Adventures in Boats

Writers: Estelle, Halyonix
Date Posted: 14th October 2025

Characters: Iskara, M'trel
Description: Iskara keeps her promise to take M'trel sailing
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 21 of Turn 12
Notes: Follows "The Pirate's Gather"

Iskara stood at the end of the dock, the sea breeze ruffling her dark hair as she looked out over the ocean, shading her eyes against the strong sunlight. To her side, a small sailing dinghy was moored, bobbing gently as the waves lapped against the pillars. She could sense Hylith's faint air of disdain from where she was curled up in a wallow further up the beach, but sensed it was mostly for show, and the green was actually looking forward to being joined by Noruith.

}:He comes.:{ Hylith's sharp eyes picked out brown wings moments before she did.

Noruith thumped softly on the sand near the green, rumbling a greeting as his rider slid down. From the way he mentled his wings and arched his
neck, M'trel gathered that the dragon would spend the next few hours wooing the green while his rider tried this sailing thing. "That's our seaworthy vessel?" he asked Iskara with open disbelief but a wide smile.

"That's her!" Iskara grinned at his expression. "Don't worry. I hired her from the harbor master at the sea hold back there and he said she's small but sturdy and fast, and forgiving of mistakes. He taught his children to sail in her." She stepped lightly into the boat and began raising the sail. "It's a perfect day - light wind, not too strong but we should get up some speed. I thought we could practice in the bay, and then sail out to that island."

Navigating the slight bobbing of the boat gave M'trel a little trouble. Sea legs were not a thing he had. "Well, if a child can sail this, I don't see why two dragonriders can't," he joked as he figured out where to sit. "And luckily for us, if we capsize it, our dragons can rescue us before we drown. Am I in the right spot? Where do I sit?" He laughed suddenly. "I have no idea what to do here, Iskara, but I'm willing to give it a try!"

"That's the spirit." Iskara wound the line she was holding around a cleat and stepped past him towards the stern. "Shuffle forward a bit and reach out for those sheets there...the lines attached to the front sail. That's the jib, and you're in charge of it. I'll sit behind you and control the tiller and the mainsail." She gave him a sly look. "I'm the helmsman, and you're the crew. For now."

"Is this where I say 'aye, aye captain' like the Seacrafters do?" M'trel joked as he shifted. He looked over the smaller jib sail with skeptical curiosity. "This is supposed to propel us forward? It seems too slim for that," he remarked.

"You'd be surprised. Every inch of sailcloth matters in a race," Iskara said, thinking back to her candidate days, and the fierce competition between the seacraft apprentices. "But we'll take it easy to start. The most important thing to keep an eye on is the boom." She rested a hand on the horizontal bar under the mainsail. "It can swing overhead as we turn, so you'll need to duck or else you'll end up with a pretty bad headache. I'll try to give plenty of warning!"

The brownrider took note of where the boom was. "I thought this was supposed to be relaxing," he remarked with a chuckle. "You didn't say anything about a headache!"

"Oh, you don't get to laze around in a small boat, crewman," Iskara teased. "This is an energetic hobby." She pointed out a few more parts of the boat and tips on the best way to handle the sail. Then, when they were ready, she loosed the mooring ropes, pushed off from the dock and took her seat at the tiller. Her spirits rose as the gentle breeze from the sea filled the sails. It had been too long since she'd done this!

}: Please do not make me come rescue you, :{ Noruith commented as the boat slipped away. He wanted nothing more than to lounge in the sun next to Hylith.

**I'll do my best,** M'trel answered with an internal laugh. This was going to be fun with a high chance of him ending up in the water somewhere. Hopefully with Iskara. "Off we go!" he cried jovially.

Iskara adjusted the tiller as they glided away from the dock, steering a course out across to the other side of the bay. In the shelter of the cliffs the boat moved at a gentle pace, which she was glad of as it gave her a chance to remember old skills; she had no desire to look ridiculous by capsizing in the first few minutes. To her relief, the harbor master had been right - the little boat was steady and responsive to her touch, and picked up speed as they crossed the centre of the bay. The wind ruffled her hair and she breathed in deeply, tasting the sea spray in the air.

"Having fun?" she called forward.

"You know," he called back, "there are some experiences that you just can't have on the back of a dragon. This is one of them!" He was enjoying the spray of water up close and the way the wind was tearing its fingers through his hair. In order to do this on Noruith, he would have had to be in the dragon's claws, which he trusted, but it wouldn't have been nearly as comfortable. "Where are we heading?" he called.

"We'll cross to the opposite shore and then practice a turn," Iskara replied, her gaze on the far side of the bay. "The wind's blowing in to the land, so we'll need to zig-zag our way out to the island - it's called tacking. This is where we have to swap sides and duck under the boom..." She ran through the procedure for him. "We'll have a few goes so you can get used to it. Just move when I do, and try not to tumble over the side."

