"We'll give the crowd a real thrill," Sally muttered, keeping her voice low so that it would not carry over the water. "If this trick works, it should be good."
Even Penny was worried. The bow of the Cat's Paw had swung rapidly to starboard. But Sally, calm and cool, still hung on to the sheets.
"Put your tiller the other way!" Jack shouted from the dock. "Let your sheet run!"
Enjoying the boy's excitement, Sally pretended to be deaf. Wind had struck the sails, but the Cat's Paw continued to sail backwards. A crash seemed impossible to avert. Then at the last instant, the bow swung clear of the neighboring boats.
Grinning triumphantly, Sally put the tiller to port and started the sheets. They sailed briskly away.
"Beautifully done!" praised Penny. "Not one sailor in a hundred could pull that off. It took nerve!"
"Pop taught me that trick. It's risky, of course. If the sails should decide to take charge, or the tiller should fail to go to starboard, one probably would collide with the other boats."
"You surprised Jack. He expected you to crash."
"We'll surprise him this afternoon too," Sally declared confidently, steering out into mid-stream. "If this breeze holds, it's just what the doctor ordered!"
For an hour the girls practiced maneuvers until Penny was thoroughly adept at handling the ropes and carrying out orders. Although the rules of the race did not allow them to sail the actual course, Sally pointed it out.
"We start near the clubhouse," she explained. "Then, taking a triangular route we sail past Hat Island to the first marker. After rounding it, we keep on to the marker near the eastern river shore, and sail back to our starting point."
Sally was in high spirits, for she declared that if the breeze held, Cat's Paw would perform at her best. Though no one knew exactly what Jack's new boat, Spindrift could do, observation had convinced most sailing enthusiasts that it would be favored in a light breeze.
"I hope it blows a gale this afternoon!" Sally chuckled as they moored at the dock. "Get some rest now, Penny, and meet me at the clubhouse about one o'clock. The race starts sharp at two."
Penny did not see Jack when she returned to Shadow Island, so had no chance to tell him of her plan to sail with Sally in the competition. Her father, whom she took into her confidence, was not entirely in favor of the decision.
"We are guests of Mr. and Mrs. Gandiss," he reproved mildly. "To sail against Jack is a tactless thing to do. Though actually you may do him a favor, for you'll likely be more of a handicap than a help in the race."
"That's what I figured," laughed Penny.
By chance, Mr. Gandiss overheard the conversation. Entering the living room, he declared that Penny must not hesitate to enter the competition.
"After all, the race is supposed to be for fun," he said emphatically. "Lately Jack and Sally have made it into a feud. I really think it would do the boy good to be defeated soundly."
Long before the hour of the race, Penny was at the yacht club docks, dressed in blue slacks, white polo shirt, and an added jacket for protection from wind and blistering sun rays.
Rowboats, canoes and small sailing craft plied lazily up and down the river, while motor yachts with flags flying, cruised past the clubhouse. Out in the main channel where the race was to be held, the judges' boat had been anchored. The shores were thronged with spectators, many of whom had enjoyed picnic lunches on the grassy banks.
Penny walked along the dock searching for the Cat's Paw. She came first to the Spindrift which was just preparing to get underway. Jack and a youth Penny did not know, were busy coiling ropes.
"Hi, Penny!" Jack greeted her, glancing up from his work. "You're going to see a real race today! Will I take Sally Barker for a breeze!"
Just at that moment, Sally herself appeared from inside the clubhouse. Seeing Penny, she waved and called: "Come on, mate, it's time we shove off!"
Jack's jaw dropped and he gazed at the two girls accusingly.
"What is this?" he demanded. "Penny, you're not racing in Sally's boat?"
"Yes, I am."
