was still there. Dix went on board and found that although the cabin had been ransacked, nothing had been destroyed. The batteries were missing from the engine compartment; but, the engine was intact. The fuel tanks were empty; but, Dix expected that.
They spent the next day accumulating what they needed to get the boat running. In addition to the batteries and fuel, Dix loaded a case of MRE’s, bottled water and an AR 15 with six- 30 round magazines in addition to the one in the rifle. He added a Browning high power 9 mm with two thirteen round magazines, a boat anchor, batteries from his fishing boat and four five gallon cans of diesel. He also took a bugout bag with medicine, and enough supplies for him to live for a week should he have to abandon the boat and try to walk home.
After a prolonged argument with Mattie, about going alone, they loaded up the gear and headed out. It was around 2:00 am again and they quietly made their way back to the catamaran and loaded the gear onto the boat. Jake waited until Dix got it cranked and the doors open on the boat house. After Dix motored into the bay they conducted a radio check. Dix waited in the middle of the bay until Jake radioed back that he was safe at home.
Dix kicked the diesel engine into little more than a fast idle and headed for the open bay and then out into the Gulf of Mexico. In the dark of the early morning there was no noise or movement. He turned on the GPS when he reached the open gulf. The sun was coming up and he could see for miles; but the wind was cold blowing off the water. With the help of one of the winches, he raised the mast and unfurled the sail, killed the motor and headed almost due south.
Dix had spent two weekends on the boat with his friend last summer so he knew the basic lay out and operation of the vessel. The boat had a shallow draft so sticking to the channel was not an issue. He navigated by the GPS until it was too dark to see ahead, finally setting anchor in about eighty feet of water. The wind had pushed the seas to about five feet which made for a miserable night. The small cabin was cozy and the bunk was comfortable but the constant motion kept him from sleeping.
The next morning Dix cranked the engine and let it run until the batteries were fully charged. He opened an MRE and ate the crackers and jelly along with a bottle of water. After another six hours of sailing, he was at the mouth of the river.
His sailing skills were not up to the task of sailing up the river against the current. He tried it for a while but the turns in the river plus the debris floating down the river made it impossible. He cranked the little Yanmar diesel and motored up the river trying to stay in the middle of the stream when possible. It had been some months since the corps of engineers had cleared the channel. There were a number of sunken vessels aground and in various states of decay. There were also dead bodies flowing downstream. At least one body floated by about every thirty minutes. He kept a wary eye out as he made his way towards the city.
At mid afternoon a large aluminum boat carrying several men approached from the rear. Dix popped off a couple of rounds over their heads with his rifle. Instead of backing off, they shot back. Dix kicked the engine out of gear and opened up with his rifle. They were still under power. In the time it took for them to stop their boat in order to aim, he had emptied a magazine. They were shooting back from about two hundred yards, and, for the most part, missing him and the boat. An occasional round hit the boat; but, they were having trouble maintaining accurate fire. Dix, on the other hand, put every round into the passenger compartment of their boat. Their boat pulled into a position that was parallel to his in the water about 150 yards downstream. Dix concentrated his fire on the engine. His EOtech holographic site was precise and well sighted. The cowling on their outboard was coming apart. He was
They spent the next day accumulating what they needed to get the boat running. In addition to the batteries and fuel, Dix loaded a case of MRE’s, bottled water and an AR 15 with six- 30 round magazines in addition to the one in the rifle. He added a Browning high power 9 mm with two thirteen round magazines, a boat anchor, batteries from his fishing boat and four five gallon cans of diesel. He also took a bugout bag with medicine, and enough supplies for him to live for a week should he have to abandon the boat and try to walk home.
After a prolonged argument with Mattie, about going alone, they loaded up the gear and headed out. It was around 2:00 am again and they quietly made their way back to the catamaran and loaded the gear onto the boat. Jake waited until Dix got it cranked and the doors open on the boat house. After Dix motored into the bay they conducted a radio check. Dix waited in the middle of the bay until Jake radioed back that he was safe at home.
Dix kicked the diesel engine into little more than a fast idle and headed for the open bay and then out into the Gulf of Mexico. In the dark of the early morning there was no noise or movement. He turned on the GPS when he reached the open gulf. The sun was coming up and he could see for miles; but the wind was cold blowing off the water. With the help of one of the winches, he raised the mast and unfurled the sail, killed the motor and headed almost due south.
Dix had spent two weekends on the boat with his friend last summer so he knew the basic lay out and operation of the vessel. The boat had a shallow draft so sticking to the channel was not an issue. He navigated by the GPS until it was too dark to see ahead, finally setting anchor in about eighty feet of water. The wind had pushed the seas to about five feet which made for a miserable night. The small cabin was cozy and the bunk was comfortable but the constant motion kept him from sleeping.
The next morning Dix cranked the engine and let it run until the batteries were fully charged. He opened an MRE and ate the crackers and jelly along with a bottle of water. After another six hours of sailing, he was at the mouth of the river.
His sailing skills were not up to the task of sailing up the river against the current. He tried it for a while but the turns in the river plus the debris floating down the river made it impossible. He cranked the little Yanmar diesel and motored up the river trying to stay in the middle of the stream when possible. It had been some months since the corps of engineers had cleared the channel. There were a number of sunken vessels aground and in various states of decay. There were also dead bodies flowing downstream. At least one body floated by about every thirty minutes. He kept a wary eye out as he made his way towards the city.
At mid afternoon a large aluminum boat carrying several men approached from the rear. Dix popped off a couple of rounds over their heads with his rifle. Instead of backing off, they shot back. Dix kicked the engine out of gear and opened up with his rifle. They were still under power. In the time it took for them to stop their boat in order to aim, he had emptied a magazine. They were shooting back from about two hundred yards, and, for the most part, missing him and the boat. An occasional round hit the boat; but, they were having trouble maintaining accurate fire. Dix, on the other hand, put every round into the passenger compartment of their boat. Their boat pulled into a position that was parallel to his in the water about 150 yards downstream. Dix concentrated his fire on the engine. His EOtech holographic site was precise and well sighted. The cowling on their outboard was coming apart. He was
Similar Books
The Whole of My World
Nicole Hayes
Death of an Old Sinner
Dorothy Salisbury Davis
Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick
Lawrence Sutin
Stripped Bare
Susan Mac Nicol
Waggit Forever
Peter Howe
Back In His Arms
Kay Brody
End of Eternity 3
Loretta Lost
New Beginnings
Brandy L Rivers
The Vampyre
Tom Holland
Gemini Summer
Iain Lawrence