Chapter 20
The Challenge
“We’ll
catch up to them about the time they reach the bar unless they slow down.” Matt
shouted.
Nathan
moved in closer, “Just get me close enough so I can cross over.”
“You
can’t take Hoke by yourself. If they are in the breakers there’s no telling
what will happen. If it’s as bad as I think it is, they won’t be able to handle
it. She’ll go down or end up on the Jetty for sure.”
“All I
need to do is get Sharon and Nicki off. I don’t care about the boat or Hoke. If
he is looking to kill himself, so be it. But, the only way to get them off is
for me to get on board. You can’t do it,
Johnson can’t do it, I have to do it. No matter what else happens, you have to
put me on that boat. Matt are you up to this?”
Nathan’s
desperate question gripped Matt in the chest. He turned away and felt the exploding
bar pound shockwaves through him. It was the same resonance, the same
conditions, possibly worse as that nightmarish night, that engulfed his mind.
The pounding of his own heart roared through him filling his head with a
reverberating pulse. With each reverberation, the pit in his gut tightened.
Visions of that terrible night haunted his mind. He heard again the screams,
the breaking spars, the tearing of flesh, the rolling, tumbling chaotic moments.
His mouth grew dry and sweat formed across his brow and back. It was as though
a fragile poison vile broke apart inside of him feeding his fears with venom. The
closer they moved toward the bar, the more out of control his emotions became.
His chest was about to explode and panic again gripped his gut. A blank stare
fell across his face. He released his hold on the wheel and stared at his right
hand that shaking uncontrollably. He wanted to resign this moment, to turn back,
as fear fed by the poison of doubt, screamed inside of him.
Nathan spied
the look in Matt’s face. What he feared most was playing out where Matt could
not face the demons that haunted him. He grabbed Matt by the shoulders and
shouted, “Matthew…I can’t do this alone. I need you. Lock it in.”
Matt
stared straight through Nathan. His ashen face unable to focus. The ME II was
but seventy-five yards away, the bar two hundred fifty yards beyond. They were
not going to catch them in time.
“Matthew,
listen to me, look at me. I need you. Sharon needs you!” Nathan shot a glance
at Johnson who shook his head with doubt.
Matt
shook his head, closed his eyes and look straight at Nathan. Nathan’s frantic voice
shocked his mind and drew him back from the brink of the contagious grip of
defeatism that dragged him to the flanks of a dark abys. He closed his eyes
tight again trying to clear the fog, the fear that overwhelmed his sense of life
would not let go. Never before had he prayed, but from within his soul he
fought for control and forced a pale dawn of reason back into reality.
He
opened his eyes. His insides still churned, but a new found determination swept
through him. He snapped toward Nathan and with lungs filled with chilled air, he
shouted back. “I’m with you. We’re going to do this. They’re going to hit the
breakers before we get to them. I have to go straight in, there is no time to
line it up, so you must be ready when I pull alongside. Forget about Hoke and
just get Sharon and Nicki off that boat. Let’s do this.”
Nathan reached his hand forward to
grasp Matts hand. Matt hesitated, then grabbed the hand of his old friend with
a thumb-to-thumb grip. Nathan held with vise-like strength, unwilling to let go.
He stared into Matt’s eyes, “We can do this…you can do this.”
Matt snapped a confident nod and
then a beam of revelation overcame his expression. He sat higher in the chair,
turned toward the ME II and no longer felt the wind or rain. The vibrations of
the engines penetrated throughout his body, and he at once experienced
separation from the blaring confusion that had previously held him captive. His
vision drifted forward as though he could visualize what was going to happen
next. A warmth of assurance swept over him like a hot wind.
“Piece of cake Nate.”
Nathan gave Matt’s hand one final
hard embrace and with a quick nod, stepped into the lower well.
The radio cracked, “CG44303, this
is Coast Guard Air Rescue CG1369.”
Matt grabbed the microphone,
“1369…come back.”
“Matt this is Ian. We’re two miles
north of your position will be on site in one minute. What’s going on down
there? Do you need our assistance?”
