The Pirates of Cayo Pelau

By Clabe Polk

Retired businessman, Harry Morgan lives in St. Petersburg, Florida and loves to sail with his friends. When he’s not sailing he is gathered with them in a friendly bar or living room regaling them with tales of the pirates alleged to have sailed the Florida coast. When Harry buys a new sailboat, he teaches his friends to sail, fills them with tales of the treasure of the pirate Jose Gaspar and invites them on a sailing vacation to explore the islands Jose Gaspar once roamed.
In addition to sandspurs, mosquitoes and sand gnats Harry and his buddies encounter real pirates, with real captives, and protected by real corruption.
Determined to free the captives and put the pirates out of business, the friends risk their lives and their freedom, eventually having to rely on the Coast Guard and FBI to help them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clabe Polk
• Release date: Mar 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310956225

Clabe Polk

CLABE POLK is into a second career as a writer of fiction. So far, he has written four novels, three novellas, several short stories, and has a couple of other novels in process. He is a lifelong reader with a great variety of life experience.With a background in biology and natural sciences, Mr. Polk has more than thirty-seven years in professional environmental protection program management and law enforcement.He lives in Powder Springs, Georgia with his wife, two daughters, and the family’s Cockapoo named Annie.

Book preview

The Pirates of Cayo Pelau

Books by Clabe Polk

The Detective Mike Eiser Series:

Backslide

Hot Summer Nights

Schism

Angelica

Fire on the Mountain

The Adventures of Harry Morgan Series:

The Adventures of Harry Morgan, Book 1 (a collection of the first three Harry Morgan novellas)

Collegial Conspiracy (a novella)

Emilio (a novella)

The Pirates of Cayo Pelau (a novella)

Christian fiction:

The Road to Armageddon

Short stories:

Short Fuse

Devolution

The Pirates of Cayo Pelau

A Harry Morgan Adventure

By

Clabe Polk

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events, and situations are the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1979683838

Copyright © 2017 by Clabe Polk all rights reserved

Edited by

Monique Happy, Monique Happy Editorial Services

Published by:

Clabe Polk

Powder Springs, GA

[e-mail]

Dedication

To wonderful memories

of life in and around the beautiful waters

of Charlotte Harbor, Florida.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 The Boat

CHAPTER 2 Of Pirates and Captains

CHAPTER 3 Captain Loggerhead

CHAPTER 4 Of Sailing Plans and Lawyers

CHAPTER 5 White Wings and Southern Quest

CHAPTER 6 Questions Among the Mangroves

CHAPTER 7 Smuggler’s Lair

CHAPTER 8 I.C.E.

CHAPTER 9 Doings at Devilfish Key

CHAPTER 10 Hiding in Plain View

CHAPTER 11 The Run for the River

CHAPTER 12 Adventure and a Treasure Chest?

CHAPTER 13 Arrgggh…and a Dead Man’s Chest

FROM THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER 1

The Boat

Harry Morgan sat on the St. Petersburg dock and watched the marine surveyor finish his inspection. To say he was nervous was an understatement; to say he was excited…well, anyone with half a brain could see his excitement a mile away. He had sold his old boat months ago and had been looking for one like this one…in first class condition. Now, he believed he had found the boat of his dreams: thirty-five feet of gleaming well-maintained fiberglass, a shoal draft cruising keel, cutter rig, and all the navigational bells and whistles necessary to make a sailor’s heart throb. Now, it was up to the surveyor to tell him what it needed to make it perfect.

Mr. Morgan? She looks pretty good, said the surveyor. There are minor items, but nothing major. It looks like she’s been well-maintained; she should sail safely for a long time to come. I’ll give you a list of the minor points, and you can address them as you wish.

Harry thanked him and heaved a big sigh of relief.

He had only to write a check to the brokerage and White Wings was finally his! The brokerage would handle the transfer details as part of the sale. He stepped aboard, entered the companionway hatch, and went below to the cabin.

The cabin had plenty of space for thirty-five feet; a V-berth in the bow, a dinette that converted to a double berth and a couch that converted to a single berth in the salon, and a larger berth in an aft cabin. The galley, with a sink and propane stove, was to the port side of the companionway; a navigation station was to the starboard side; both were between the salon and the aft cabin. Overall, a great layout! There was no mildew, no musty odors, and no evidence of leaks. Harry thanked his lucky stars to have found it.

Looking at his watch, he realized it was time to lock up and meet his buddies at Wings and Things. My, how time flies when you’re having fun, he thought as he made the long step back onto the dock.

Gary Atwood looked up from his beer just in time to see Harry come in. The axe man cometh, he said to Stanley Elliot.

Looking up, Stanley watched as Harry sat down and flagged a waitress. So, is it a done deal? Stanley asked.

Yep! Done and done. I’ll give them a check tomorrow and begin outfitting her. She shouldn’t need much, Harry answered and he looked around as the waitress approached. I’ll have a draft on these guys’ tab and a bowl of peanuts, please.

Garry Atwood looked askance at Harry. Who said we were buying your beer? We’re retired; we can barely afford the gas to get here. You’re the one buying a yacht!

Yeah, well I’m retired, too, and it’s hardly a yacht…and anyway, you two will be sailing it with me. I think a few sailing trips deserves a beer or two…even a pitcher of my own, don’t you? If you’re too damned poor to buy a buddy a beer, you really need a friend who’s willing to take you out on his boat!

"Considering that it’s Harry…maybe it’s not so much a yacht as a pirate ship; Harry acts pretty