Bay of Angels

Tangled Moon heeled slightly to the gentle northwest breeze. A low patchy fog obscured smaller islands but taller peaks still poked above the mist. Chandler Gray sat on the bow, wearing a life vest and hanging on to the bow rail. He was five. His job was to watch for logs. Chan leaped to his feet and waved his arms. "A log! A big log!" he cried out. At the helm, Cindy spotted the log. It was more of a tree, with roots and branches. She didn't change course since it was well off to starboard. As she was about to tell Chan it was okay, one of the branches waved. It was a pale human arm. Someone was clinging to the log. Cindy altered course toward it and called Sean up from below. Sean was on deck in seconds. Leaving Cindy at the helm, he went forward, scooped up Chan, and carried him back to the cockpit. As they approached the log, a small woman with long black hair streaming behind her was seen clinging on with her legs dangling in the water. She was naked in the frigid water of Caamano Sound. Cindy let the sails fly to slow the approach. Sean ran below and came out with a big towel. As they came alongside, Sean reached out a hand to the woman. She said something in a language he didn't understand. He grasped her hand, then leaned over and picked her up under the arms, lifting her aboard like a child.