“Standby over the bar. Hoke has lost
his mind and I think he wants to kill himself in a blaze of insanity.” He
paused before continuing. “Ian…Sharon and Nicki are on board.”
Ian
rolled his eyes toward Michaels caught in the realization that what was
unfolding below could have more than profound consequences. Michaels shot out a
question, “You know those people.”
“More
deeply than you know.” He turned his head forward, lowered it and with closed
eyes he whispered. “Father in Heaven, protect these two, precious people with
all of your power and glory and elevate Matthew and his crew giving them the
strength and skill they will need.”
Captain
Michaels kept his eyes forward but shifted them to the right as Ian prayed. He
couldn’t help but hear Ian’s words as the intercom was still on. He said
nothing until Ian finished, then added, “That goes for me too, Amen,” then he
crossed himself as an exclamation point. From the back, Pell added, “Yeah,
count me in.”
Michaels,
not sure the position of the 331, contacted them on the radio. Still about
three miles out, they were too far away to make it in time to join in the
immediate situation, but would standby outside the bar once on site.
Ian
demanded, “Cap, I know this is not normal protocol, but should the need arise we’ll
need to put a swimmer in the water.”
Michaels
shook his head, “Oh, no, no way buddy, you are not leaving this chopper for any
reason. They’d skin me alive if I let you do that.”
“Forget
protocol, that’s why I’m here, I’ve done this before while flying out of
Scotland, but the Coast Guard doesn’t have a designated swimmer program yet,
but we do have the swim gear on board. You can handle the flying by yourself
and Airman Pell can assist, and I’ve done this kind of rescue work. I can do
it.”
“Slow
down you Limey cowboy. I said no.”
Frustrated,
Ian kept at him, “You willing to let someone die to maintain protocol or break
it to save a life...isn’t that we’re here for?”
Michaels
said nothing he only shook his head as he tossed the idea around. Ian raised
his eyebrows as though he was wanting an answer.
“Maybe,
just maybe they won’t need us. But, if the need arises, and that is a big if,
I’ll evaluate the situation at the time. Until then you better get that gear
ready just in case. But you stay in this chopper unless I authorized it…got
that.”
Ian lobbed
an approving grin across his face and patted Michaels on top of his helmet.
“Ata boy,” he said as he climbed out of the copilot’s seat. He extracted a set
of swim fins, mask, and snorkel, and changed from his flight suit into a
neoprene wetsuit. By this time, they were over the bar and the pilot hovered
about 100 feet facing the wind.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharon struggled
to keep her balance as the swells became more chaotic rocking the boat back and
forth, then pitching it up and over. It became more difficult for Hoke to
handle the helm and his eyes once bent on suicide, began to burn with fear.
Above her she noticed a single lifejacket stuffed inside a wire shelf and
reached high to wrench it free. She wrapped it around Nicki and fastened it as
tight as she could, shifting her eyes back and forth toward Hoke and back where
she was tying straps. ‘Honey, it’s going to get very rough and wet, so you must
hold on tight.”
Nicki nodded. A few seconds later
the ME II was rocked by the first line of breakers jolting the bow upward at a
steep angle. For two seconds she hung in the air then her 20 tons arched over
and slammed hard on the backside throwing out a massive spray. Hoke grunted
with a deep panicked bellow as he lost his footing and fell across the helm.
Sharon screamed when she and Nicki were thrown into the air and slammed hard against the bulkhead. She lost her grip on Nicki and scrambled to regain her hold but Nicki spun away rolling against the side of the wheelhouse. The lifejacket she was wearing soften the blow, but she was jolted and screamed when she hit. Sharon gathered herself and crawled to Nicki rolling up with her into a partial ball, but extending her legs and wedging herself against the rear bulkhead and the side of the wheelhouse.
“Hold
me tight.” Nicki cried.
