2020-04-01 Reader\'s Digest AUNZ

deepwatergapstoreachtheOld

BahamaChannel.

AfterSchultzleftthebridge,Riehm

continuedtostudytheweather.He

saidtothehelmsman,“We’regonna

getslammedtonight.”

Stacked highwith containers,

themassiveshiprolledwithaslow

rhythmthroughswellscominginfrom

theeast.Theskywasmostlyclear.The

windwaswarmandslowlyincreasing.

WhenDavidsonreturnedtothe

bridge,hismindwasonthestorm.He

said,“Justgottakeepthespeedupso

wegetgoin’down.Andwhoknows?

Maybethislowwilljuststall...Just

enoughforustoduckunderneath.”

Buttheopposite happened.

Category 3

Shortlybeforenoon,thesecondmate,

DanielleRandolph,34,arrivedwitha

reliefhelmsman,LarryDavis,63,to

standthenextwatch.Randolphwas

fromRockland,Maine,andlikeDa-

vidsonandthreeothersaboardwas

agraduateoftheMaineMaritime

Academy. Riehm briefed her on the

navigationplan.Speakingofthecap-

tain,shesaid,“He’stellingeveryone

downthere,‘Ohhh,it’snotabad

storm.It’snotsobad.It’snoteventhat

windyout.Seenworse.’”

NowaloneonthebridgewithDa-

vis,Randolphreturnedtothesubject

ofDavidson.Shemimickedhim.“It’s

nothing,it’snothing!”Shebackedoff

themockeryandsaid,“Ifit’snothing,

thenwhythehellarewegoingona

differenttrackline?”

Davissaid,“We’regettingseaswells

now.”

Theswellsslowedtheship.Inhis

stateroomDavidsonsentareport

totheTOTEofficegivinganETAfor

SanJuanof8amonFriday, 44 hours

ahead.Thenhecametothebridge

andsaid,“Damn,we’regettingkilled

withthisspeed.”

Randolphansweredhimalittle

rebelliously:“Ithinknowit’snota

matterofspeed.It’s‘Whenweget

there,wegetthere,’aslongaswear-

riveinonepiece.”

A gulf seemedto be opening

between Davidson and thecrewon

Lefttoright:

chiefmate

Steven

Schultz,

secondmate

Danielle

Randolph,

helmsman

Larry Davis

PHOTOS (LEF T TO RIGHT) COURTESY OF: SCHULTZ FAMILY; L AURIE BOBILOT T; CARL A NEWKIRK

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Into the Teeth of a Hurricane