The vessel rocked against the river landing while Han Yue examined its fittings. She began at the rudder pin and ran her hand along the joint until the captain crouched beside her.
“Here?” he asked.
“Here is fine. This is where I would start if I wanted the rudder to fail halfway through the channel.”
The captain stopped smiling. Han tapped the pin. “It’s firm. I’m checking it, not accusing you.”
She moved along the rail, then found the patched sail seam the captain had hoped nobody would notice. The cloth was double stitched, and the line held when she pulled. “This repair should last the coastal route. It will not last a storm.”
“We can turn into the sheltered inlet before that,” the captain said. “My owner chose the longer path around the Registry patrol.”
Han took out her chart and laid it across a cargo box. “The longer route crosses this tide. If the current runs against us, it will cost a day.” She marked a second channel that followed a stronger tide and avoided a narrow harbor mouth. “This one is faster if we catch it, but the islands have shallows that aren’t on military charts. We’ll need a local pilot once we reach them.”