He nodded to indicate that he understood. **Noruith, get ready to come fish me out of the water if I mess up.**

}: No, :{ came the sleepy, unhappy reply. He was busy sunning with Hylith and did not wish to be moved.

M'trel started laughing. "Noruith says I'm on my own if I fall out of the boat, by the way."

"I don't think we're getting any help from those lazybones," Iskara said, sparing a quick glance at the distant shapes of the dragons before she checked the surrounding waters for any other craft or obstacles. "Never mind, if you flail and splash enough you might catch a dolphin's attention. Ready about!"

The brownrider scrambled to get ready. "A dolphin? They're out here too?" he asked as he looked up at the sails then out at the water in case a fin could be seen.

"Don't you dare fall in just to attract them," Iskara warned. She didn't want to look silly by losing a crewman, or worse, capsizing so close to shore. "They may come and see what we're up to anyway, once we get further out. All right, here we go!"

She pushed firmly but steadily on the tiller, turning their boat through the wind, and ducked under the boom to take a seat on the other side. "See? Nothing to it. Just tighten up your line, there - that's it."

As the small boat began to pick up speed, M'trel smiled. This was actually a bit fun! A pretty woman, a lovely day on the water -- all that was missing was some wine and some music. "You know, I think I understand why seacrafters are the jovial sort now," he told Iskara. "This isn't so bad."

"Wait till we get out of the bay and the wind picks up. Then we'll really start moving," she replied, adjusting her sail slightly as they glided back across to the opposite shore. "Another turn coming up! Ready?"

A few more tacks brought them to the mouth of the bay, and Iskara began to feel the tugging of the mainsail line in her hand, and the little boat lifting and falling with the waves. In the distance, she could see the island they were headed for, and as they turned one last time she set her course for its eastern side. "All right! Let's go!"

M'trel let out a whoop as the sails caught the wind good, then laughed as they sped along. Shells, this was fun! "Is that where we're heading?" he yelled, pointing to the island ahead.

"That's it! We can sail right around, and then on the sheltered side we can drop anchor and see if the dolphins come, or swim - or practice what to do if you capsize," she called out.

Swimming sounded perfect. He could get some more private time with Iskara in the water. "Why would we practice what to do if we capsize?" he asked jokingly. "That sounds awful."

"So you can be prepared when it inevitably does happen." She grinned. "It's actually quite fun. You have to get the boat back upright by climbing on the hull and pushing down on the centerboard. But we can save that for next time if you like."

He liked the idea of a next time with her, even if it meant capsizing a boat. "Deal," he answered with a matching grin. Then he turned his face towards the approaching island to enjoy the wind. This really had been a great idea!

Soon they were close enough to see the rocky eastern shore, and Iskara pushed gently on the tiller, steering them well clear of any hazards, but close enough to see the flocks of grey-and-white sea avians basking in the sun and the silver flashes of shallow-water fish. Around the far side, the wind picked up again and she had to keep a close hold on the lines, the sea spray dampening her hair as they rose and fell on the waves. And then, she felt the warmth as they passed around to the western side with its gentler, sandy shore, and let the sail slacken.

"Here we are! Drop anchor, crewman."

"'Crewman?'" he echoed. "Bossing me around now?" he teased. But he did as she asked, lowering the small anchor into the sand.

Iskara felt the boat come to a stop, gently bobbing and tugging on the anchor rope. The water was beautifully clear - she could see right down to the grains of sand and the rounded pebbles on the seabed - but though it was tempting, she took the time to tidy up the sails and lines before stripping off her outer clothes and hopping up to balance on the gunwale, shading her eyes. No dolphins yet, but perhaps if they started splashing around... She threw back her arms and sprang, diving gracefully into the sea.

"Come on in!" She surfaced and rolled to float on her back. "The water's lovely."

The water _and_ the woman, M'trel thought with an expression of simmering contemplation. He stripped off his shirt and waded into the water to join her. "I could get used to this view," he said, looking about until his eyes came back to her for a long, appreciative look.

She shifted to float upright in the water, reaching with her toes for the sand on the sea bed, and met his gaze directly without looking to left or right. "So could I." Her green eyes were bright with mischief. "It is a very attractive prospect."

He slid a finger along her jaw into her hair so that he could pull her face close to his. "How about...we enjoy that view together?" he murmured enticingly.

Iskara's mouth curved into a wide, positively feline smile. "Fraternizing with my crew?" She hooked an arm around his shoulders, steadying herself in the water with her lean body pressed against him, her lips lightly brushing his. "I _like_ that idea."

Last updated on the October 28th 2025

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Adventures in Boats