Ocean Lanes Standings
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(1) Ocean Lanes; (2) The Blue Heron; (3) Captain Domingo de la Vega; (4) The Black Prince; (5) The Flying Dutchman.
Captain De La Vega had taken the lead, a position he hoped to hold throughout the race and into the next month’s competition. The Blue Heron was his own personal yacht as well as his racing machine. She was the latest model in all her fittings and rigging.
He was proud of her speed, which would have made any other racer envious. His crew had been carefully chosen for their sailing experience and seamanship ability.
The Black Prince was an older vessel that carried some very fast sails. With a crew of skilled sailors who knew what to do under difficult conditions, they were a good match for the Blue Heron.
The Flying Dutchman was the oldest ship in the fleet but still held her own against the newer ships. Captain Domingo had spent more time than any other sailor aboard this ship. There was a certain comfort about her—the familiarity of being on board after so many years at sea with the same captain. Even though the ship was old, she still managed to outpace most vessels in every race.
Finally came the fifth entry, The Blue Jay. A small privateer was built only two days ago. The ship was piloted by a young lad just out of college named James P. Hargreave. Although it was his first time on a real ship, he proved to be extremely competent, quick to learn, and eager to excel at any task given to him.
He also seemed determined to win his father’s approval and affection, and that made his performance even better. If he could pull off another victory like the one in yesterday’s race, no one doubted he would soon be able to join the others at the head of the pack.
As far as the rest of the crews went, The Black Heron had a few new faces from the past couple of races but mostly the same crew members. They were all seasoned sailors who had raced together before and knew exactly what to expect from each other. It was clear that everyone felt comfortable and confident under Captain de la Vega’s command.
The Flying Dutchman was led by Captain De La Vega himself. He had sailed with his friend Captain Hargreaves for several years, and both men were very competitive when it came to anything concerning the sea.
Both captains kept their ships well supplied with fresh water, food, and fuel to last them through the entire month of racing. In addition, there was plenty of room to store extra supplies or equipment that might come in handy during the course of the race.
In the end, it came down to which team had the best sail-handling skills, navigational abilities, and overall ability to manage their ship. This was where Captain de la Vega was truly a master. He took a hands-on approach to all aspects of the ship’s daily operations—from the helm to navigating, to maintaining the ship’s engines.
His crew was equally adept at everything needed to keep the ship moving at top speed through the ocean. They always made sure to clean up after themselves, making use of every inch of space aboard The Blue Heron.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Captain de la Vega said to his second mate as they walked down the plank toward the pier. “If things look good, we can make our way around Cape Horn and back home sometime late next week.”
“We can do it faster if need be,” the mate responded. “The wind has been blowing hard lately, and we may get lucky and find ourselves sailing into calmer waters once we’re around the tip. I think we should give it a shot, though. We don’t want to waste a moment when we’ve got such good winds.”
“Good thinking!” Captain de la Vega laughed. “Let’s just hope those winds continue strong throughout the race! I’m anxious to see how close we can get to our competitors in such a short period of time!”
With that, they boarded a carriage waiting at the pier. Once they arrived at the house, it was quickly apparent that everyone else had the same idea. The party was already underway, and guests began to pour in from all over town.
“So good to see you again, Captain de la Vega!” a familiar voice called from the crowd. It belonged to none other than Captain Hargreaves. The two men hugged each other warmly before greeting others in their circle. “How are you today? Still feeling good after that win yesterday?” he asked.
“I couldn’t be happier,” the captain replied.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. It makes my job easier knowing your team is going to be working hard and having fun while doing it.”
“Thanks to everyone here for coming,” Captain De La Vega shouted. “Without you, we wouldn’t be able to hold these events! I appreciate all of your help and support.”
There was loud applause from the crowd of people, followed by cheers and clapping. It was evident that the entire town was looking forward to the upcoming competition between the four ships.
For those who couldn’t attend the party, it was broadcast on large screens placed strategically in public areas around town. Everyone had something to cheer for—whether they were a fan of the winning team or simply enjoyed watching the ships go head to head. Either way, the event was always a huge success and drew many spectators to witness its glory firsthand.
***
The sun rose to its fullest point in the sky, shining its light across the open expanse of water before the four ships as they made their way southward through the Pacific Ocean. The breeze remained steady, helping push the ships along at a respectable pace.
By late afternoon, all four ships were within sight of each other, so Captain de la Vega decided to call a break for everyone in order to enjoy dinner and drinks on board.
Captain de la Vega’s first mate, Pedro, stood to watch at the helm, keeping an eye on the horizon as well as the compass to ensure the ship was heading in the right direction. With the exception of Captain Hargreaves and some other crew members, nearly everyone else took the opportunity to visit their friends’ vessels and socialize until dinner.
