Had he been there, Maddock’s old friend and former SEAL teammate Pete “Professor” Chapman would probably have informed him that the technical term for a large whirlpool like the one toward which they were moving, was actually “maelstrom.” He would also have explained that, unlike the vortex created when water spirals down a drain hole, the phenomenon was caused by the convergence of two currents meeting at different speeds, and that, despite its size and evident fury, it was virtually impossible for a large sea-going vessel to be dragged under.
Maddock would have argued the latter point. The maelstrom looked big enough to swallow the yacht whole. He increased the throttle to the port engine, steering away from the center of the whirlpool. The helm responded but sluggishly. The current was
