point so I'll drop this for now. 

So, don't you just love the way Linda handles the Coast Guard XO. "Screw you!" That shows the more firey side of her personality. This side of her really comes out int the beginning of Treacherous Voyage. OOPS, I almost spilled the beans again. Well, I better end for now before I get myself in trouble!

More character developement

In my last blog, I spoke about Linda and some of her character development.Some of her strengths and weaknesses. One particular weakness is her fear of flying. That one does hit close to home. This fear comes out in Chapter 4. The Coast Guard Airlift. This was an interesting chapter to write because I received some help from an ex-Coast Guard search and rescue man.
      One of the things I've thought of over the years of sailing is Coast Guard airlifts and searches. Just another interest. In my opinion, there are far too many "calls" to the Coast Guard these days to "save" some (I was going to say idiots, but that might not be completely fair) "sailors" who buy a boat and get a GPS and take off for Bermuda without the proper preparation and experience. Now, I'm more into the sailing part of this blog and I promise I won't get on a soap box (maybe). It bugs the heck out of me.
      Anyway, there was a different circumstance in this book. My original thought, which I proposed to my Coast Guard friend, was "Can the Coast Guard make Linda get off the fishing boat?" Let's look at the circumstances. (I actually took a beating over this whole hypothermia, Coast Guard thing, and broken/bruised ribs from the editor. He thought Linda should just go along with the Coast Guard and go to the hospital. She wouldn't be well enough to stay on the boat with the fisherman. He underestimated her strength and mental fortitude, one of my favorite aspects of her character).
      OK, So I'll set the stage. You already know Linda was rescued after twenty some hours in the water. Then she was on the boat for say eighteen to twenty-four hours before the Coast Guard helicopter (flown by Mitch) arrived. Plenty of time to recover sufficiently to make a decision. And that was all she had to do (besides convincing the fishermen to let her stay). Her staying on the boat was critical for the next couple of chapters of search and rescue aboard the fishing boat when she and Eric bonded (Tom also). If the Coast Guard took her off the boat, that would have been the end of her and Eric even before it began.
      So, back to the original question? Can the Coast Guard force her off the boat. My friend shook his head at this question. He told me he never encountered anyone who would not get off the boat after they had flown out. Here are the two key things. If you read the first couple of lines of Chapter 4 they tell us Mark called the Coast Guard (as he should have) to inform them of Linda's rescue and rapidly improving hypothermia. Then Mark and the Coast Guard decide to fly out the helicopter to airlift Linda to have her checked out by a doctor and to allow the fishing boat to continue its trip. The Coast Guard would want to question Linda about the sinking and continue searching for Joey. Linda may have some key information that could help the search.
      When Linda finds out the helicopter is on its was out to pick her up, she freaks out again. Linda thinks to herself, "There is no way I'm getting in one of those." So, can the Coast Guard make her go? Technically, no. SHE never requested the Coast Guard to come out to the boat. Now, Mark is the critical person here. Since she is on his boat and he is the captain, Mark is responsible for her until she gets off the boat. So, Linda begs Eric and Tom to convince Mark to let her stay. Once Mark talks to the Coasties about allowing her to stay,
the Coasties have no recourse. Of course, they aren't real pleased with the situation, and they order Mark to take her back to Beaufort (OK all you Coasties out there, that was a little bit of "poetic license" on my part).
      But we see some more of Linda's personality and character emerging in these scenes.
      1. Toughness. Why didn't she go to the doctor? Offshore sailors are a tough breed. Think about having the flu a hundred miles offshore. You are two handing the trip (only two of you on board). You are keeping four hour watches around the clock. It's one thirty a.m. and you are puking your guts out (sorry to be so graphic). Sweat is pouring off of you from the 100 degree fever you have. You haven't slept for five minutes and your next watch starts at two a.m. You are beating into six foot seas and it's pouring rain outside, cold rain. What do you do? A. Run to CVS for some cold medicine and go back to bed. B. Tell you partner, who has been on watch for four hours in this misearable weather, that you don't feel good and need to go back to bed. or C. SUCK IT UP and go on watch. Most offshore sailors on a long trip would pick C.
So, unless her ribs were really bad, she probably wouldn't go to the hospital.
    2. Detemination. She was going to find a way to stay on the fishing boat and search for Joey. The fear of flying was only part of this.
    3. Fear of Flying. One of her weaknesses. Why did I pick this? Well, I know how that feels because I'm not a huge fan of flying myself. She needed to have some venerability. It needed to be something a little unusual and something that wouldn't really affect her budding relationship with Eric. In fact, it may have strengthened their new relationship, beacuse it gave him something else to help her get through. But I'll deal with Eric later.
     The sum total of today's blog hopefully give you more insight into building characters. My aim is to help you figure out how to build your charcters. Remember the old saying, write what you know.
Also, I wanted to give you more insight into Linda's character. She's one tough cookie. Most of the time!
 

