He steered the yacht so close that Kate wondered if she could jump across to the land, although she knew that the distance was deceptive. They cleared around it, their eyes fixed on the massive ship that plowed—surely, inexorably—toward the Shearwater jetty on the other side of the harbor.

It was as if the early morning sun had lifted the curtain on the harbor’s stage. Kate could see CFB Shearwater now. Helicopters rose in the air, as futile as mosquitoes attacking a charging elephant. Trucks pulled onto the dock, lights flashing. A fireboat approached the ship from the Narrows.

The wind blew her hair in gusts around her face. She watched the helicopters, her heart in her throat. A safety boat lowered from the leeward side of the container ship and was set adrift. “The crew are abandoning ship,” she called to Randall.

Randall pushed the throttle to its limit. It lurched forward with an angry roar. “That’s it.” The wind ripped through the rigging, rattling the halyards and slapping the loose ends of the main sail cover against the boom.

The container ship battled the water, creating a massive wake. They neared the ship. The size of it took Kate’s breath.

Water sprayed over the side of the boat, soaking their jackets, their pants, their shoes.

“Kate, take the wheel.” Randall gestured for him to come back. “I have to set up the jammer.” The wheel was large, smooth, stainless steel, and responsive. Kate stood in the rear of the cockpit, feet planted.

Larger than a smartphone, the jammer was a black rectangular unit with four rubber-coated antennae evenly spaced on one end. “Let’s hope that it works as well here as it did in the Caribbean.”

The broad, high rear of the container ship loomed in front of them. Randall held up the small black unit. “Here goes.”

Kate fought the wheel to prevent the yacht from being pushed by the waves into the hull of the ship. The yacht was tiny compared to the behemoth ship.

And yet, a device only a little bigger than her cellphone might be capable of stopping it.

“What happens if we jam the signal?” Kate asked. “If the ship doesn’t have any coordinates, what does it do?”

“I think it will founder. Hopefully, jamming the signal will let the Captain regain control.”

A large gust of wind slammed into the side of the yacht. The wake from the ship was strong. It had gained speed.

“Why isn’t this working?” Randall adjusted the antennae on the jammer. Then he shook his head. “We need to get closer to the ship.”

Kate gripped the wheel and turned it toward the ship’s hull. The yacht plunged down a swell and almost toppled into the lee of the wake.

“Steady!” Randall shouted. “Ease the throttle!”

Kate gritted her teeth and wrestled with the wheel, her injured hand working overtime while she eased the throttle.