Crash Course by Derek Fee (pdf to ebook reader .txt) 📕

that we would have considerably more chance of making the grade with our boat if we had an experienced driver in the cockpit. That’s my opinion for what it’s worth and I’m not about to change my mind on it. I’m still hoping that Tom will come to his senses and agree to me engaging a professional driver who will make the most of the beautiful boat my boys have constructed.” David glanced at Bell. “Well, I can see from Tom’s face that if we want his money, we’re stuck with Mr Kane. Remember that story about the executive officer, won’t you, Mr Kane. If you fail to make the grade then you’ll be out on your ear.”

“I’m quaking in my boots, David, sorry, Commander,” Kane said.

“Darling,” Amanda said. “Let’s have our tea and sandwiches. Then you could give Mark and Tom a tour of the yard. I’m sure they’d love to see the progress that you’ve made on the boat.”

“If I must,” David said.

Half an hour later the three men exited from the office. “How do you think it’s going?” Kane asked Bell as they prepared to follow the bulky figure striding away from them.

“Aye, it’s a pity I have to go back to Leeds tomorrow. All the fun will be here.”

“I wouldn’t exactly describe what I have in mind for Mr Kane over the next few weeks as fun,” David said looking back.

“I see the order book hasn’t exactly picked up.” Bell accelerated his pace so that he walked beside David.

“Not yet,” David sighed. “This was once one of the premier boatyards on the South Coast,” he emphasised the past tense. “Had you come here two years ago, this yard would have been full of hustle and bustle. Now it’s only a pale ghost of its former self. I’ve been forced to let nearly twenty trained Cornish craftsmen go in the last twelve months.” His brow furrowed. “Nobody wants good quality boats anymore. A lot of plastic junk flooding the market. Our boats have always been associated with quality. The buggers will soon come to their senses and the yard will pick up. The red brick building we’ve left is our main office. It’s set on the exact spot where my ancestor Richard Penhalion laid the first brick over two hundred years ago.” They walked on down the centre of the open yard. “This is the finishing area. The two boats that you see here represent the current order book of new boats. When we wheel them out, we’ll be left with refurbishment jobs and that won’t be enough to keep us afloat. I don’t suppose you know anything about boatbuilding, Mr Kane?”

“Not my game,” Kane answered. He could see that the eclipse of Penhalion Marine was a source of intense pain to its owner. Sometimes it was a blessing not to be the upholder of a family tradition.

“Have you ever driven a motorboat?” David asked, maintaining his gaze on Bell.

“No,” Kane replied quickly. “I was into stock car racing when I was younger. Some people thought that I was quite handy at it.”

David smiled. “There’s a big difference between a two-thousand-horsepower powerboat and a stock car I’m afraid. You’ll come to recognise that over the next week. This isn’t a business for the faint-hearted. Some people are all piss and wind until they’re put to the test.” He turned to Bell. “What in heaven’s name were you thinking when you insisted on your nephew as the pilot of this boat? By his own admission, he knows nothing about the sea or about powerboat racing.”

“You don’t know him as I do,’ Bell said.

“Live with it,’ Kane said. “If I’m out of here by the end of the week, Uncle Tom will have been proved wrong and you’ll be justified in packing my arse down the road. Let’s wait until then and in the meantime, you can continue the tour.”

David bridled. “You’re right, of course. Tom is entitled to his opinion and you’ll get your shot at the job.” He continued marching through the yard. “The craft begins its life in our design room which is in that small building on the left.” He pointed to a grey portacabin in the corner of the yard. “Designing the type of boats we build has become a high-tech operation. My ancestors are probably turning in their graves at the level of computerisation in the process. We’ve built our reputation on a hand-crafted product. But nobody seems to want a hand-crafted product these days. Our chief designer is as much a computer expert as he is a marine architect. After the design has been completed, we begin building the hull in the fabrication sheds.” David strode across the yard in the direction of the sea with Kane and Bell in tow. “That’s those buildings there.” He pointed at a series of buildings constructed of galvanised sheeting which reminded Kane of small hay barns. “We’ll visit that last because that is where our powerboat is presently being fitted out.”

“I thought you said that you did most of your finishing in the yard,” Kane said.

Penhalion stopped. “Normally that’s the case,” he warmed to his subject. “But Kernow, as we call it, has some unique design features that we don’t want our competitors to find out about until the first race.”

“What does Kernow mean?” Bell asked.

“It’s Cornwall in Cornish,” David said.

“What kind of design features?” Kane asked.

“There are two basic designs of powerboat.” David stopped before one of the sheds. “Ever heard of a catamaran.”

Kane nodded. “It’s a boat with two hulls joined together.”

“Bravo. Most of the powerboats on the circuit are catamarans simply because of the speed element. The second type of construction is called the deep-V which consists of a single hull shaped like the letter V. The deep-V is slower than the normal catamaran design but it’s a hell of a lot more stable. All the fatal accidents to date have taken place with catamarans. Offshore racing is where Formula One was