Character developement

It's funny thinking about Linda's character as I wrap up my second book Treacherous Voyage. Just like real life, after the first few chapters the characters take on a life of their own, become very different people from who they were early on. When I came up with the idea for Nightmare Voyage, I would be lying to say the original character didn't have a little of me in her. All offshore sailors think about what would happen if this or that happened. For example, what if the boat sank. Would I call for help? Would I be within range of help (far offshore help may be days away if available at all.) How would I call for help? On the VHF radio, SSB radio, EPIRB, flares or simply scream "Help, Help." LOL. How long could I survive in the ocean with just a life jacket on? Or would I be in a liferaft. Would there be another person there? Survival can take on many different forms depending on the circumstance. What if I was just out on deck at night and unclipped my safety harness and just fell overboard? There is always a pretty good chance of that. I just reached over to flip a flying fish overboard who had washed up on deck. Just stretch a little further, BAM!! New book? Maybe.
So what is character developement all about? My friend Maggie gave me a great paper on character developement after I published NV. There are thousand of questions readers want to know about your character. Like what is their favorite color? How the heck do I know I'm only the author?
What is the characters 5 year goal? 10 year goal? Lifetime dream? Heck, I'm lucky if I know my own five year goal.
It's interesting to look back on the original manuscript (which I thankfully kept).
 

"It is a dark, dirty night. I have sailed upon inky black seas a thousand nights before."

That was the first line of one of the original manuscripts it evolved into...

"It's a dark, dirty night. There were many nights like this before."

That's the first line of the finished novel. So what does this tell us? Actually quite a lot. It tells us whoever is speaking is an experienced sailor or seaman. At this point it is difficult to tell if the person is or was on a sailboat or motor boat or fishing boat. But they have been at sea during many nights and the nonchalant reference to the sea makes one think the person is comfortable with the sea.  

This was the essence of Linda's character. A confident woman captain who has spent many nights at sea.

So where does the character go from there? She spends almost two nights and one full day drifting in a life jacket in the middle of the Gulf Stream. What did that do to her head? Aside from the obvious physical challenges of dehydration, extreme sunburn and hypothermia, there would be an emotional scar. At first she wondered when she will be rescued. On page 4 she says, "Where is the Coast Guard? Moorehead City and its Coast Guard base is only hours away by fast patrol boat." So, obviously she expected to be rescued.

But what happens as the day wears on? "As twillight slips into night, the darkness is all around and very black."

"The ships lights grow brighter as it heads closer The though of rescue almost makes me leap out of the water with joy." But that ship almost runs Linda over. It never sees her, a very realistic scenario. So, what would that do to her head?

Compound the ship scenario with the hypothermia. "As the night drags on, the cold and shivering and desolation only get worse." Would you be ready to give up yet?

"Despair creeps up on me. It's getting difficult to stay awake."

"As I lay me head back, the cold water surrounds my head and neck though I barely feel the chilly water over the numbness. A small wave washes over my face, water sluices down into my nose and infuses my sinuses and the back of my throat, but I hardly notice."  Give up already Linda. She is obviously very hypothermic and not thinking rationally. Her mind is shutting down. Being that close to death would certainly knock a characters confidence at the very least.

"Suddenly there is a splash next to me and a man is there in a red survival suit."

Ah, so in comes Eric like a knight in shining armour on a trusty white steed (or on a swordfish boat). Her hero and our book's hero. I'll deal with Eric in a seperate blog.

So now you know a little about Linda. A strong woman throw into a nearly impossible situation. After the men rescue her, they treat her hypothermia. All of a sudden, she is surrounded by fisherman she doesn't know. The first thing they do is try to take off her clothes. (Enter Tom, Eric's older brother, who is a tough guy but a sweetheart). "You are really cold. Let's get these wet clothes off of you and get you warmed up." 

 Linda freaks out. She doesn't realize he is just trying to put dry clothes on her to help restore her body temperature. When Eric, her savior, enters the cabin she complies and let's them change her clothing. Why? Well, for one thing she doesn't have much choice; she cannot fight off these two big strong fishermen. 

But also she is spent both physically and mentally. She doesn't have any fight left. But she can't be too pleased being at the mercy of these strangers. Remember, she is a strong woman. But just how strong? If you read between the lines the first couple of chapter, she defers to Joey quite a few times. He is obviously the captain, even though they are both captains. But they are not co-captains. She looks to him for direction when the disaster occurs. Is this natural-man woman reaction since it appears they are also in a relatonship?

Or is he a so much more experienced sailor? He just takes over in the crisis. I'm not sure I answered that adequately in NV. I do explore the Joey-Linda relationship more in Treacherous Voyage and even more in the third book of the series. But those scenes reflect some of the weakness in Linda's character. This comes out again and again throughout the novel as she looks to or takes direction from Eric. She wants to be tough, but can't always be. Like in real life? I still take my hat off to Linda. In the opening pages when I professed that Linda isn't me, I said "I wish I could have her strength and smarts."

What does this adorable little black dog have to do with the sequel to Nightmare Voyage. Stay tuned!!

Nightmare Voyage contest

Win a gift certificate to the Dock at Crayton Cove!!  Be the first to answer 5 questions correctly.
Only availabe on our Island Sailing Newsletter. Just E-mail captmarlena@yahoo.com. Of course, you must read Nightmare Voyage. It's available at amazon.com and Kindle.