A sailing ship, the Augustus, leaving Adelaide under a captain Duff and scratch crew has grounded off Encounter Bay and the captain has returned to shore in a rowboat to seek more crew members. The previous captain, Hart, and his crew have left belongings aboard which now must be retrieved. The two captains rent a crewed rowboat to get out to the ship.
‘You man, we’re going out to the Augustus,’ Hart called to a strongly built man lounging on the sand beside a lighter. A second man sat 50 yards away scanning the horizon. ‘Get that other man and be quick about it,’ demanded Hart.
The first man recognised Hart’s voice and its urgency. ‘Aye, cap’n. We’re waitin’ for the Osprey to offload her mail. Ain’t sighted her yet. Won’t be no trouble gettin’ you and…’ He hesitated, squinting against the low sun to make out Hart’s companion, then, recognising him, ‘…cap’n Duff out to your ship afore the Osprey arrives. Are you plannin’ on stayin’ aboard or do we need to wait alongside an’ bring you back?’
‘Wait alongside, we’ll load some chests and then you’ll bring us back to shore.’ Sensing a question about payment, Hart continued, ‘We’ll pay 50 percent over the going rate for offloading from an incoming vessel.’
Together the two men dragged their boat across the sand to the breakers and held it for their passengers to board. With the two captains seated in the stern, they pushed off then swung aboard with accustomed ease. Their powerful rowing drove the boat forward through the surf— they were soon in clear water heading for the Augustus, which had clearly floated free on the tide and now rode at anchor in deeper water.
With the boat fast to the ship, Hart and Duff, with the practised agility of experienced seamen, clambered up the lowered ladder and swung onto the deck. Although Duff held command of the ship, he stood mute and scowling as Hart issued orders to collect the sea chests of the former crew members, including Carmichael’s carpenter’s toolchest, before retrieving his own sextant, navigating equipment and charts. The mission accomplished in scarcely 15 minutes, the captains were back in the now heavily loaded boat as the oarsmen leaned into their work and headed for shore.
*A snippet from a proposed historical fiction novel
Burnside Writers Group 