\nThe ocean was much too close.
\nJust don\u2019t crash in that shit!<\/em>
\nHe pulled the Beaver up higher, and the plane vibrated like a jackhammer.
\nHe\u2019d been through a lot, ridden out terrifying squalls, a hair\u2019s breadth\n away from disaster. But today\u2014it was the worst of the worst, a \nnightmare.
\nHis adrenaline shot up. Just don\u2019t go down in this goddam hell.<\/em>
\nNot him. He always escaped. He knew those infernal traps where \ncrosswinds locked together like mad dogs. He knew the fogs that snuck up\n on you and swallowed everything up in a flash. But what he knew best \nwas himself.
\nHe could have aborted his flight. If he had to, he could have kept his \nplane on the ground. He would have listened to his feelings if they told\n him: You\u2019re not going to land in this storm. It\u2019s stronger than you. \nIt\u2019ll wipe out you and your Beaver in two seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A voice in his headphones: \u201cGQC to JPX\u2026 it\u2019s a goddamn fucking \nmerry-go-round, a goddamn merry-go-round, I\u2019m telling you, nobody can \nget through. I\u2019m going back through Otter Channel and then out around \nPitt Island.\u201d
\nThere was another Beaver out there. Another madman risking his life.
\nHe looked at his GPS. Yellow, land, blue, water.
\n\u201cJPX to GQC\u2026OK\u2026I\u2019ll try Grenville Channel, but it looks from here like lousy pea soup.\u201d
\nJumpy static in his headphones. That voice again.
\n\u201cGot a pretty strong ELT signal.\u201d
\nSo he\u2019d picked up the downed plane\u2019s emergency locator transmitter, too; it was weak but continuous.
\n\u201cWhere are you now?\u201d he asked.
\n\u201cI\u2019m halfway up McCauley Island, between Hevenor Inlet and Newcombe \nHarbor. It\u2019s like a washing machine here, a fucking big wind.\u201d
\n\u201cI couldn\u2019t make it through Grenville Channel, had to go back and follow you. Lemme know right away if you see anything.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2026\u2019kay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Beaver was dancing. A dance with the devil. The plane wasn\u2019t gaining altitude. He gave it more throttle. \u201cI\u2019m down, man, I\u2019m down in Captain\u2019s Cove and getting pretty close. \nOne pontoon\u2019s sticking straight up out of the water. I think somebody\u2019s \nhanging onto it.\u201d ( Text Copyright @ 2010 Bernadette CalonegoTranslation Copyright @ 2015 Gerald ChapplePublished by AmazonCrossing, Seattle ) Now he was in the thick of it. His Beaver had suddenly lost altitude, as if taking on a load of lead fast. Then it reared up like a frantic mustang. Shaking, rocking violently. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":33,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-750","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=750"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1332,"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/750\/revisions\/1332"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nYou don\u2019t want to go swimming, baby. Keep it level. Nice and level. \nThe water down there is cold, like frozen steel. Two minutes and your \nblood thickens. Ten minutes and your heart screams for help. Ninety and \nit\u2019s game over.<\/em>
\nThe other pilot\u2019s voice thundered words in his headphones.
\n\u201cGetting close. The ELT\u2019s howling like a wildcat. My gut tells me it\u2019s \ndown there somewhere. This hole is pulling everything downwards.\u201d
\n\u201cOK.\u201d
\nMost of them drowned, caught in the wreckage. He\u2019d been there often. \nSometimes they broke a bone or their back. Or had their skull crushed \nwith the blood pouring out.
\n\u201cGot something!\u201d
\nThe shout made him flinch.
\n\u201cThe plane\u2019s in the water right in front of Captain\u2019s Cove. I\u2019ll see if I can land and work my way in.\u201d
\n\u201cSee anybody in the water?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m being fucking hammered \u2014 hard to say from here. I\u2019ll let you know if I can land.\u201d
\nCrackling in his earphones, another shout.
\n\u201cJesus Christ! What\u2019s that, straight ahead!\u201d
\n\u201cCan you get any lower?\u201d
\n\u201cAlready low, damn low.\u201d
\n\u201cListen, don\u2019t go too slow!\u2019
\nHe\u2019d better watch it. Or he\u2019ll hit the water, too.<\/em>
\n\u201c\u2026there they are! Jesus! There they are! Hey man, I can see them!\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do you see?\u201d
\n\u201c\u2026the plane\u2026it\u2019s broken apart, all broken up. Man-o-man!\u201d
\n\u201cSee anybody?\u201d
\n\u201cGotta get down, man, gotta get down.\u201d
\n\u201cIs the sea too rough? I can see waves.\u201d
\n\u201cI think I can do it.\u201d
\n\u201cBe careful, eh! Careful!\u201d
\nThe voice was gone. He waited.
\nHope he doesn\u2019t go nuts when he sees what\u2019s there, lose his nerve.<\/em>
\nThe other pilot was a good one \u2014 he knew that. Almost as good as he was.\n Logged seven thousand hours mostly between Alaska and Prince Rupert. \nThat coast was a death trap, a death trap for lousy pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe voice was softer, as if the vocal cords had been in water too long.
\n\u201cGood job! I\u2019ll be right there.\u201d
\n\u201cJeff\u2019s getting out and climbing up on it.\u201d
\nSo he took a guy with him. Why didn\u2019t he say that before? Never mind. \nEvery hand counts. Especially with a rolling sea like this. He wouldn\u2019t \ntake anybody along and put his life in danger.
\n\u201c\u2026oh my God!\u201d
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re all dead, man, all dead!\u201d
\n\u201cDead or unconscious? Can you see?\u201d
\n\u201cDead as a doornail, man, stone dead.\u201d
\nHe stayed calm. Gotta keep calm.
\nHe looked at his GPS. Still a few minutes to the crash site.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll be there right away. Wait\u2019ll I get there.\u201d
\nThe wind suddenly let up as if playing itself out at last. Then he saw \nit. His pal\u2019s Beaver, bouncing like a plastic duck in a bathtub. There \nwas a second plane beside it: A broken wing, the cockpit at a crazy \nangle. A body on the left pontoon, its legs in the water, not moving.
\nHe shouted into the mic.
\n\u201cCan you see me? I\u2019m coming down. Can you see me?\u201d
\nNo answer.
\nHe began his approach. A voice shouted into his phones.
\n\u201cGood God! He\u2019s alive! One of them\u2019s moving! He\u2019s alive!\u201d
\nHe was concentrating on landing. He had the Beaver firmly under control. C\u2019mon, baby. C\u2019mon, c\u2019mon.<\/em>
\nHe had to land in a light side wind, parallel to the waves. There was a calm spot ahead. The pontoons splashed down.
\nTaxiing toward the planes, he had but a single thought: Let\u2019s hope the right guy\u2019s still alive.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bernadettecalonego.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/UnderDarkWaters-1000.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"