Amiss at Sea
The blow of the wind fills my ears. It is late but the moon has yet to rise. Back and forth I move following the glow of the stars. The stress of shore has long been departed from. Still my eyes grow heavy and sleep grips my body. My chance to slumber draws closer and closer as I resist the temptation of yet more caffeine.
My partner moves onto the deck and the end of my first shift comes to a close. The steady grunt of the motor fills the background but it does not deter me from what I crave. Sleep. I close my eyes, nerves hot from issue after mounting issue, and I drift into a different abyss than what fills the horizon. It was not meant to be.
A new noise, or lack there of, fills the cabin. Something is a miss, yet sleep calls. Surely it can wait but a moment while I rest. I hear shouting from above and inhale deeply, soon I tell myself, soon. I climb out of my bunk and we discuss the disquiet of the machine groaning against the swell.
Headlamp equipped I duck down into the engine bay to have new fears realized. A belt has snapped. Our alternator no longer spins, but what else does not? I inform my crew mate of the mounting calamity. As it was his hands working on our last repairs he trades with me to investigate. We have plenty of spare belts, so this should be a issue shortly solved.
Once again my hands grip the helm. The wind dies, further exacerbating our new found silence. Our sails flap in the wind and I am forced to steer farther and farther from our set course. Even still we move but sluggishly in the beast we occupy.
I hear cursing down below. Never a good sign. Soon he is hanging over the deck, green and burping. I can see him getting sick even as he brings more ill news. The spare belt doesn’t fit. There are two more to try he informs me. Perhaps we’ll get lucky. I know we will not. Luck left our side weeks ago.
Again he clambers down, again more cursing, even worse he is becoming more and more pale. It is no use, none of the belts we carry will fit what we need. It is my turn to inspect, he needs air and perhaps I can bring a new perspective. I implore him to start the engine, so he does.
As she roars to life I see the raw water pump runs, but the alternator does not. No matter, it wasn’t working regardless. Something niggles at my brain though, the broken pulley went to more than power. The engine churns yet I know it isn’t as it should be. She’s getting hot. Hotter. Hotter. Hotter. I shut her off.
Shore dimly lights the horizon, and I know we are safe, it is only time that is added. We wont perish on this journey. My friends condition is deteriorating even as he urges me he can keep working in the stank of the engine bay. It comes to it and I order him to lay down and rest. I haven’t slept and cannot man the ship alone for the many hours of night left.
I steel my will and push down the mounting anxiety that threatens to grip me. Time, it is only time. Hours pass as I man the wheel. Maps in my hand I pour over options. Do we turn back? Do we press on? Already we are more than a day out. Either choice will take days more to achieve. Despite the openness of the sea the walls continue to close in.
It’s my call and I make it. We press on. I besiege God that he might bring us favorable winds. And winds he provides, dead against us and the direction we seek. Dawn draws close and my spirit yearns for rest. My companion rises and claims he’s recovered, it is enough to convince me that I might find my own slumber.
My eyes are closed but I find little sleep. We are far away. I can’t help but call into question this quest we have set out on. Have I been a fool all along? Was this really what I gave up my past life for? Disaster after disaster, to be cast further and further into the sea?
Before I know it the sun is high and my turn comes again. Yet I awake to a new surprise and my grin reaches ear to ear. Dolphins surround us, as many as a dozen swim lackadaisically off the bow. I rush to the front, a new fount of energy rising in my chest.
Back and forth they swim. Splashing about the boat and one another and their joy ignites mine. I swear I can hear them chirping to one another. On more than one occasion our eyes meet. They see me as I see them. My wanderlust is aflame and I know things will work themselves out, they always do.
With the great orb climbing higher in the sky I settle in for my shift. The sands of time trickle down the glass as I watch little to nothing pass. We move with the wind that takes our ship far from where we seek.
My eyes alight on a slow paddling sea turtle. Again my smile returns, more creatures of the sea greet us as we pass through their home. The miles are taken one slow step at a time, it would be faster if I could simply walk on my own feet. I tack into the wind and veer us back to shore, the first of many to come.
Another hour passes and low and behold! My friend the sea turtle is found again! Swimming in the direction I long to go… He was ahead of me then and remains so now. The evidence of our creeping pace could not be more forthright. Then nothing else happens. I am relieved once again and sleep as I can.
Back and forth we go as night brings her dark shadow. I swear we haven’t moved forward at all. Suddenly all is silent. As if the earth holds her breath from us. Our sails sag heavily, not a flutter to be seen.
I pace the deck, I furl the sails, I contemplate the new found realization we are now drifting back the way we came. Perhaps I can make an engine belt from zip ties or torn sheets? It’s at this time my friend and I make the decision to start the engine… And miracle of miracles she runs and does not overheat.
Progress once again is made! No longer adrift our proud vessel glides across the wide lake that faces us. Our destination shall soon come to us. It is not until late in the next evening we arrive. Land greets our wary souls and the anchor is laid down below.
More problems lie ahead but a full night of sleep is finally mine to claim. Who knew that only three days could feel like a lifetime. What an adventure I am on.
