It did not take long for the boys to stuff their belongings back into their backpacks. Before they left the Sea Shanty, Kade made sure everything was secure and maybe he lingered more than he should have. Quinn said, “Come on, Kade. I’m starving!” They walked down the dock and climbed into the Harbor Master’s car, apologizing for getting the seats wet.
The Harbor Master laughed and said, “When you live in Seward you get use to things getting wet.” They drove to Urbach Clothier downtown and the Harbor Master walked them into the store saying, “This is the oldest store in Seward. I think we can find you some dry clothes here.”
Somebody must have called ahead because the staff seemed to be waiting for the boys. They helped them pick out flannel shirts and jeans as well as new hiking boots. When they brought the choices up to the counter the clerk said, “It’s on the house. We heard what you did for John Cook and we appreciate your bravery.” They were even handed brand new windbreakers with the Seward emblem on them. The boys were somewhat stunned by the generosity but mumbled their thanks. They loaded back up into the car and were driven off to the Breeze Inn. The clerk saw them coming through the door and had keys waiting for them. She apologized saying, “We are pretty full and the only rooms I had were on different floors. If you set your wet clothes outside your door, I’ll get the maid service to pick them up and clean them.”
The boys split up with Johnathan and Mikey taking the 2nd floor room and the other two the 3rd floor room. Quinn was no sooner in the room than he was stripping and headed for the shower. After about 15 minutes Kade was yelling at him to save some hot water and Quinn reluctantly left the hot shower. By the time Kade was done showering and shaving the fuzz off his face Quinn was starving. He had checked his phone and had messages galore mostly from their folks. He called his dad who wanted to know what had happened. Quinn summarized the events of the last day and maybe minimized a bit the danger they were in. His dad said, “We’ve been awfully worried and happy you are all right. I will call Alaska Airlines and see if I can get your flight home booked for tomorrow afternoon.”
Quinn said, “Tell Mom that we had her salmon but the cooler was lost in the tsunami.”
“She will understand. You’re safe. That is all that matters.”
They went downstairs to the small lobby and waited for Johnathan and Mikey. The Harbor Master was visiting with a group of folks and they all started asking questions when they saw Kade and Quinn. The Harbor Master interrupted them saying, “I promised the boys some hot food before the interview.”
As soon as Johnathan and Mikey showed up they piled back into the car and headed down the street to the Chinooks Restaurant. There was a table reserved for them next to the window. The waiter appeared immediately with warm bread and asked what they wanted to drink. The boys chose their sodas and were looking at the menu. When their drinks arrived, the waiter started to recommend one of their many fish dishes but the boys in unison said, “We would like some meat!” Quinn added, “We’ve eaten fish twice a day for the past 12 days!”
The waiter smiled and said, “Sounds like you have been out with John Cook. Seems most of his parties prefer steak when they get ashore. I would recommend the rib eye with the steak fries and salad.”
Johnathan asked, “How much would that cost?”
The waiter did not even look up but was smiling as he said, “Seems the house is buying tonight. I would go for it if I were you.”
The boys were on their second serving of fresh bread before their steaks appeared. The dinner disappeared almost as fast as the bread. Quinn was thinking of ordering dessert when the waiter returned with 4 bowls of ice cream. He said, “The guys at the bar thought you might need these.” Quinn turned towards the bar and gave the thumb up sign before digging into his ice cream.
When they had finished eating the Harbor Master said, “You have had a long day. Maybe best if we get the interview done so you can get some rest.” When the boys agreed, he waved to the waiting reporters who started in immediately with their questions. They answered as briefly as they could until Kade was asked how it felt to be a hero. Kade was quiet for several seconds before he replied, “I am not a hero. We just did what needed to be done. We worked as a team just as the Captain had taught us. Quinn mostly handled the helm. Mikey cared for the Captain. Johnathan did the navigating. I helped out whenever I could.” They started to ask more questions but Kade interrupted them saying, “The Sea Shanty is the hero. She took a beating and still got us back to port safely.”
There were many questions about the tidal wave and how high the boat was carried up the mountain. Quinn explained what he saw when he was up on the mast cutting out the tree but they did not seem to believe him. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I saw what I saw. You can inspect the hull to see how many rocks we bounced off of.”
The Harbor Master intervened saying, “There are a couple of well documented cases of this happening before and a few lucky boats survived. I believe the estimate is probably pretty close.”
Then they starting asking more questions about the boy’s families and how their folks had reacted. The boys were getting tired and finally the Harbor Master said, “I think that is enough. These young men need some sleep.” He escorted them out to his car and drove them the short distance to their hotel. He said, “I know the reporters get a bit pushy but that is their job. I have changed your train tickets for the 9 am train tomorrow. Hopefully you can make your plane connections.”
Mikey asked, “Is there any chance we could stop and see the Captain in the hospital?”
“It will be tight, but maybe.”
The boys made their way up to their rooms but found sleep delayed because it felt like the bed was rocking. Kade said, “I guess we don’t have our land legs yet.” They slept but not without dreams of the Sea Shanty.