chapter 4

She shook her head "I can drop the sails, you steer, it will be easier for me than for you." and moved to the mains'l and got ready to loosen the sheets.

He agreed and watched her move catlike over the deck, so young and strong and graceful and his heart beat very fast. He cranked it over at just the right moment and they were dead stop in the clear, cold water. "Let go the anchor, we're here!"

She ran to the anchor release and as the chain rattled out of the chain locker and stop, she felt the boat ease and slowly pivot around the chain. Reaching down she felt the water and jumped at the coolness. "Are you sure swimming is a good idea!" she called out.

He smiled "It is a little cold, but safe. I wish it was warmer, but you quickly get used to it if you're dead set on going in. In the storage locker under the banquet there's a ladder aft to easily get in and out. I'm going to take my shirt off, lay here on the padded bench and get some sun. As it's warm I may join you briefly if I get too hot.

He stripped off his shirt and set the boat cd system to music he knew they both liked. The spot they had anchored was perfect...sheltered from the breezes by huge glacial boulders either side, the water lapping gently at a pristine sand beach, backed up by towering old growth redwood trees. The scent was intoxicating,

She watched him and gasped softly as the great swell of his belly became exposed. The rest of him hadn't changed much but his belly looked like it was almost double in size. She ached to touch it but shook herself. The excitement and the late night and the salt spray had left her feeling sticky so she made the decision to be adventurous.

An evil idea occurred to her as she shucked her jacket and her deck shoes. Blowing him a kiss she cannonballed.

Right next to where he was laying down.

She laughed as she heard him cursing "Come in and get even." she called up.

He sat up, shivering...the water in the bay this day probably was a not very warm 58 degrees or so. Looking over he saw her floating, grinning as her teeth chattered and decided it was payback time.

He stood, posed as if he was an Olympic diver, took a huge leap and cannonballed next to her in the near freezing water.

She shrieked as she felt the cold water swamp her under, her teeth still chattering as she swam toward him and into his arms. "You know my very fat friend, that wasn't very nice."

He kissed her and said "just payback" and swam quickly back to the ladder, towing her unresisting behind him. He pushed her to the ladder and purposely "helped" her up by pushing on that heart shaped rear end of hers. For him it was a different story. It was quite a chore, his buoyancy immediately disappearing as he struggled to pull himself from the water.

He locked his arms around the top of the ladder, unable to pull himself completely up. "Baby doll, i think i need some help"

"What would you like me to do? I don't think I can push you up."

"I don't know, but I'm stuck. Maybe just pull me from above. I feel so embarrassed. I'm almost there, just can't get a good foothold and this belly is not helping."

As she tugged on his arms she tried to figure out how to ease his embarrassment. She saw he was starting to shake from the cold and started to become worried. It was now or she'd never get him back on deck.