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Spinnaker Press
Spinnaker Press
Category:
Military
Publisher: Mystic
ISBN-10: 1934051055
Type: Fiction
Pages: 295
Copyright: Jan 1, 2006
ISBN-13: 9781934051054
Price: $9.95 (eBook)
This is the story of a young man who enters the US Coast Guard in search of someone who saved his life at an early age. His search sees him in many harrowing rescue situations while saving the lives of others.
This is the story of a young man named Josh Stewart, who is trying to outrun a childhood memory about the death of his mother and young sister when he himself was just a child. When he was just 8 years old a fire swept through his family’s home. His mother was able to rescue him and whisked him outside and then returned to the burning home to rescue his sister against the advice of her neighbor.
Young Josh wanted to follow his mother to try and help but the neighbor’s nephew picked him up and stopped him from re-entering the house despite his desperate struggle to wiggle free and follow his mother. While he was held by the nephew he noticed the unique ring that was worn by the nephew.
When Josh becomes an adult he makes it his life’s ambition to find this man who prevented him from helping his mother and it is the ring that is his only guide to finding the man who ultimately saved his life.
To that end he joins the Coast Guard to not only save the lives of others, but to find this man who saved his own life.
As his rescue career develops he faces many hair raising rescues and he places his life on the line time and time again. It is this dual effort that may cause him to pay the ultimate sacrifice.
Excerpt
Back on Biorka Island, the mess deck was abuzz with excited conversation as the gravity of what the skipper had just said began to sink in. “Okay, people, I don’t have all morn—”
Before he could finish, Skip raised his hand and said, “Josh and I will make the run, Skipper.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Lieutenant Spaulding replied. “Grab your foul-weather jacket, put on your deck shoes, and meet Seaman Mowry at the front of the building on the double.”
“Aye, Sir,” Skip replied.
Josh and Skip gathered their gear and quickly headed across the island in the 4x4. When they got within view of the lagoon, they could see that Pete Rosario was already on the dock and had the Boston Whaler ready to be lowered to the water. As they pulled up, Pete handed Josh a brand new wetsuit that he had ordered through a mail-order outlet. “Here, Josh,” he said. “I got this in the mail six months ago to check out some of the coral reefs around the island, but haven’t had a chance to wear it yet. You may need it today if you have to go in the water.”
It was a welcome gift. Josh was already aware of how cold the water was around the island. Even in the warmest part of the summer it hovered around forty-four to forty-six degrees. Other crewmembers had told him when he reported aboard that if he accidentally fell in, he should only expect to survive 10-15 minutes at most, before the frigid waters would freeze the life out of him.
“Thanks, Pete,” Josh said. “Hey, it even comes with booties and a hood. This is great. Thanks! I’ll wear it and hope like hell I don’t have to use it. Skip, go ahead and lower the boat, I’ll meet you at the bottom of the ladder.”
Skip nodded and in only a few short minutes, Josh was clambering aboard the waiting Boston Whaler and they were underway. Leaving the crescent-shaped harbor under full speed, the small Boston Whaler with its two-man crew skimmed lightly across the calm bay and headed into the open water off Hanus Point. The cool mist of the ocean air caressed Josh’s face as they moved rapidly toward the downed plane, but the calm bay quickly turned into deep, rolling swells, which slowed them considerably. When they were approximately two miles due north of Hanus Point, they saw a phosphorous red flare making a slow arcing trail as it settled back to the water.
“There she is!” Skip shouted. “We’re about fifteen minutes to arrival at this speed.”
Josh could see the disabled plane in the distance. It was only visible when both it and the Boston Whaler were on top of the swells, which were large enough now that the neighboring islands and even the horizon would disappear from view when they were at the bottom of a swell. They hurried toward the marooned plane, climbing up the front and sliding down the following sea like a roller coaster at an amusement park.
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