Captain Pike's Ship Log II

Chapter 5 -- The Barge

Anthony always loved the sounds and smell of the big barn where they conducted the boat building school. Today, most of the sound came from a fellow wearing a mask who was hard at work with a high-speed grinding tool, sanding away on the hull of a large sailboat. This craft looked odd propped up all around by crutch-like supports -- the tremendous, deep keel, now completely ineffectual, jutted down, a total liability for this boat's dry land stability. There was always at least a faint smell of methyl ethyl ketone in the shop. It was the kind of smell that you never forgot. Anthony's father had been in the business of building fiberglass boats. His father had called MEK the magic of fiberglass, because it was what "set" the fiberglass resin into a hard glassy surface. The sad irony of this was the fact that Anthony's father's death had likely been caused by the absorption of this compound into his body.

The preliminary drawings scratched out by Anthony looked rather like an unattractive, hollow surfboard. Anthony's Uncle Sonny assured him that the design was valid and simple and would be easily constructed. Thin pieces of cedar were steamed skillfully into shape to form the frame for Anthony's float. What resulted was an extremely lightweight but strong, toboggan-like boat with no space wasted in its hull. On the top, sealed openings existed for storage. A space-age material was rolled up along the length of one side in a way so that it could be pulled across Anthony's body, like a blanket. This roller blanketing device was removed for the early trials. The idea of this had come from a way that sails are temporarily stored by rolling them up much like pulldown shades used in conventional windows.

One thing that became apparent upon his first trial was how hard it was carrying his new device to the water -- it wasn't heavy, just awkward, and he had made no handle to carry it with. Once in the water however, it was just fun! He could paddle out on it like the surfers do. Rolling off and attaching his tether was straightforward and, in no time, Anthony was stroking along with his low profile, home-away-from-home in tow. It was light and frictionless, so much so, that when he stopped to look back to see that it was still attached, this sea skid continued on and slid right up his legs. Rolling back on took some getting used to -- the float was so buoyant that it tended to dart out from under him. Using one ankle and swinging an arm over was the technique that he perfected over time which got him aboard with the least calamity. Now, his meager collection of items which used to fill the bag were a trivial cargo for his new floating home. He began thinking of what other items it would make sense to bring along. A pair of binoculars seemed like a reasonable thing to bring, as he often saw interesting birds and ships a long way off whose identity he was curious about. In one compartment he stored a complete wetsuit. There had been times while swimming fairly far out to sea in which he had swam into substantially colder waters. Anthony hadn't ever felt too cold while swimming, but the thought had crossed his mind that if he were ever a long way out and got into significantly colder water, he could potentially find himself in a difficult and dangerous position. But this was another great advantage of his new tug-a-long barge: he could always roll aboard, cover over if necessary and get warm.

At home, Anthony's mother didn't really understand all the excitement over her son's new invention. She had gotten past worrying about Anthony however, as he continued to be a model adolescent, thoughtful and well motivated. He had continued to receive funding to attend a second year of college and this had made her very proud. She asked Anthony to accompany her on her trip over the weekend to visit her sister. While Anthony tried to contain his excitement, he practically asked permission if it would be okay for him to decline. She reflected on the fact that she really had no worry about leaving him at home. This was not the norm among many of her friends. She had heard horror stories about the shenanigans that had gone on in a friend's home when a daughter had been left to hold down their fort. Apparently, an alcohol party had been held wherein punch holes had appeared in the sheetrock throughout the house, and carpeting had been stained beyond any chance of cleaning. She had been lucky with Tony. His dad's death had come at a time in Anthony's young life when it was unclear what effect it might have had on his development. Anthony seemed to aspire to the role of "Man of the House" rather than turning defiant, angry at God for believing he could deal with the loss of a father, even at his young age before high school. She kissed her son, and drove away that sunny morning feeling nothing but gratitude and pride.