With warm sunshine and a light southwest breeze across New York City, Mr. Chloe invites his friends for an afternoon sail aboard his schooner.
Philippe Penguin, Kandy Koala, and Hildegard Hippo met Mr. Chloe at Dock 72 promptly at high noon.
Mr. Chloe, like all good schooner captains, assigns duties to his impromptu shipmates.
Philippe will navigate, Kandy will pull sail (because he is an able mast climber,) and Hildegard will keep her eyes pealed for rocky shores and any whales that might try to climb aboard.
As the foursome sail out of New York harbor, they find the wide-open Atlantic sea waves fed by a stiff breeze... perfect for an afternoon pleasure cruise aboard Mr. Chloe's schooner.
Small waves lap against the schooner's hull, while canvass sails cup-the-wind to carry them
across the ocean surface at a fast clip away
from land.
Mr. Chloe suggests they go below deck to have lunch. Watercress sandwiches, mangos and pineapple await the hungry sailors. When they've finished their sandwiches, a fresh berry tart tops off their appetite for dessert.
Up on deck Kandy climbs the mast to untangle ropes, and Hildegard spots a silver flying fish. Mr. Chloe suggests singing one of his favorite sailing songs.
"Hey everyone sing along," said Mr. Chloe.
"Sailing, sailing over the bounding main,
Where many a stormy wind shall blow
'Ere Jack comes home again.
Sailing, sailing over the bounding main,
Where many a stormy wind shall blow,
'Ere Jack comes home again."
Of course, Mr. Chloe and his friendly sailors smile after singing this 'ol sailor's tune, because today's sailing weather is perfect!
No stormy winds a'blowing today, Mr. Chloe thought to himself.
They turn the schooner around in the direction of New York harbor. Unlike the carefree sail out to sea, looping around the mid-Atlantic coast, the return trip home to port is quick.
In one short hour Philippe steers the schooner into dock and the friends help Mr. Chloe clean his boat so it is ready for another afternoon sail one day.
"Thank you Mr. Chloe!" his friends shout as they leave the dock behind to head home in time for dinner.
All content is copyrighted by Mr. Chloe Productions c2005