The Boat Crash

The sun was a warm, yellow blanket over Clover Cove. At the top of the hill, inside the Lookout, the Rescue Riders were playing a game of tag.

WOOF! BARK!

Pip, the little cockapoo, was it. She zipped and zoomed, her fluffy ears flying behind her. She tried to tag Bolt, but he dodged behind a big red chair. She tried to tag Splash, but he was too busy looking at a small puddle on the floor.

SPLISH! He pounced right in the middle of it. "Whoa," he said, shaking his paws. "A mini-ocean."

Suddenly, a loud sound filled the room. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!

It was Jake's wrist-comm. All the pups stopped their game and ran over. A face appeared on the big screen. It was Captain Briggs, and he looked worried. He was wearing his captain's hat, but it was tilted sideways on his head.

"Jake! Rescue Riders! I have a… situation!" he said.

"What's wrong, Captain Briggs?" asked Jake, his voice calm and steady.

"Fun fact!" said the Captain. "My boat, the Sea Turtle, is an excellent rock climber! A little too excellent. It climbed right up on the rocks by the lighthouse, and now it won't climb down!"

On the screen, Jake could see the Sea Turtle. It was stuck, leaning to one side like a tired whale. The water around it went SPLISH… SPLASH… against the sharp, grey rocks.

"And, oh dear," said Captain Briggs. "It's starting to get a little wet on the inside. It's taking on water!"

Jake nodded. He knew just what to do. "Don't worry, Captain. We're on our way!"

He turned to the pups, who were all sitting at attention. "This is a job for our water rescue team," Jake announced. His voice was clear and strong. "I need… Splash!"

The chocolate lab bounced forward. "Let's dive in!" he barked happily.

"I need… Bolt!"

The clever mixed breed gave a nod. "Don't toss it—fix it!"

"And I need… Pip!"

The little cockapoo did a little flip in the air. "Let's take to the skies!"

"Riders, time to roll!" Jake shouted.

The three pups yipped and ran for the slide. WHOOSH! Splash went first, landing perfectly in his hovercraft. WHOOSH! Bolt followed, sliding right into the driver's seat of his recycling truck. WHOOSH! Pip spiraled down last, hopping into her bright yellow helicopter.

The big doors of the Lookout garage rumbled open. RUMBLE-RUMBLE-ROAR! Jake jumped onto his ATV. With a final VROOOOM, the team sped down the winding road toward the lighthouse.

When they arrived, the sea breeze tickled their noses. The tall white lighthouse stood like a friendly giant. And at its feet, the Sea Turtle was in trouble. It was tilted at a very silly angle. A small trickle of water was coming out of a little hole in its side. GLUG… GLUG… GLUG.

"Help!" called Captain Briggs, waving both his arms.

"Okay team, let's get to work," said Jake. "Splash, let's try to pull him free. Attach your tow rope to the front of the Sea Turtle."

"You got it, Jake!" Splash maneuvered his hovercraft through the waves. Its big fan blew water into a fine mist. PFFFT! He expertly hooked a strong rope to the front of Captain Briggs's boat.

Just then, a big wave rolled toward the shore. SPLOOSH! Splash couldn't help himself. He leaped off his hovercraft and into the water. "Whee! What a great wave!" he yelled, paddling back. He shook his fur, sending droplets flying everywhere. "Okay, okay, I'm ready now!"

Jake chuckled. "Alright, Splash. Full power!"

VROOOOOOOMMM! The hovercraft's engine whirred loudly. The rope pulled tight. TING! The Sea Turtle groaned and scraped against the rocks. GRONNNNK! But it didn't move an inch.

"It's no good, Jake!" Splash called out. "It's stuck fast!"

Bolt put on his special goggles, which let him see things close up. He looked at the boat, then at the water, then at the rocks. "Hmmmm," he mumbled, talking to his tools. "Wrench, what do you think? Screwdriver, any ideas?" He looked again. "Aha! I see the real problem!"

"What is it, Bolt?" asked Jake.

"The boat isn't just sitting on top of the rocks," Bolt explained. "There's a pointy rock underneath, wedged right into the bottom like a little tooth. We can't just pull it off. We have to lift it up first!"

"Lift it? But how?" asked Jake.

Bolt's eyes scanned the area. He saw a pile of big, flat, deflated bouncy pads on the dock that Captain Briggs used for boat parties. A little lightbulb seemed to switch on over his head. "I've got it! We'll make a boat-bouncer!"

"A what?" said Pip.

"Pip, I need you!" Bolt said excitedly. "Can you use your harness to pick up those bouncy pads from the dock?"

"On my way!" WHIRRRR! Pip's helicopter zipped over to the dock. She lowered her harness, snagged the whole pile of flat pads, and flew them back, dropping them gently into the water right beside the Sea Turtle.

"Perfect!" said Bolt. He grabbed a long hose from his recycling truck. It was his super-powered air pump. He pointed the hose at the first pad. FWOOOOOOMP! The flat pad puffed up into a big, wobbly cushion. FWOOOOOOMP! FWOOOOOOMP! He filled the others, too. Soon, three giant, bouncy cushions were floating in the water.

The cushions were so big they pushed right up against the side of the Sea Turtle. Slowly, gently, the cushions began to lift the boat. Liiiiift… liiiiift… POP! With a little wobble, the boat popped right off the pointy rock! It was floating again!

"It worked!" cheered Jake. "Now, Splash! One more time!"

VROOOOOOMMM! Splash's hovercraft pulled on the rope. And this time… SCRAPE… SPLOOSH! The Sea Turtle slid smoothly off the rocks and into the deep water. Hooray!

The Rescue Riders towed the Sea Turtle all the way back to the Clover Cove marina. Bolt used a special sticky patch from his truck to fix the little hole. It was like putting a bandage on a scraped knee. Captain Briggs was so happy he did a little dance on his deck. "Fun fact! Barnacles make the strongest glue in the entire ocean! That's why my boat was so stuck!"

Back at the Lookout, the sky was turning a soft orange and purple. The day was over. The pups were tired, but their hearts were full and happy. They watched the first star appear, a tiny diamond blinking goodnight.

One by one, they curled up in their cozy beds. The sound of the wind was a gentle lullaby, and the far-off ocean whispered a soft shhhhh. The Rescue Riders closed their eyes, dreaming of bouncy cushions and happy captains and another adventure tomorrow.