Matthew barked, “They’re in the
breakers…stand ready, we’re going in.” He tried to apply more throttle but they
were already at maximum. The 44’s were magnificent rescue boats, but he often
wished they had more speed. They were designed instead for maneuverability with
lots of torque for towing heavy loads, and to handle the heavy water conditions
like they were about to challenge. Normally, he would work the throttles,
maneuvering and timing his entry, but there was no time and he allowed the 303
to hit the first line of breakers at full speed, throwing them upward into an
airborne arc. The 303 plowed through and sailed over to top, like a jumping dolphin,
her bow and stern thrown clear at the top of the breaker by her momentum. Icy waters exploded around them as she plunged
bow first back into the surface.
Hoke’s panic spread across his face
and dug deeper into his fear. In his mind he heard the taunting voices
laughing. He grabbed his ears trying to stop the laughs, but they continued
louder and louder until he screamed, “Stop it!” Angry and realizing he had been
deceived, he abandoned the thought of dying and searched for a way to save himself.
He vacated the helm just as another thirty-foot breaker rose to collide with
them, his eyes and head shifting and twisting frantic to find something he
could use to keep himself from drowning. Seconds later the breaker exploded
across the bow, shoving the ME II sideways deep inside the worst part of the
breakers. The ME II teetered on edge of capsizing, rolling heavily to port
before dipping over and across the backside of the breaker to right herself.
The south jetty loomed out of the
darkness forty yards away, its black rocks covered with foam that outlined the jagged
contours of the massive boulders. The jolt from that breaker unhinged the cover
to the lower hold area and tons of water poured through the opening to flood
the engine room.
The starboard side outrigger broke
free and began to swing wildly in a giant arc slamming hard when it collided
with the side of the wheelhouse shattering a side windshield. Its base mount
cracked under the strain. The pole swung back in the other direction as the ME
II bucked against another swell, there was nothing to stop it and it crashed
into the backside of the wheelhouse shattering another side windshield.
Matt realized the out-of-control outrigger
posed a threat to the 303 blocking the best approach with its wild undulations.
He had no choice but to back off the throttles. The same breaker than exploded
over the MEII rolled toward them. He spun the helm forcing the 303 to face into
the roller and over she toppled to slam hard again against the back side. The
ME II was thirty yards away, sideways in the heart of the breakers. The south
jetty was twenty-five yards to the other side.
Hoke’s rabid search around the wheelhouse locked on to the life jacket Nicki was wearing. He lunged forward to grab her trying to rip it off. Sharon vaulted to her feet hitting and slapping at Hoke with her hands. With one arm he pushed her aside slamming her to the deck. Nicki was kicking and screaming. He slapped her, Sharon hurdled to her feet, this time with a doubled fist, she screamed at Hoke, “Leave her alone.” And threw a roundhouse punch as hard as she could catching him across the nose. The blow staggered his massive bulk causing him to drop Nicki. Sharon plucked her from the deck and backed away. Before Hoke could respond another thirty-foot breaker rolled toward them like a liquid behemoth, it raced toward them, rising higher. The front of the swell picking up the ME II bucking her hard to port before it crashed into the wheelhouse.
The remaining starboard windshield
exploded inward, glass shards sliced and spun across the enclosure. One shard
caught Hoke in the upper arm near his shoulder causing him to cry out. He
yanked it out and threw it. Tons of water flooded through the opening grabbing
Sharon and Nicki with its force pushing them into the far bulkhead. The ME II
bucked again, tipped sharply back to starboard slamming both him and Sharon
into the helm. The ME II, now dead in the water and filling with tons of ocean, floundering, and was shoved closer to the
jetty rocks.
Matt had no more options. As the ME
II rolled in front of him, the remaining force of the breaker caught the 303 at
an angle and lifted her across its boiling face shoving it backwards for twenty
yards before letting go. Johnson clung to the handrails keeping himself
upright.
Nathan shouted, “Matt she won’t
take much more…we have to get in there, now.”
Matt jammed the throttles full
forward and again spun the helm to starboard. The MEII sat lower in the water
inside a trough between the two main breaker lines only yards from the jetty.
