harness, which he buckled around his chest. Then he climbed out of the cockpit and ran the line through a block at the end of the boom. He tied one end to his harness and ran the other through a deck block and wrapped it around an idle winch.
"Let out the main."
Jim traced the mainsheet from the boom through its traveler and loosened the proper winch. The mainsail swung away.
"Cleat it off," Will ordered when the boom was hanging six feet over the water, rising and falling with the roll of the boat.
He handed Jim the end of his line, stepped over the safety lines, and jumped. Then, dangling in his harness, hanging from the end of the boom, he yelled, "Lower me into the water."
Jim eased on Will's line until Will was dragged along the side of the boat, pushing off the hull with his feet and being alternately submerged and raised as the boat rolled.
"Fantastic!" he whooped. "Oh man, this is beautiful." Watching him frolic, Jim began to feel the oppressive heat more than ever. Will looked cool and clean, as happy as a baby in a backyard pool.
"You gotta try this. It's fantastic."
But the water was gray, the body of it invisible. It looked like it was eating Will, who disappeared every time the boat dunked him.
"Okay, haul me in."
Jim cranked the winch, which raised Will out of the water. Then he cranked the mainsheet and drew the boom into the boat.
Will scrambled over the safety lines, laughing. "Oh man, you gotta try it." Jim was afraid. What if there were sharks?
"You know what you are?" Will teased. "You're the `Climate-Control Kid.' "
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"If you're not in the air-conditioned mall with a roof over your head, you're scared."
"What are you talking about? I just don't feel like swimming."
"You're a suburban health club mall rat. You're afraid of the outdoors."
"Hey, screw you. I'm not afraid. I'll swim if it makes you happy."
"It'll make you happy." Will laughed. "You'll feel like you're flying." Flying turned out to be the perfect word. The boat rolled and the boom swept him high. When it rolled the other way, the boom dropped him in the warm water. It was incredibly exhilarating, and the jolt of the water yanked a happy yell from deep in his gut.
"Shove off with your feet!"
Jim swung himself in the harness, aligned his feet with the hull, and pushed off. Then he was whipped into the sky again and dunked a moment later, the water rubbing him, sluicing him clean of sweat.
"This is fantastic." He hadn't felt so clean in his life. He should have done this days ago. He yelled again, pushed off, jumped high. As he rose from the water, he saw Will peering past him. Watching something. There was something alongside, something in the water. Jim could sense it moving beside him, keeping pace. His heart jumped, his stomach shriveled. "Will!" Will leaned out. "Jesus, is that a dolphin?"
The rolling boat plunged Jim into the water again. He craned his neck and saw a thick gray body draw near. "It's a shark! It's a shark. Pull me in."
"That's not a shark—hell, maybe it is."
"Will, pull me up." Trapped in the sling, bouncing in and out of the water, Jim panicked.
"Will, save me!"
"Easy, easy, easy. I got you." But to Jim's horror, Will seemed to be moving very, very slowly, reaching for the winch handle as if he had all the time in the world. The thing in the water came closer and Jim screamed.
The boom snapped him out of the water. But a second later it dropped him in again as if to feed him to whatever was waiting. "Will!"
"I got you. Don't blow a gasket," Will shouted from the winch. Slowly he cranked and slowly Jim rose higher in the water. Will called, "Hey, you're in great shape, which is always an advantage in surviving shark bites. Main thing is . . . don't go into shock when they bite you. Shock will kill you."
"Get me up!"
Will cranked harder. Then he hauled in the mainsheet, and Jim found himself clinging to the safety lines, desperately holding up his legs, imagining a
"Let out the main."
Jim traced the mainsheet from the boom through its traveler and loosened the proper winch. The mainsail swung away.
"Cleat it off," Will ordered when the boom was hanging six feet over the water, rising and falling with the roll of the boat.
He handed Jim the end of his line, stepped over the safety lines, and jumped. Then, dangling in his harness, hanging from the end of the boom, he yelled, "Lower me into the water."
Jim eased on Will's line until Will was dragged along the side of the boat, pushing off the hull with his feet and being alternately submerged and raised as the boat rolled.
"Fantastic!" he whooped. "Oh man, this is beautiful." Watching him frolic, Jim began to feel the oppressive heat more than ever. Will looked cool and clean, as happy as a baby in a backyard pool.
"You gotta try this. It's fantastic."
But the water was gray, the body of it invisible. It looked like it was eating Will, who disappeared every time the boat dunked him.
"Okay, haul me in."
Jim cranked the winch, which raised Will out of the water. Then he cranked the mainsheet and drew the boom into the boat.
Will scrambled over the safety lines, laughing. "Oh man, you gotta try it." Jim was afraid. What if there were sharks?
"You know what you are?" Will teased. "You're the `Climate-Control Kid.' "
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"If you're not in the air-conditioned mall with a roof over your head, you're scared."
"What are you talking about? I just don't feel like swimming."
"You're a suburban health club mall rat. You're afraid of the outdoors."
"Hey, screw you. I'm not afraid. I'll swim if it makes you happy."
"It'll make you happy." Will laughed. "You'll feel like you're flying." Flying turned out to be the perfect word. The boat rolled and the boom swept him high. When it rolled the other way, the boom dropped him in the warm water. It was incredibly exhilarating, and the jolt of the water yanked a happy yell from deep in his gut.
"Shove off with your feet!"
Jim swung himself in the harness, aligned his feet with the hull, and pushed off. Then he was whipped into the sky again and dunked a moment later, the water rubbing him, sluicing him clean of sweat.
"This is fantastic." He hadn't felt so clean in his life. He should have done this days ago. He yelled again, pushed off, jumped high. As he rose from the water, he saw Will peering past him. Watching something. There was something alongside, something in the water. Jim could sense it moving beside him, keeping pace. His heart jumped, his stomach shriveled. "Will!" Will leaned out. "Jesus, is that a dolphin?"
The rolling boat plunged Jim into the water again. He craned his neck and saw a thick gray body draw near. "It's a shark! It's a shark. Pull me in."
"That's not a shark—hell, maybe it is."
"Will, pull me up." Trapped in the sling, bouncing in and out of the water, Jim panicked.
"Will, save me!"
"Easy, easy, easy. I got you." But to Jim's horror, Will seemed to be moving very, very slowly, reaching for the winch handle as if he had all the time in the world. The thing in the water came closer and Jim screamed.
The boom snapped him out of the water. But a second later it dropped him in again as if to feed him to whatever was waiting. "Will!"
"I got you. Don't blow a gasket," Will shouted from the winch. Slowly he cranked and slowly Jim rose higher in the water. Will called, "Hey, you're in great shape, which is always an advantage in surviving shark bites. Main thing is . . . don't go into shock when they bite you. Shock will kill you."
"Get me up!"
Will cranked harder. Then he hauled in the mainsheet, and Jim found himself clinging to the safety lines, desperately holding up his legs, imagining a
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