Iggy watched the island approach. The long white stretch of beach was inviting, but between the boat and landfall most likely existed a treacherous landscape underneath the blue waves. Rippling whitecaps halfway to their destination indicated shallow water.
Iggy lifted his hand as a signal to the three boats behind to back off. He pulled back on the throttle to slow his own cruiser, examining the island. A hundred yards to his far left, the ripples diminished and died. Iggy saw an inlet there, probably the mouth of a river. He swung the wheel toward the calmer waters and inched the throttle forward.
The other ships followed, keeping enough distance between each other for safety. Iggy heard the excited chatter of the colonists. Most hadn’t really believed that land existed on this water planet. After all, everything they’d been briefed on back on Earth made such a miracle unlikely.
He checked his gauges displayed before him. Sonar indicated there was plenty of water beneath the boat’s draught. If that changed, he had to take into account any damage that might be sustained to the cruiser.
Finally, he lined up the ship’s bow and the river mouth. The other cruisers fell into line behind him, so they would find the same sea flooring as Iggy’s boat.