When they returned to their ships for a late lunch, the captain gave the order for everyone to get back to work. They would resume their course southward after eating, ready and prepared for battle against the other three ships.
After everyone had eaten, the captain went out on the deck with his first mate and looked off to the west, admiring the view of the ocean stretching far beyond his field of vision. There were no land masses in sight, but he could feel the sea breeze caressing his cheeks as it blew past him and into his eyes.
As he breathed in the air, he thought to himself, “It’s going to be an exciting night, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
That evening, as the sun began to set, Captain Hargreaves called Captain de la Vega aside and spoke to him quietly.
“We’re getting close to the edge of our range,” Hargreaves told him. “You and your crew know this, and I know you’re prepared. But I also know there’s a chance something might happen to one or more of us tonight. So let me give you a little bit of advice: Don’t panic.”
Hargreaves paused and looked down, searching for a response on Captain de la Vega’s face. When he found nothing, he continued.
“You need to stay calm. This isn’t a race where we have to arrive at the finish line first. We’ll still have plenty of time tomorrow, even if we don’t reach the other side of the strait by tonight. The important thing is that we make sure the boats are safe and sound once we get there. So try not to panic. Stay focused.”
The captain smiled and nodded his head. He knew exactly what Hargreaves was saying, and he wasn’t about to let anyone take him away from the plan they’d put in motion months ago. He had spent too much time training his men to lose focus now; it would only hurt them all when they inevitably needed him most.
As Captain Hargreaves headed off to bed, he looked back over to the ship and said, “I know you’ve got it covered, Captain.”
***
The captain watched his first mate at the helm as the vessel cut through the dark waters. His second mate stood beside him, looking up toward the deck to ensure everything was in place. Both men knew it wouldn’t take long before their vessels made contact with their opponent’s boat, and then the real fun would begin.
As the sun set over the western horizon, all four ships slowly began approaching their opponents, each waiting patiently for the other to move first. The moon hung high overhead, casting a silvery glow through the ocean below.
At first, the other captains didn’t seem to have any plans of action, but it would only be a matter of time before someone moved, either to sail toward the other or pull up anchor and turn around.
It was almost as if everyone had been holding their breath since they started this journey; now, they were just waiting for someone to breathe again. After many minutes of watching, Captain de la Vega finally broke the silence.
“Let’s do it!” he cried out as loud as he could. Then he turned back to the deck and yelled, “Move to port! Cut the sails and move to starboard!”
His first mate immediately complied, and the ship pulled itself slightly closer to the left side of the boat. Meanwhile, the other ships followed suit with their own orders. In a matter of minutes, all four ships pulled themselves into different positions, each trying to keep some distance between them while simultaneously trying to block their opponents’ view to either side of the water.
The captain’s first mate quickly turned and shouted, “Starboard!” which was met with similar cries of approval from those on deck. Soon the ships had rotated, and they continued sailing parallel to each other. Now that they were no longer directly facing one another, it was easy to determine who held the advantage—and it wasn’t the enemy.
“All right, you bastards!” Captain de la Vega shouted as loudly as he could, “Get ready to fire your cannon!”
He turned back to his first mate and said, “Tell the men to prepare themselves. It’s going to get very loud out here.”
The first mate quickly ran from the helm and up to the deck, where he began giving instructions to the rest of the crew members. With everyone busy, all the captains could do was watch as their ships gradually approached one another, each waiting for the other to act. Each one waited nervously until the moment came when the boats finally made contact.
Then, without warning, one of the enemy ships abruptly changed course and sailed straight toward the third ship in line. Everyone on board the first two ships saw this coming, so they took immediate action. One of the second-in-commands on the third ship began shouting orders, and soon enough everyone was scrambling about to load their cannons and find targets for their guns.
Captain de la Vega and Captain Hargreaves were both shocked to see an enemy ship suddenly change its course. They had no idea why the captain would be so reckless, especially after the previous night’s fiasco. But as their ships began sailing toward one another, neither of them had much time to think about it anymore.
As they sailed closer and closer together, Captain Hargreaves called out to his first mate to tell him to stop moving their ships so fast. He had been hoping that by slowing things down they could take the time to carefully consider the situation and come up with a plan that might work.
However, his first mate seemed unbothered by the request and simply responded by shouting, “Cut sails! Full speed ahead!”
Captain Hargreaves shook his head in dismay as the sound of the wind rushing by filled the air. He turned to face forward and said, “What the hell are you doing?”
Captain de la Vega was also stunned that his first mate was not only acting so recklessly but also that he hadn’t heard him calling out his order for them to slow their pace. But he did what he thought needed to be done, so there was no use arguing with him—at least that’s how he felt inside anyway. Instead, he said, “We need to close with them quickly and end this!”
