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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: SHIFT (05/27/21)
Water slammed me into the center console like a wrecking ball colliding with a concrete wall. The bitter taste of salt permeated my mouth from water I’d swallowed when trying to warn my husband. Had he heard me? I rubbed my burning eyes and looked behind me to make sure everyone else was okay. Eight inches of water already filled the boat and more was pouring in. I looked at my husband and saw the shock I was feeling written all over his face as he gave me a desperate, pleading look that clearly said he couldn’t believe this was happening.

The ocean had been rough the day before, with twelve foot swells and eight foot wind waves. Yet there had been a significant shift in conditions today and the water had been calm, like glass, when we set out that morning.

Jim and the girls had been in the back of the boat, and I was in the front when the rogue wave hit us. I froze, unable to process what was happening. I felt as powerless as these two little girls who stood wide-eyed and afraid. Somehow Jim made his way to the center console and turned on the bilge pump, though it proved useless. The boat balanced precariously for several seconds before the stern fell below the surface and the ocean started pouring in like water over a dam.

“The life jackets are under the seat,” Jim shouted pointing to my right.

What? It hadn’t even dawned on me I didn’t have a life jacket on … I rushed toward the seat he’d pointed at and grabbed the two remaining life jackets just as water sucked us out of the boat like a powerful vacuum cleaner. Fortunately, both the girls' life jackets were securely fastened. As we were swept out of the boat, I held our jackets with one arm and reached for the girls with the other.

“Stay with the boat … whatever you do, stay with the boat!” Jim bellowed.

In the chaos of crashing waves and trying to keep my head above the surface as I frantically treaded water, I didn’t hear him.

“What?”

“Stay …with … the boat! It will float.” He yelled one last time. Apparently the boat had an unsinkable hull, something I hadn’t known until that moment.

We were in a cove about two hundred feet off shore, with rock formations covered with razor sharp muscles on two sides. I prayed the tide wouldn’t shift in that direction.

Ten minutes passed. We shivered uncontrollably as bone-chilling water enveloped our bodies. The water temperature at Neah Bay averaged fifty-three degrees in July. I worriedly looked at Jim who was distracting the girls with small talk. He’d been a rock throughout this entire ordeal. His calm strength was comforting.

A few months earlier we had celebrated our wedding anniversary—it had been a rough four years. Marriage hadn’t turned out as I’d expected. I never imagined it would be so difficult. Tempers flared over seemingly insignificant things, reactions spun out of control, and I feared our arguments could be heard throughout the entire neighborhood.

Another five minutes passed when Jim pointed to a boat speeding toward us in the distance. Two men in their sixties finally pulled up alongside us and yanked us one-by-one into their 17-foot boat. On the way into the Marina, we huddled together for warmth as the driver radioed the Coast Guard to report the incident. They were waiting for us when we arrived.

This life and death experience provided me the clarity I needed in my marriage. I could feel a distinct shift in how I viewed my husband. I realized I wouldn’t have wanted to go through that nightmare with anyone else. I trusted Jim implicitly. I understood with a certainty that shook me that, if it had been necessary, he would have sacrificed his life for us. I felt a connection, a bond, with him I had never felt before. I resolved at that moment to stay no matter how turbulent things might get.

After showers warmed our frigid bodies, we walked back just in time to see the Coast Guard towing our boat into the Marina. The girls were feeling more like themselves now.

“Dad, are we going to be in the newspaper?” one asked.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “Maybe.”

Just the idea seemed to excite them … they couldn’t wait to tell all their friends about their adventure.

Non-fiction
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This article has been read 393 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Laurie Kiel 
06/04/21
What a well-told story! You grabbed my attention from the first sentence. A great example of shift. The only thing I think could be improved was the ending. I would have liked to see a stronger ending. But overall a great story well written.
Stephen Kimball
06/05/21
Enjoyed this entry. You did a nice job of pulling me right in to your story. Love the title as a metaphor for a sinking marriage. Nothing like a little shared trauma to pull a family together. Well done.
Gloria Pierre Dean
06/09/21
Staying in the boat for better or for worse. Well written and what an adventure!
Avigail David
06/10/21
That was a harrowing experience of your life! Thank God He kept you safe and alive. Very inspiring. Thank you.
Penny Neimiller 
06/12/21
Well deserved win! Congratulations on your article for so many reasons...keep up the great writing. This article needs to be read outside of our FaithWriters Challenge page. I hope a publisher sees it!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
06/16/21
This is a great story. You drew me in immediately and kept me riveted to the very end. I loved your conflicts (self, nature, and another person) and the resolution of each one. You've nailed it all. Congratulations on ranking 1st in your level and 11th overall. The highest rankings can be found on the message boards.