Years of experience to call upon, and a well-placed government official to help, these retirees undertake a mission that can only be described as 'off-the-grid'.
Chief’s Mess: Knock Before Entering…
Oceans across the globe are erupting in piracy, drug smuggling, and all out anarchy.Retired Navy Master Chief Bob Kensey knew all about the unrest, but nothing of dark storm clouds brewing two oceans and thousands of miles away.His thoughts were on the two Chinook salmon caught earlier, now simmering in the smoker, and beating Gunny, the “Safe Haven” bar’s proprietor out of another cold San Magoo beer.
Life changes for the Chief when a sailing yacht is hijacked off the coast of Somalia and an unannounced visit by a shipmate from the past set wheels in motion that engulfs Chief Kensey, and a hastily recruited crew of irascible old goats on a mission destined to fail.
With years of experience to call upon, and a well-placed government official to help, they undertake a mission that can only be described as the very definition of ‘off-the-grid’.
How many of us have asked, “What if . . . ?”Kensey, Boats, Greasey, Preacher, Fritz, and a few others did, but unlike most they took the plunge . . .Once you take the plunge with them you will know why “all” ask permission before entering the “Goat Locker.”
Excerpt
0831: I was on the fantail watching us get underway. Boats
Clark had lines singled up and a security guard on the pier was
ready to cast them off from the bollards. Masters finished his
preps and just announced, “Cast off all mooring lines!” over the
General Announcing System.
The last line was aboard and our stern slowly swung away from
the pier. An agitated security guard hurried down the pier, wildly
waving his arms, yelling to get our attention.
Masters, standing at the port bridge window, got on the bullhorn
and yelled down to Boats. “We are going to moor back up to the
pier.” He maneuvered us back alongside.
Boats scrambled on deck, uttering unflattering platitudes to no
one particular but still in control. “José! Quit skylarking’ and help
with this fuckin’ Chinese-Fire-Drill. Get that messenger secured
to the mooring line and heave that monkey-fist on the pier so that
guy standin’ by the bollard can pull it over!”
Once secured to the pier, Boats lowered the brow. The security
guard, speaking rapid-fire Spanish, proceeded aboard before the
brow was even secured.
“What’s so urgent?” I asked when he stepped aboard.
“Señor Masters por favor.” He managed to say. He was out of
breath and flustered.
I don't speak Spanish but I knew what he wanted. José was
standing by the aft line. I motioned for him to come over and
translate. Masters was already on his way down from the bridge.
In a few seconds, Masters was standing conversing with the
security guard.
The conversation was short and to the point even though its
content was Greek to me . . .
Masters turned to me and said “Looks like we are going to have
company. Our radar picked up several small craft from the
mainland heading this way. Our coastal watch seems to think this
flotilla belongs to Don Carlos. They are moving too fast for
fisherman or charter boats. He said there has been an increase in
Professional Reviews
Book Review
Book Review
Authors Steven G. Shandrow and Greg E. Riplinger take readers on a high-seas adventure that anyone familiar with the Navy, or even a love of being on the waves, will appreciate.
Using the recent upsurge in Somali piracy and smuggling drugs via the world’s waterways, the authors deliver an authentic sailor’s experience in their work of Navy fiction.
Chief Bob Kensey, an ex-Navy man, loves his quiet life in the Pacific Northwest. However, he agrees to leave behind his peaceful retirement for an entirely different kind of adventure, one that only the truly brave would attempt. When a member of the DEA approaches him with a dangerous proposition, he is far too intrigued and excited by the prospect of being back on the rolling seas to do anything but agree, even though he’s warned that it’s likely that the mission won’t succeed.
Together, Chief Kensey and several others, all retired members of the Navy, set out on the doomed mission. Despite the devastating odds, each has his own reasons for wanting to be on board, and will not be so easily daunted by the prospect of danger. Sailing slightly under the radar and definitely away from the safety of familiar waters, they return to their boat to deal with a modern threat unlike any of them have encountered before.
A refreshingly vivid adventure that combines the honor of the retired Navy with the very current threat of drug smuggling and Somalian piracy, readers will be swept up in this tale from the first stanzas of the Navy song that opens the book. A wild and exciting ride, Goat Locker Strikes! is an ideal read for anyone looking to be carried away on a truly great wave, and especially fun (as well as poignant) for anyone familiar with the thrill and danger of being a member of America’s Navy.
Hard to put this book down
Because my father was in the Navy 30 years through WWI & WWII and living in various Naval housing
areas around the U.S. I feel I qualify being called a "Navy Brat." So when I came across "Goat Locker Strikes" and started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The story and descriptions of various situations and hardships made me feel as if I was there, on board ship. I could see the different "old goat" charactors as they entered the story and felt I knew them personally. I only wish that I knew, before hand, some of the technical "Navy jargon" and abreviations that were inserted throughout the book, it would have made it a smoother "read" for me. Even though that
slowed me down a bit, I still wanted to keep reading, just to see what would happen next. It's a very exciting book, full of adventure and courage for a bunch of "Old Goats!"
Page turner
Creative...good from start to finish. Believable characters and situation.
Authors seem well versed in Navy operations. Great for age 12 and up.
In the second book of the BetterWorld trilogy, Kiyoko and her friends continue to fight MediaCorp's schemes to control the world. But a team of ruthless mercenaries is after them, and is closing in fast.
It is five years since Delta Force stopped a deadly missile attack in the Middle East. Now team leader Jason Patrick is living a quieter life in North Carolina with his family, stationed at Fort Bragg.
But that is about to change when a new,
