“Dad, Dad!” he called. “There’s a seaplane coming this way.”
Li was on deck first, followed by Thomas Brewster and Dr. Weber.
They watched the plane. It came in low over the yawl, dipped its wings in salute, then described a long circle to head into the wind. It settled ducklike on the water and taxied toward the Easy Action.
One man stood up in the open cockpit by the pilot. He was waving his arms.
“It’s Dad! It’s my father!” Li shouted excitedly.
“Well, it surely is. Li, when your father goes into action, he moves fast. I never thought he’d come back in a plane. I thought he’d charter another boat,” Mr. Brewster said.
The seaplane taxied to within ten feet of the Easy Action, its twin propellers barely turning, just fast enough to give the plane headway. Henry Mahenili stood up and tossed a rope toward the yawl. It fell short. He pulled it in, and again the rope snaked out toward the yawl. This time Biff caught it. He tugged on the rope, and the plane closed the gap of water separating it from the yawl. Its nose bumped gently against Easy Action’s starboard side.
“Give us about five feet of play, young man,” the pilot called out. Even in this calm sea, he didn’t want to take any chances on the nose of his plane being punched in.
“I can do better than that,” Biff called, knowing the reason for the pilot’s concern. He went below and brought out extra boat snubbers, made of foam rubber. He hooked them over the gunnel, forming a soft protecting barrier between the side of the yawl and the nose of the plane. Then he pulled the plane within two feet of the yawl, making it easy for the plane’s passengers to hop from plane to boat.
Hank Mahenili was first aboard. He was followed by a muscularly built Hawaiian. The pilot came last.