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tables that cut trigono his position until his figures accurately itude of the Misery Islands on the chart

"Think you can hit Gladiator Island on the nose?" Maeve asked hi before the launch

"If not the nose, then the chin," Pitt said cheerfully "Which reminds me, I'll need a detailed map of the island"

"How detailed?"

"Every building, every path and road, and I'd like it all to scale"

"I'll draw you a map from memory as accurately as I can," Maeve promised

Giordino chewed on a sed to shoot with his miniature automatic pistol "What do you make the distance?"

"Precisely 478 kilometers as the crow flies"

"Then it's closer than Invercargill"

"That's the beauty of it"

"How many days will it take to arrive?" asked Maeve

"Ie will be the hardest, tacking to ard until we pick up friendly currents and easterly breezes blowing off New Zealand With no keel to carve the water and prevent the blown sideways, tri into the wind The real challenge will come after we set off Without a shakedown cruise we're in the dark as to her sailing qualities Sheblown back toward South America"

"Not a coht," said Maeve, herimplications of a ninety-day endurance trial "When I think about it, I'd just as soon remain on dry land and end up like Rodney York"

The day before the launch was one of feverish activity Final preparations included the manufacture of Pitt's mystery kite, which was folded and stowed in the deckhouse along with 150 ht nylon line froth Then theirwith the navigational instruments, charts and books Cheers erupted over the barren rocks when the outboard hed to life after four decades and nearly forty pulls on the starter rope by Pitt, who felt as if his arm was about to fall off

"You did it!" Maeve shouted delightedly