Landfall: The Tale of the Solo Sailor

By Lee B. Mulder

A lone sailor races the sun to find a safe anchorage near Virgin Gorda. It is a race, he knows, for if he does not anchor before dark, he risks losing his ship and his life, for only a fool sails at night in the Virgin Islands. At last light, Ian Dunn finds a protected cove where he can spend the night. It is the morning, however, when the adventure of his life begins. He wakes to the sound of someone snorkeling nearby. It is a beautiful girl, completely naked, heading for a nearby coral reef. Though he dives in after her, she is nowhere to be found... until he re-boards his boat to find her waiting for him. Her name is Mariah, beautiful and exotic, captivating to a young man who has been a long time at sea. She invites him ashore. He accepts her invitation to dinner, finding her with an appetite for more than just a meal. Musty old wine, the moon and the stars lead to a night of passion - and an invitation to accompany the sailor to St. Thomas. But passion has its price. There is an accident. Ian Dunn awakens back on Mariah's island. He is angry and tries to escape and, in the process, nearly loses his life in a leaky dinghy being swept out to sea.

This is a tale of love and lust and the spirits that inhabit the islands... with an ending that wil leave the reader lusting for more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lee B. Mulder
• Release date: May 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310212802

Lee B. Mulder

There are two things that drive this author. He needs to be in motion - traveling, moving, progressing. And he needs to feel productive. That last bit is the motivation for his wide variety of writing. Lee B. Mulder graduated with a Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison at a time when the school was the epicenter for anti-Vietnam war protests. Reporting there led to a short newspaper career, then as a magazine staffer, then as a promotion writer, ad agency and public relations writer. Along the way he wrote columns for newspapers, stories for small magazines and novels. His first book "Toddler Tales: An Older Dad Survives the Raising of Small Children in Modern America" was published in 2006. A non-fiction book "They Call Me Mzee: One Man's Safari into Brightest Africa" was published in 2011 along with his novel, "The Missionary." As a ePub author, Mulder will release in 2014 a volume of poetry, several short stories with collections and maybe a novel. Raised in Chicago, Mulder now lives near a strong wifi connection. 2014 will be a breakthrough year for this author as he finally gets on Twitter. He loves to hear from his fans: email is [e-mail]

Book preview

Landfall

A Tale of the Solo Sailor

Lee B. Mulder

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 Lee B. Mulder

OSC Publishing, Inc.

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To the Sirens first shalt thou come, who beguile all men whosoever comes to them. Whoso in ignorance draws near to them and hears the Sirens' voice, he nevermore returns.

The Odysssey, Volume 12

Landfall

It had been a long, rollicking run, sailing since dawn down the Anegada Passage from Saint Martin. The small sloop swayed to the song of the blue Atlantic swell, pushed at a steady eight knots by the vigorous winter trade wind. With Virgin Gorda still just a bump in the distance and the sun rampaging for the western horizon, I began to worry that I would not make it into protected waters by nightfall. If I did not, I would need to drop all canvas and drift under sea anchor, waiting for the sunrise, for only a fool sails alone at night amongst the Virgin Islands.

I must have caught a current, for the Fat Virgin rose up faster than anticipated, and as I rounded its northern tip, I spotted three small lumps of islands, stubby thumbs of rock sticking up out of the water. I sprinted for the lee side of the largest one and was rewarded with the sight of a tiny, protected cove. The sun just dipped behind Tortola as I anchored in fifteen feet of water under the day's afterglow. The baylet was so clear, my little boat seemed to be floating on air. I watched as the anchor dove to the sandy bottom, landed with a soundless puff and immediately buried its flukes for the night.

Twilight in the Caribbean is majestically ethereal. Everything becomes calm. The wind eases to a whisper, the ocean waves flatten, and the rattling palms give sway to a hush interrupted only by the cry of an occasional laughing gull. The skin tingles under its new sunburn and, after two swallows of warm Mount Gay Rum, the body turns sublime. So it was, I stripped off my shorts and T-shirt and dove over the side with a bar of Ivory to wash away the sweat of the long day's work.

And then it was gone. Twilight turned to black.

I lit a kerosene lamp in the cabin and made a loosely assembled concoction called dinner... peanutbutter and jelly sandwich, gooey Dutch cheese, sliced apple and another half glass of Mount Gay. Surely this sounds ghastly to a gourmand, but it works for me... high in carbohydrates and low in dishes. Under a canopy bright with stars and by the dim glow of the cabin light, I bundled the sails, tidied the deck and ran the brass anchor light up the forestay for the night. I found a light blanket, doused the cabin lantern and fell into a deliciously deep sleep in the open air.

In the morning, I cracked open one eye to find it unbearably bright. I buried my head beneath the blanket,