The maiden voyage of the Mary Belle 5/13

Once the boat and its crew were back on board the Mary Belle, the captain took one look at the cork and sent Fern down to his cabin to fetch a corkscrew. Ten seconds after she returned he was reading the message.
“Fat lot of good this is. It’s from Barnacle Bill. He says his steamer broke down, was caught out of control in a heavy storm and cast high up on a beach by a very large wave. He can’t get afloat and asks for help. He gives a latitude and longitude, but that’s no help to us, is it Mr. Mate!”

He glared at the mate, who’d come over to find out what had been picked up. The argument over the forgotten navigational equipment started again.

Every one who’d crowded round to find out what had been in the bottle, suddenly decided that they’d lots of work to do somewhere else and left the skipper and mate to their shouting match.

The wind didn’t become strong enough for the brig to try and sail for home until the late afternoon. The captain ordered a north-easterly course to be set. “Always supposing we have a compass aboard!” he added sarcastically.

“Shouldn’t we be doing something about finding Barnacle Bill?” Jennifer Jane asked Fern.

Fern explained that without knowing where they were, there was very little chance of finding him.

“Well he can’t be too far away from the spot where we found the bottle.”

Fern tried to explain the mysteries of wind and tide and how they might affect a small object like a bottle. Jennifer Jane thought for a moment.

“Couldn’t you go up to the masthead and see if you can spot any land nearby?”

Fern did as she was asked, but was soon back on deck shaking her head. “There’s no land in sight within the horizon I’ve got from up there. I suppose I could be luckier if I could get any higher, but I can’t of course.”

She waited with a smile on her face for Jennifer Jane to have another idea. Whatever else could be said about Abigail’s apprentice, there was usually no shortage of ideas. She didn’t have to wait very long.

“I don’t know if you think it would work, but there is a way you might go quite a lot higher than the masthead. We’re sailing quite quickly now against the wind. If I was at home with this sort of wind blowing, I’d think it was a smashing day to go and fly a kite.”

Fern laughed. ”I don’t see how flying a kite would help, even if we had one. Don’t tell the captain though for goodness sake, or he’ll have another go at the mate for not bringing one along.”

She suddenly stopped laughing and a thoughtful look spread across her face. “I think I see what you’re getting at,” she said, “it might even work. I’ll have a word with the skipper and if he’s happy we’ll give it a go.”