Golden Privateers in the Pumpkin Sail

By Divya Maureen Quinlan

What would you do if you saw a big orange boat coming into a harbor covered with pumpkins? Spurred on by the thoughts of a gray bearded wizard and a boat called Electric Pumpkin, Joey Mitchell and Scott McAllister knew just what to do. They scoured the beach to find anything they could use to help them get out on the water.
What do they discover? Mystery, magic, suspense, and fun as they, along with some friends, a magic rabbit named Malone, and their mascot Jackson, make the harbor come alive! Come and join the Pumpkin Sail and find out who SIFF is!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496903952

Divya Maureen Quinlan

Divya Maureen Quinlan is a retired elementary school teacher, children’s inspirational author, and calligrapher. She spent twenty three years living on a boat traveling up and down the coast of California , writing.  She substitute teaches in San Diego Unified School District and has come to be known as Ms. Magic by the children.  Golden Privateers was inspired by Pete Seeger in an article about his boat the Clearwater on the Hudson River. It was originally written as a short story called  “Croak of the Croaker Fish,” which was about a fish that lives in the bay along the California coast. Divya Maureen Quinlan lives in Pacific Beach, California. She spends her time writing, and being with her three grand daughters, Charlotte, Trinity and Genevieve. In her spare time, she learns more magic tricks to share with children of all ages!!

Book preview

© 2014 Divya Maureen Quinlan . All rights reserved.

Cover photography and back cover art by Divya Maureen Quinlan

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/17/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-0398-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-0395-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014907031

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Contents

Chapter 1 Electric Pumpkin

Chapter 2 Greybeard

Chapter 3 The Black Box

Chapter 4 Malone

Chapter 5 Sandfort Refuge

Chapter 6 White Charger

Chapter 7 Secret Codes

Chapter 8 Golden Privateer

Chapter 9 When I Grow Up

Chapter 10 Stranded

Chapter 11 Rescued

Chapter 12 Friends

Chapter 13 The Last Instructions

Chapter 14 The Pumpkin Sail

Glossary

About The Author

To the end of hunger on the planet

CHAPTER 1

Electric Pumpkin

Hey, what are you doing? asked Scott McAllister, a lightweight 10 year old with mischievous black eyes. Catch anything?

Not a bite yet, replied Joey Mitchell, whose blond hair stuck out the sides of his blue baseball cap. He was sitting on the dock at Fernando Street with his black lab, Jackson, fishing.

Holy cow, look at that! shouted Scott. Did you bring any binoculars? A huge orange boat sailed before them over the glassy water.

Joey reached into his backpack and whipped out the glasses and handed them to Scott, whose right hand had a black glove covering it.

Wow, she has pumpkins all over the deck!! And—and, look, a gray bearded man at the helm!* Scott handed the glasses to Joey.

Can you make out the name on the stern?*

Joey adjusted his black glasses as he pressed the binoculars up against them. E-L-E-C-T-R-I-C P-U-M-P-K-I-N, Joey spelled it out. She looks like she’s docking over by that brown mansion on Bay Island. Let’s find a way to get out there and see what’s happening! Maybe the tide has brought us something we can use.

The two boys, spurred on by the thought of a giant orange boat, pumpkins, and possibly a gray bearded wizard, dashed down the sidewalk looking for a raft, paddle, ANYTHING that they could use to help them get out on the water.

Luckily, a broken-away dock lay on the muddy shore, a remnant of the last storm. Joey ran for it and captured it with an old line. He pulled it farther upon the beach, proud of his catch.

Come on Jackson. Come on boy, hop aboard. Wait until Scotty sees this!

Jackson jumped aboard and was crowned with Joey’s blue cap as a reward.

A few blocks down the bayside, Scott had made a find of his own in the form of an old paddle that had washed ashore. He picked it up and rushed back to the Fernando Street dock. But Joey wasn’t there.

Out here! Joey waved. Scott looked toward the water and saw Joey and Jackson on their four-by-four raft. Joey was on his stomach paddling with one hand, as Jackson was swaying from side to side on his all-fours balancing the raft.

Perfect! shouted Scott as he ran to the edge of the dock and held out his paddle for Joey to pull the raft ashore. Look what I found! His smile was huge showing his white teeth against his dark skin and curly black hair.

Hop aboard, said Joey making room for his friend. We’re in luck, the orange boat did dock over by that old brown house.

CHAPTER 2

Greybeard

Aboard the raft, Scott paddled first