“Nate…get ready…” Matt shouted barely
heard above the roar but Nate already stood in position on the rear compartment
ramp. Ten feet from the ME II the 303 was moving at full speed, when Matt jammed
the engines into reverse, the 303 shuttered as the transmission protested at
the sudden change. He spun the wheel hard to port allowing the side and stern
of the 303 to fishtail into the ME II causing it to collide hard against the
hull.
“Now!”
Nathan leaped with all of might and
landed hard on the cluttered aft deck, rolling onto his side. Matt kept the
engines in reverse trying to maintain contact with the hull of the MEII.
Matt yelled, “Johnson, get down
there and be ready to help them across.” He immediately jumped into the lower
well, clinging to the hand rail attached to the rear compartment.
Another oversized breaker began to
build behind the MEII. Matt spun his helm to starboard ramming the bow into the
side of the MEII shoving her like a tug to turn her into the onslaught. Without
the turn she would capsize.
Nathan, clambered to his feet,
stumbled, and crawled up the ladder to the wheelhouse. Sharon and Nicki were
huddled in a corner and Hoke was stumbling to his feet, hysterical, flaying
around, grunting, howling, his eyes wild with terror.
Sharon screamed when Hoke tried to
grab Nicki’s lifejacket again. Nathan saw what was happening and kicked in the
door. He threw himself into Hoke pulling his massive bulk away from the girls.
Hoke stumbled and fell against the helm. Nathan rolled into the girls, “Let’s
go, now.” he shouted at Sharon.
She, didn’t question him as he helped
both her and Nicki to their feet. Another breaker rolled into them shocking the
ME II into a steep angle. Hoke, now standing lost his balance and fell into
Nathan as Sharon and Nicki step out the shattered door. His rage exploded as he
realized Nathan was aboard and he grabbed him by the back of his survival suit
throwing him into the helm. He lunged at Nathan who raised his feet catching him
across the chest shoving him back.
Sharon and Nicki spilled from the
wheelhouse and lumbered onto the aft deck, then fell to their knees unable to
keep their balance as the MEII rolled hard to port. Matt saw them, and yelled,
“Sharon! Johnson…go get them,” as he continued to apply pressure to keep the
two hulls joined.
Johnson immediately lunged over to
the other side and staggered toward Sharon and Nicki. Another breaker bore down
on them. Matt yelled a warning. ”Breaker!” Johnson grabbed both Sharon and
Nicki pinning them to the handrail below the wheelhouse. The force of the
breaker lifted both vessels, shoving them sideways toward the jetty. Matt shot
a glance to his left and saw the jetty loom yards away. He tried to force more
throttle to keep the bow of the 303 spinning into the side of the ME II shoving
both boats away from the jetty. The 303 staggered as her hull brushed against a
submerged rock, but her momentum forced them both clear.
Sharon and Nicki screamed, Johnson
said nothing, he half carried, mostly forced Sharon and Nicki across the
chaotic deck. The broken outrigger pulled loose from where it was jammed and
swung wildly flying toward them. Johnson shoved Sharon and Nicki out of the way
but the pole caught him in the chest throwing him backwards where he crumpled
onto his back. Sharon rolled toward the rear of the deck and when she came to a
stop, she lost her hold on Nicki. Another breaker caught them and Sharon
screamed as Nicki was washed toward the opposite side. Johnson, in spite of
broken ribs leaped to her rescue but missed his grab and she flushed over the
side. Sharon scream, “Nicki!”
Johnson, without hesitation leaped
over the edge behind her and in two painful strokes grabbed Nicki tight. She,
gasping and panicing clung to him. Sharon ran to the side and Johnson with all
of his strength lifted Nicki high enough so Sharon could grab hold. With
strength she never knew she had, she pulled Nicki back on board, then turned to
help Johnson, but he had been pushed too far away for her to help.
