Harry clung to the mast and cried.

As they crossed the finish line first, Mehmet threw his head and arm back!

“YEEEAAAAA-”

… and then heard screaming and sobbing in the distance.

“-aaaAah?”

Frowning, he watched as the captain jumped off to save those poor unfortunate souls (including a … goat? oh dear) … leaving a boat of mostly men who were, well, depending on Mr. Maddock to guide the boat.

Then that doctor fellow jumped in, and before he could question how well-advised that was, he caught a glimpse of Dr. Wells’ face that was already doing that for him.

Abashedly, the fellow who looked like that dandy boat’s fellow was the first one who thought to toss a buoy. Mehmet dug through the cockpit for another and chucked it at one of the Sonata’s crewman like a discus. It hit the man in the cheek, who screamed for all of one second before plummeting under.

Blood surfaced. Mehmet looked uncomfortably to Tobias.

There was a lot of screaming! And for once, it wasn’t his!

Roderick couldn’t help but creep out from under the desk of the captain’s cabin to get a better view, to look for their new least favorite brother’s ship.

Was that Darius’ scream? That was Darius’ scream! If Darius died, that just left Thomas, Roger, and …

Roderick strolled out to find Robert.

They were doing terribly, but the important part was that they were not doing nearly as terribly as Darius. Yes! He lost the whole damned boat! Was that, uh, goat going to be okay? But more importantly, he lost the whole damned boat!

He hoped they did not lose the whole damned boat. His throat was a little chafed from screaming, but nowhere near court-levels chafed. He panted, took inventory of the boats still racing forward (damn you, Wards!), and took a deep breath for more screaming.

“The other Wards! We have to beat those damned Wards!”

And by ‘we’, he meant Mr. Benjamin.

Her uncle’s boat zipped by them, and it was like the wind being taken out of her sails.

“There’s still the rowing race!” she snarled, jerking the line and cutting close past some fop’s boat … which veered, and then careened into the pier, goat and all.

She looked to the wreckage, glanced over the crew, then pasted on a smile.

“There’s-uh, there’s still third place!”

There was a lot going on over there by the pier. Edwin watched with an impassive gaze, clinging to his flotational device as it drifted through the wakes left behind the remaining boats.

So many people in the water! They looked like a school of fish hopping around. He hoped at least one of them would drown.

Finally using his arms and legs to do something other than flail wildly, Edwin held onto the ring and swam faster towards the finish line.

He knew how to swim!

Second! What good was that to them!? Lost to Tobias' team too! Tobias wasn't even a seaman.

If only Alice and Lory hadn't caused him to be so distracted they would have won and earned the money!

He didn't have long to get worked up though, for there was a loud crash behind him, which his experienced ears recognized as a ship crashing. He hoped Whitby would have one lawyer less.

When he turned, he realized it was another ship. Harry Longbottom wasn't a bad alternative, but was that James? And a goat?! Ben moved to get a better view and was relieved to find that someone was already rescuing them.

# 1 The Nessie Riders
# 2 Ketch of the Day
# 3 Mytilene's Bounty

Mytilene's Bounty [16]
(8 + 3 + 4 + 1)
Total progress: 95 [#3]

The Law [9]
(4 + 1 + 4 )
Total progress: 69

The Carringtons [11]
(6 + 3 + 2)
Total progress: 76

Harry stopped crying, mostly because the buoy had knocked him unconscious. He sank.

Tobias did not even notice that his wife's team had passed the finish line as well. Where was his brother?! And oh God... did Mr. Gardiner just.... He looked at him. "What did you do!?!??!" he shouted, his voice an octave higher than normal. Where was the bloody lifeboat!? "Tristan!" he shouted. He should shout for him to help the unconscious man who had just gone under. "Where's Nathan!?"