sun on her bare arms. The sand was dazzling and the sea turquoise. It looked very inviting, with the spray flying into the air when the waves hit the rocks, and she could see why people were tempted to go for a paddle. Strolling over to the man she assumed to be the father, she fixed her best friendly smile in place, silently noting that he and his son were wearing shorty wetsuits and there was no sign of a buoyancy aid or any safety equipment.
‘Hi there!’ she called. ‘I hope you don’t mind but I’m from the lookout station on the cliff. I don’t want to spoil your fun but it’s not a great idea to launch craft from this spot. It’s much windier than it looks, and the tide is going out.’
The middle-aged man took in her uniform and smirked. ‘Thank you, my dear. We know you’re only trying to help but we know what we’re doing. We’ll be fine.’
Dear? Marina resisted the urge to tell him she wasn’t old enough to be anyone’s ‘dear’.
‘This cove can be dangerous,’ she said more firmly. ‘There are submerged rocks and currents around the headland. It seems calm here but there’s a big swell and the surf could easily carry you onto the rocks.’
‘We’ll consider ourselves warned. You’ve done your duty now, so you can go back up to your mates,’ he said, and turned away from her. ‘Jacob, you can leave the wheels up here.’ He beckoned to his son. ‘I doubt anyone will take them with this lady watching.’
Jacob nodded. He took the kayak off the wheels and dropped them above the tide line.
‘We can’t mind people’s property,’ Marina said, boiling with frustration. The father could do what he wanted but she was fuming that he was so blasé about putting his teenage son in danger. ‘Why don’t you put off your kayak trip until you’ve hired some buoyancy aids from Porthmellow sailing centre?’ she said, determined to do her best to stop the man risking his son’s life, if not his own. ‘Or you could launch from the main beach where they have lifeguard cover? You’ve no idea what could go wrong out there!’ Her voice rose in desperation. ‘You can see the waves breaking. They’re getting stronger by the minute.’
‘We’ll think about it next time,’ the man snapped, before turning his back on her. ‘Jacob! Let’s get going!’
With that, he picked up two paddles and marched off towards the water.
‘Wait!’ Marina said, following him. She didn’t care if he was annoyed. She couldn’t let him go without trying one more time. If there was the slightest chance she could prevent another tragedy. Another Nate …
His son was already in the kayak, as the man pushed it into the surf. It lifted and wobbled as the man tried to climb aboard. ‘Wait!’ she called again, her feet getting wet in the small wavelets. ‘You’ve no idea how dangerous it is here!’
The father turned his head, a furious look on his face. She thought she heard Jacob say something to him but the man shook his head and they paddled off through the surf towards the open sea.
Tears of frustration stung Marina’s eyes. She was breathing heavily and her heart was racing.
She spoke into her radio: ‘I t-tried to stop them, Gareth, but it was no use. The father wouldn’t listen to me. Please keep an eye on them until I get back!’
Torn between anger and concern, she hurried back up the steps. It was hot work and her blouse stuck to her back. Before she’d reached the station, she realised that she’d probably let her loss of Nate cloud her professionalism. She’d wasted her breath on the father … and the likelihood was that they’d be back safe and sound. At least she had warned them, and maybe a tiny nugget of her advice had sunk in – though she doubted it.
Marina forced herself to simmer down and try to put the incident into perspective, slightly ashamed about having shouted at the father. Gareth logged the kayakers until they disappeared out of sight, presumably exploring tiny coves and strands further up the coast, which were inaccessible by land. She hoped they didn’t disturb the seals which frequently hauled out to rest in one of the coves, or worse, try to get out onto the rocks for a closer look.
They had to come back into range sooner or later and it was almost impossible that she and Gareth would