With that, he turned the ship’s wheel to starboard and pushed himself forward on the railing to get a better view. As the two ships closed in on one another, a sudden wave of panic spread through all the other ships, including Captain Hargreaves and Captain de la Vega’s vessel.
All eyes darted to the center of the deck as cannons went off in rapid succession. The explosions filled the air with thunderous booms.
“Damn it! We can’t shoot like this!” Captain de la Vega exclaimed as another cannon fired. His first mate was too focused on getting closer to the enemy ship and shooting his gun to hear his captain’s cry for help.
Captain Hargreaves quickly turned to his first mate and demanded that he stop firing at once, which he then proceeded to do. Once the cannons were quiet for a short period of time, he looked over at Captain de la Vega and said, “That was stupid! We need to stay away from them!”
The captain nodded in agreement as he watched one of his crew members run down below decks. “Get more cannonballs, we need to reload,” he told his first mate before turning back to face forward and ordering the helm operator to bring the ship around again.
This time, he didn’t have to say anything, because everyone on board knew exactly what he wanted to be done. He was now forced to turn to his second-in-command for assistance as he struggled to steer his own ship while holding onto the railing.
A few moments later, two of Captain De la Vega’s crew members ran into the captain’s cabin, each carrying three wooden boxes filled with balls of lead. The captain quickly placed his hand on the top of the first box and asked his first mate, “Are these the right type of balls to fire from our cannon?”
“Yes sir, I’m sure of it.”
Captain de la Vega took his time examining every single ball before placing them carefully back inside the box. Then he grabbed his own sword and ran outside to face the front of his ship. There, he held the box above his head and said, “Fire on my command!”
Everyone quickly scrambled to load their guns, and within seconds the cannons erupted in another deafening boom. Captain Hargreaves quickly turned to his second-in-command and said, “You heard him! Fire on my command!”
But even though the captain’s second-in-command had heard him, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to comply. For some reason, his second-in-commander didn’t want to obey his orders. Instead, he remained silent while watching his captain struggle to control his own ship.
The moment the first round was fired, everyone on board the flagship started running helter-skelter in any direction they could.
Captain Hargreaves was the first to realize what was happening. In an instant, he jumped to the side and managed to avoid being hit by the cannonball that came flying straight toward him. But unfortunately, his second-in-command had been struck in the stomach, and a portion of his intestines was blown out of his body.
As soon as he saw what happened, Captain de la Vega rushed past his captain and went outside to inspect the damage. The cannonballs that came sailing out of the enemy ship’s cannons weren’t made of iron, but rather something similar to lead. The force of the cannonballs hitting his ship caused the wooden hull of their vessel to splinter into several pieces.
Once they realized their ship was sinking fast, Captain Hargreaves and the rest of the men on his ship ran to the rear deck and climbed the main mast until they reached the crow’s nest. They all quickly climbed up on top of the structure, where they stood on top of the masts and watched as the enemy ship sank.
“This is bad,” said one of the men standing next to the captain in the crow’s nest.
“I know it,” the captain replied. “We’re about to be boarded by those bastards.”
“What should we do?” one of his crew members asked.
The captain shook his head in response. “No way we’re staying here and waiting for that to happen,” he said while looking toward the ocean below and pointing to the enemy ship. “Let’s get going. We need to go back to our homeland so that we can tell others what happened today.”
“Shouldn’t we try to take some of the loot from the other ship?” another man asked.
“Not a chance,” the captain responded. “If we do that, it will ruin our reputation, and the other countries will hate us. No one wants to be hated by anyone. That would be very unfortunate for us.”
“What if we don’t go back home?” one of his crew members suggested. “Instead, we travel to another country, and become pirates there? We’ll be rich from stealing ships from different nations. We might be able to live comfortably forever doing that.”
One of the crew members laughed out loud at what the man just suggested. “Oh, you’re right! You’re definitely right about that.”
“So what are you saying?” asked another member of his crew.
“I’m saying that we should go steal something else,” the first crew member answered while laughing again.
“How about we go back to Mexico?” another person chimed in. “We’ve already taken plenty of their gold and silver; let’s return home with something else.”
After hearing this suggestion, someone else added, “Let’s do that!”
Another person then added, “And maybe after stealing everything we can find on their ship, we’ll sell it to other countries too.”
“Good idea,” someone said.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” the first man replied. “Now listen closely to me: If we leave now, we’ll have plenty of time to steal everything that’s left over in that ship and sell it to other places before the other navy ships catch up to us again.”
Everyone agreed with what he was saying, and soon enough they were back inside the ship and making preparations to sail away. By nightfall, they had traveled to Mexico, and Captain Hargreaves and his men quickly unloaded the ship’s goods.
After selling most of the items they stole, Captain Hargreaves decided that he would wait for several more weeks before heading back home to see what happened with the Spanish government.
The End