Overhead the crew of the 1369 saw what
had happened. “Cap we got a man overboard, man overboard!” Pell shouted. Ian
shot a hard look toward Michaels who without hesitation gave him the go ahead
and he lowered the 1369 to within 20 feet of the water maintaining their
forward view toward the incoming breakers. Ian, with Pell’s help, slid to the
edge of the door, took a quick look for debris and jumped. A wall of water rose
in front of the 1369 as Ian dropped toward the water and Michaels immediately
climbed barely missing the top of the massive swell.
Ian came to the surface, blew the
water out of his snorkel, spun and located Johnson who by this time was
floundering. He kicked hard and with powerful strokes closed the distance
between them, pulled up and dove to below Johnson’s feet. Righting himself, he
grabbed Johnsons legs and spun him around, then surfaced and crossed an arm
around his shoulder squeezing him tight. Three powerful kicks brought Johnson
to level, but the tumultuous bar threatened to tear them apart. Ian tried to
maintain some forward movement but found it nearly impossible in the surf.
Overhead, Michaels brought the 1369
to a lower altitude and Pell had already started lowering the sling. “Forward
and right……forward……sling in the water……sling in the water. Hold……hold……swimmer
has the sling……Victim is in the sling……lifting……15 feet……10 feet…….victim is in
the door……victim is secured.”
Michaels shot back, “Get Ian back
in here.”
Pell leaned out the door, but could
not find Ian. “I’ve lost him…where is he.”
“He’s must be there…keep looking.”
“I don’t see him. Ian, Ian,” he
yelled knowing full well Ian could never hear his shouts. Searching left then
right he finally caught sight of him, “There he is…behind us…back and left…back
and left.”
Michaels struggled to keep the
HH-52 steady with the wind, but Pell lowered the sling. “Ian has the sling…he’s
in the sling…lifting…15 feet…”
Michaels shouted, “here comes another
one…hold on.” Again, he gained altitude. Ian, dangling below them, caught the
brunt of the swell and was pushed forward causing him to swing wildly.
Pell
regained control of the winch, “lifting…10 feet…5 feet…….swung and spun wildly
just outside the choppers hold and Pell swiped then grabbed the collar of his
survival suit pulling him inside…I’ve got ‘em…inside and secured.”
Nathan and Hoke fought inside the wheelhouse with Nathan trying to get out to help Sharon and Nicki, but Hoke’s rage blinded him, half panicked, half wanting to kill him. Hoke grabbed Nathan from behind as he tried to get away, and threw him to the other side. Another breaker rolled toward them, rising above the wheelhouse and slammed against the side. The ME II slipped deeper, slowly rolling back upright but sitting with a noticeable list to port. Hoke fell backward through the shattered door catching himself against the handrail. He grunted shaking the blurring water from his face. He took one last look at Nathan, then saw his chance to escape. He leaped from the wheelhouse to the lower deck.
Sharon, clinging to Nicki stumbled
to the edge where the 303 was, but the last breaker pushed the two vessels apart.
Matt jammed the throttled into reverse and spun the wheel so the stern again slammed
against the ME II. Sharon, physically spent, fell at the edge, clinging to
Nicki, unwilling to let go, they were both done for if another breaker were to
catch them exposed.
Matt, threw the throttles into
neutral and leaped from his chair and in two steps was in the lower well. “Give
me your hand…now.”
Sharon cast a look of utter
fatigue, frozen by fear, she could no longer move. “Now…Sharon…give me your
hand...For God’s sake, try. “
She closed her eyes and forced a guttural
scream to muster her final reserves of strength, she stood with Nicki in her
arms, stumbled and fell forward. Matt caught her, wrapping his arms around both
of them and with one final heave lifted them across where they collapsed into
the lower well.
“Where’s Nathan.” Matt shouted.
All Sharon could say was “Hoke.”
Matt raised his head just in time
to see Hoke lunge across the gap and collide with him knocking him to the deck.
Hoke shoved and flailed in wild attempts to get to his feet. Finding his
footing he scaled his way into the helm, and jammed the throttles forward
pulling the 303 away from the ME II. Matt fought to raise himself and he
staggered into the coxswains flat grabbing Hoke by the back of his soaked
jacket. It took all of his strength, but he pulled him off the chair and they
both fell onto the deck. Hoke’s seething rage caused his face to flush a deep
red.
