Katie Fforde - Going Dutch

Marcus was very calm. 'I'm turning the barge and getting it into position so I can pick him up. I want you two to get ready to launch the dinghy and tie it securely at each end so it's a platform we can get him on to. We'll get him on to the barge from there. Do you understand?'

‘Yup. I did a man-overboard exercise when I was on a sailing course,' said Tom.

Marcus put the engine ahead and turned the wheel in big movements. Gradually the barge swung round. Jo's eyes never left the lifebuoy and Ed, just beyond it. As the barge moved, so Ed appeared to move also, although Jo realised she was in more or less the same place. 'Thank goodness there's no wind.’

Then Marcus swung the wheel in the opposite direction. Why is he doing that? she wondered, knowing better than to ask. He answered her unspoken question. 'If I'd carried on round, we'd have overshot; this way we'll come straight up to him.’

Now the lifebuoy and Ed appeared to be in front and, to keep them in view, Jo ran up to the bow and pointed to him. Oh God, please don't run him over, she muttered under her breath.

‘Lower the boat, Tom, Dora. Make sure the ropes are really tight so the dinghy can't move around,' Marcus called out.

When Jo realised that Marcus could see both the lifebuoy and Ed she went back to help Tom and Dora.

‘Carole!' called Marcus. 'I want you to get the heaving line from the forepeak entrance, throw it as near to Ed as you can and then make it fast once he's got it. Clear?’

Jo looked at Carole and realised she didn't understand. She went to get the line herself and took it to Tom. 'I can't throw!' she said to him, anxiety turning her voice into a whisper.

‘Give it here,' said Tom, sounding remarkably calm. 'There we go, he's got it. Now tie it on to that cleat.' He pointed. 'Right now, take a round turn and then just wind it round in a figure of eight.’

Jo did as she was told and then watched as Tom and Dora tried to heave Ed aboard. Dora leant over the side to him and water came rushing in, nearly capsizing the dinghy.

‘Keep your weight as far inside as you can,' gasped Tom.

Marcus came up with a thicker line. 'Tom, can you get this round Ed's arms and tie a bowline? Then we can heave on a single line.’

Miraculously, Tom seemed to know what a bowline was and everyone watched as he flattened himself on the waterlogged dinghy to get the rope under Ed's arms. But eventually the line was round him and Marcus heaved. Tom and Dora caught whatever bits of Ed they could reach and at last he flopped into the boat.

‘You should have seen the one that got away,' said Tom to him.

Ed, gasping and short of breath, said, 'Maybe we should splice the main brace, Skipper. For medicinal reasons.’

Jo went into full mother-mode. 'A hot shower, not a strip wash. Tom, get him a change of clothes. I'll put the kettle on, or would you prefer some soup, Ed? I've got some leek and potato I could defrost?'

‘There's no need for all this fuss,' said Ed, shaking his head from time to time, like a dog. 'I'll just change me gear and carry on.'

‘You can have a tot of rum when you've done everything Jo said,' said Marcus firmly. 'Then you're for your bunk and a couple of hours' kip.’

Everyone except Marcus and Carole clustered round Ed when he emerged from the shower, warm and dry, to drink the soup. 'The catch on that door is weak,' he said. 'When the wash from that container ship hit us I just lost my balance for a moment. Then splash.'

‘Thank goodness Marcus knew what to do,' said Dora. 'He was a hero!'

‘Just doing his job, lass,' said Ed, to Jo's secret approval, 'but I do reckon I owe my life to him.'

‘That is quite heroic,' muttered Jo, buttering another of her home-made brown rolls for Ed. Seabathing had obviously given him an appetite.

‘I did a sailing course when I was in the sixth form,' said Tom. 'We had to practise man-overboard techniques. Bloody difficult! Were you terrified, Ed?'

‘Well, I had several things on my side: it's summer, so although the water's freezing cold, it's not as cold as in winter; it's daylight; and we're out of the shipping lanes.' He took a huge slurp of soup, draining the mug. 'I reckon I got a bit careless because we'd done the difficult bit.'

‘I've made you a hot-water bottle,' said Jo. 'When you've finished your rum you're to go to bed and sleep. Captain's orders.'

‘I'll go up and see if Marcus wants me to steer,' said Tom.

‘Good idea, lad. He'll be glad of a break too, I reckon.' Dora went with Tom. Seeing him help rescue Ed had made her see him in a slightly different light. She'd known he was thoroughly capable, handy about boats, but now she'd seen him being brave as well. She felt a glow of pride.

‘Would you like me to relieve you?' Tom asked Marcus almost shyly.

Seeing how the two men related to each other, Dora realised that everything had changed, not just how she saw Tom, but how Tom regarded Marcus. He had been promoted from 'man who has the perfect job' to something approaching a god.

‘That would be kind. I'll get my head down for a while. You see where we are on the chart? Dora will spot buoys with you, and there's the GPS as well.'

‘I don't think Ed approves of the GPS,' said Tom. Although Marcus had stepped away from the wheel, he hadn't yet disappeared to his cabin. He chuckled.

"Log, lead and lookout" is what he prefers,' said Marcus, 'and he's right. When all your fancy equipment goes wrong, you have to rely on your eyes.'

‘Sorry, but I don't understand,' said Dora.

‘You explain,' said Marcus to Tom. 'I'll just be down there, Tom. Don't hesitate to call me. I'll only be cat napping.’

When they were alone there was silence. Dora wanted to acknowledge Tom's part in the rescue, but she couldn't quite think of the words. She had just decided to keep it simple when Carole appeared.

‘What a commotion! You were great, Tom!’

Dora felt a stab of something that felt like jealousy, and not because Carole had used the very form of words Dora had just decided on.

‘Just doing my job, ma'am,' said Tom, sounding like an American cop film.

Carole laughed and pushed his shoulder playfully.

Dora winced. Why was it that Carole, who hardly knew Tom, could tell him how she felt and be so easy with him? And yet she'd been easy with him when they'd been playing backgammon in the forepeak, before they heard the engine note change.

Determined not to let Carole take over the conversation, she said, more forcefully than she'd meant to, 'What's this log and lead business?'

‘Er, well, it's not an expression I'm familiar with-'

‘If you're going to talk about ship-handling, I'm going,' said Carole. 'Would you like a cup of tea, Tom?’

Dora was fairly sure this was the first time she had heard Carole offer to make anything for anyone else except Marcus. 'I'd love one, too,' she said quickly, determined to make Carole actually do something.

‘Oh God, I wasn't going to make everyone tea!’

‘Go on, there's a good girl,' said Tom.

Carole bridled charmingly and went down below.

Dora bit her tongue to stop herself saying something bitchy and, at that moment, nothing unbitchy occurred to her. `So, the log thing?' she managed eventually.

‘Right. Well, presuming he's not talking about the ship's log, which is where they write down everything that's happening-'

‘Like people tailing in.'

‘That's right, only it'll be things like "man overboard -altered course to starboard" and explaining how Marcus manoeuvred so we could pick Ed up.'

‘So not a great read then?’

Tom acknowledged her gentle teasing and Dora was relieved to feel their old ease returning. 'You learn to read between the lines. Logs can be gripping.'