Brian's Lighthouse

Chapter 1 – A Boat of His Own For as long as he could remember, summer vacation time had been especially enjoyable for Henry. Living in a house in a small town near the sea made this certain. But this time summer vacation was really going to be something special! Henry’s eleventh birthday present was a dream come true. A sailboat of his own! With his new sailboat had come the best part of all – permission to sail it by himself in the salt creeks that crisscrossed the marshes near his home. Henry had earned his magnificent birthday present, and the privilege to sail it by himself, by carefully following water safety rules taught him by his father and members of the local Coast Guard Auxiliary, who held classes for boys and girls. Henry never went out in his sailboat without a life jacket, even though he could swim very well, and he always made sure that all safety equipment was aboard and in good working order. He knew about the tides and how dangerous they could be. Above all, he knew that you should never take chances around the water, whether in a boat or swimming.