In ten seconds I would be required to make a decision that decided if we lived or died and I had no clue it was about to happen. Yesterday about noon I had my head down looking a nautical chart while Lynn sat just to my left in the captain's seat. She was piloting our boat "otter" up the intercoastal waterway just south of Sebastion. 10...9...8... Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard Lynn say, "That guy needs to change course." Something in her voice caught my attention, but not enough to make me look up...7...6...5...then "keith! Do I turn?" The alarm in her voice commanded I look up now. What I saw made everything else fade to nothing. A massive tall power yacht spewing out large waves on either side had left his "lane" and was pointed directly at our small vessel. His high powered collision course would crush us from bow to stern. 4...3...Somehow instantly I knew the problem Lynn was facing. Do we turn or did he see us? Was he about to correct his course? If so we should stay our course. I studied his bow for a moment, I held my breath. I saw no movement from his bow...2...1...strangely calm, as if it were just any simple decision, I raised my left hand and pointed to port while saying "Turn." then louder each time. "Turn, TURN!" Lynn yanked the wheel hard to port and the monster yacht screamed past us, never veering from his course. I remember looking up at the pilot house as they went by and seeing them look down at me with an expression of surprise and confusion. Then the passengers sitting on their picnic deck looking startled that I was so close to their boat. Close call! I'll leave out the delayed 'freaking out", the radio calls, and the prayers of thanksgiving. But later that evening, sitting in a beautiful anchorage watching the sun set, I looked over at Lynn, smiled and said "Good job today kid!" She just smiled back at me. We touched our glasses of Jack and coke in a toast to the day and to the Lifestyle we have chosen.
