JUST PLAYIN'

Sadly, we were leaving the coastal waters of the Atlantic and nearing the safety of the warm, peaceful waters of the Mediterranean Sea. We were to cross through the Tangier Peninsula and pass the legendary Straits of Gibraltar next week. Our great adventure was almost over and it had been everything we had hoped for.

A week ago, we restocked in the North of Spain; ducking and dodging shipping monoliths in the busy port of Santander and frantically finagling in broken Spanish with the merchants at colorful outdoor markets. It was good to feel solid earth under our feet, though, no matter how hectic our stop was.

When my husband accepted this assignment, we thought we were ready for six weeks at sea in this beautiful yacht. Easy, peasy. No sails to wrestle with, everything was top-shelf and state-of-the-art. The 1996 Tollycraft 65' Pilothouse Cockpit MY, was owned by a millionaire, who lived in France and traveled extensively; mostly by private jet. He needed his toy delivered to Naples for a family wedding in July.

We had six weeks to get it from Le Havre, France to Naples, with stops for refueling and stocking. My job was to cook for the crew; something which was exciting in the fabulous, over-the-top kitchen, with finds from local markets we hit along the way. I loved cooking with fresh ingredients and there were no fresher ingredients than what the crew caught during their free time or what we scavenged at the on-shore shops.

Evenings were magical, with only starlight and the dark, silent coastal waters lapping against the ship's sides. Hal and I enjoyed these nights with wines from France and Spain and fabulous cheeses and loaves of bread we purchased on our restocking runs. It was good that I spent my days busily chopping, prepping, and hauling bags of provisions around in the kitchen, or I'd have put on fifty pounds.

This sort of thing was old hat for Hal. But, for me, it was a fresh adventure. We were newlyweds; his third marriage and my second. Our kids were grown and we met at a party hosted by his son and daughter-in-law, who I happened to be working with at the time.

We fell into an easy friendship, which led to a relaxed, romantic partnership. Neither of us was looking for "the one," we just wanted companionship and a calm relationship after years of battles and heartbreak. So far, it has been the best relationship of my life. Hal had a quick sense of humor and was extremely patient with my persnickety ways. He also loved my cooking. To me, he just felt like home.

The three crew members were friends of his, who he'd sailed with before. They were all Canadian and experienced with coastal sailing. Two of them were nomads, who would sail on anything, as long as it took them away from land, and the third, Michel, was a fourth-year Marine Biology student who sailed in the Summer for the good pay and the up close and personal experiences with ocean critters.

Did I forget to mention the pay? It was fabulous. Captains bid on jobs and the lowest bidder won. Even though Hal low-balled the competition, the pay would help with the final payment on our yacht, which we would rent out for parties and weddings, with my catering. We were one huge payment away from realizing our dream.

Michel was manning the bridge overnight while Hal and I snuggled into our king-size bed in the master stateroom. Henri was on fire duty and Stephan was asleep in the other stateroom as we plowed smoothly into the waters off the Portuguese coast, South of Vigo.

The stateroom radio crackled to life, and Michel exclaimed, "You have to see this! Cap. Come on deck! Quick."

"Should I come with you?" I asked, thinking it was some terrible emergency.

"No, Sweetie. I'll see what's going on, and get you if we need to be on deck."

Hal pulled on his shorts and left in a hurry. I quickly dressed and followed him topside, ignoring his suggestion.

Henri was shining the spotlight on the water, while Michel was snapping photos with his Nikon, laughing and practically dancing with glee.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" He asked, taking more photos.

Hal and I held onto the lower deck railing and watched a pod of Killer Whales darting in and out of the water, tossing a dolphin between them until it was ripped to shreds and devoured. I couldn't see anything beautiful about it, but Michel was excited.

Ugh. It was a horrific display of sadism, as far as I was concerned. They played with their food before eating it, like a cat toying with a mouse before decapitating it. I understood the need for all creatures to eat. The barbarity troubled me though. I let the men have their thrill and shivered, as I climbed back below deck.

My dreams were rocked with images of a sinking boat, tossed by the mammoth onyx and white creatures like they had passed the poor dolphin around. The ship in my dream swayed this way and that, tilting and listing, filling up with salt water and giving in to the horrors of the sea.

I woke up with a scream in my throat and reached for the pitcher of water next to the bed. The pitcher was gone, but the nightstand was soaking wet. Waves were buffeting the ship, and it took all my might to remain upright, as I made my way above deck. When I opened the hatch and peeked out, the misty morning light played tricks on my eyes. There was no storm, no wind, and everyone was gone.

"Hal? Hal? Michel? Henri?" I called out to the empty deck.

Racing below deck, I banged on the other stateroom door, "Stephan! Something terrible has happened. Please, you have to come with me!"

Stephan opened the door groggily and peered out at me. "What's happening?"

"Hal, Michel, Henri! They are gone! They are overboard!"

"What? That can't be right. When?"

"I don't know. I can't find anyone else. There was a pod of Killer Whales playing near the ship last night and now everyone is gone."

"Oh, God. Stay below, I'll radio for help." He ordered.

Determined to find my husband and the rest of the crew I ignored him and followed him to the deck as he climbed the stairs to the wheelhouse. What I saw next to the yacht froze the blood in my veins. Two black and white beasts were playing catch with my beloved Hal. Or what remained. His head was hanging off the torso by a bloody thread of flesh as they ripped his arms off and batted him around, finally feeding his mangled corpse to one of the smaller whales, which shook him violently before swallowing him whole.

Pieces of Michel and Henri floated nearby, as the pod began gathering around the boat again, cheetering in their frightening language. I heard Stephan attempting to start the engines but the whales must have disabled them, battering them with their bodies until they were useless. We were dead in the water. Our last hope was the SOS call to the Portuguese and Spanish authorities which Stephan was making.

With a mighty blow to the port- side of the ship, Stephan was hurled out to sea from an open wheelhouse window, leaving me alone on a slowly sinking boat, surrounded by Killer Whales with no way to escape.