His panic returned, but his anger
exploded as he could think of nothing but to save his own life. Combined with
his bulk, his rage elevated his strength to almost super human levels. He
grabbed Matt throwing a wild punch that grazed across his shoulder. Matt
stepped back to press against coxswain’s chair and lifted his legs while
supporting himself against the helm with his arms, he kicked Hoke in the face,
once, then twice, his ribs screaming at him.
The blows staggered the monster of a
man and he fell away, but regained his feet and tried to move toward Matt who
launched another defensive kick catching him on the chin. Hoke, stunned,
wobbled, his feet catching in the tight confines of the space. Another enormous
breaker born down on them lifting, then partially rolling the 303 onto her
side. Sharon clung to Nicki as they were tossed across the lower well,
swallowed by the tons of water. Matt grabbed the helm and held on. Hoke with
nothing to grab, flipped backward over the side.
Matt leaped to the side searching
for Hoke who was floundering a few feet away in the tumultuous swells not far
from the jetty, shouting with panicked fear, ”I can’t swim, can’t swim.” Matthew
spun around and grabbed a ring buoy, throwing it toward Hoke. It fell within an
arm’s reach but Hoke in his panicked state only splashed with ineffective
movements of his arms trying to keep his head above the water.
He gagged and chocked as he tried to reach the buoy, but another large swell lifted and shoved him away from the lifesaving buoy, smashing his body against the black rocks breaking his massive bulk. He lay motionless for a moment, then he rolled off and went under. “Hoke!” Matt tried to find him and pulled the buoy back to throw it again, but he was gone. He grimaced knowing there was no more he could do and had to get the 303 out of harm’s way.
Sharon raised her arm pointing to
the MEII, now only moments away from being broken across the black boulders of
the jetty. “Nathan…Nathan.”
Matt leaped again into the
coxswain’s flat, climbing into the chair he applied more throttle and turned
the 303 into the next breaker preventing them from being tossed onto the rocks.
The breaker exploded across the bow of the ME II. Nathan rolled from the
wheelhouse and tumbled onto the lower deck. Sharon saw him and screamed again,
“Nathan.”
Matt jammed one throttle forward
and one backward to spin the 303 within her own radius. Once turned he applied
full forward throttle and sped to the ME II’s side turning the wheel and
jamming the throttles into reverse at the last moment so the 303 rammed into
the ME II. Nathan, stumbled and clawed his way to the lower deck and crawled to
the edge. Matt yelled, “Now Nathan…now.”
Using the last reserves of his strength,
Nathan lifted himself and fell across into the 303’s lower well. Sharon grabbed
hold crying, pulling both he and Nickie close. Matt worked the helm to maneuver
through one more breaker and away from the rocks. Once out of the breakers and
inside the main channel, he backed off the throttles and brought the 303 to an
idle.
He checked on Sharon and Nicki who were
sobbing. He helped them into the coxswains flat. Nathan struggled to his feet
and stood next to Matt. He placed his swollen hand onto the Matt’s shoulder,
“Thank you…you did good.”
Matt grabbed hold of Nathans
shoulder giving him a strong shake, “We did good.”
Two blankets were extracted from
the forward compartment and wrapped around both Sharon and Nicki. Sharon asked
Nathan, “Where is the ME II?”
He and Matt had all but given up
believing it would succumb to the rocks, but when they shifted their eyes
toward the bar, they could see she had somehow passed around the end of the
jetty onto the south side.
“She’ll end up beached,” Nathan
said.
The radio crackled. “303 this is
the 1369.”
Matt lifted the radio microphone,
“Go ahead.”
“Just wanted you to know we’ve got
your other crewman onboard and will deliver him at the station in few minutes.
That was one heck of show you guys put on down there…one fine performance.”
Matt looked at Nathan and then into
Sharon’s eyes. “1369…Roger that…thanks for the help. We had a lot of help
tonight…a lot of help.”
