Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
thing? Surely I should be land-based somewhere, forging ahead with a decent career, mar-
ried with a kid and building up his future? Here I was, in the prime of life, sailing across an
ocean in a tiny boat with two strangers. Where was I going to end up, I wondered, what was
to become of me? Why was I not like other people? I felt troubled and empty that night.
When the girl came to me that night, I was quiet and still, and she asked me if there was
something wrong. I relayed my concerns to her quietly and soberly and was shocked when
she laughed out loud. She chided me, reminding me of the wonderful boat I had built, and
how so many men of my age would give almost anything to be in my place now. She leaned
over me and ruffled my hair, “You have everything going for you; try to appreciate what it
is you have and recognize the gift of being able to do this.” She kissed me softly, lingering
on my mouth. I reached up and held her sweet face and returned her kiss. I lifted the sheet,
inviting her to join me.
When Herman came down later to wake me for my watch with a cup of hot coffee, he
told me excitedly that the full moon was creating a moonbow, like a rainbow but from the
moon instead. Both Paula and I followed him out of the cabin; he was now comfortable
with Paula's and my closeness. Sure enough, we beheld a sight we had never seen before.
The huge, black, oily sea, calmer now, was dazzling with millions of white shards of frag-
mented moonlight. The silence was immense. All around the heavens was a huge, white
halo, and from within the moon in all his glory and pride could be seen, beaming proudly
down. It was as though the man in the moon was putting on a show just for us. The stars
that would not be outshone glittered defiantly through the milky loom, and we on-board
Déjà vu, silent at first, burst with our exclamations of wonder and delight. More coffee was
made, and we all sat in the cockpit beholding this lunar phenomenon. Finally, after the talk
subsided, I was left alone with my thoughts, as the other two went below to sleep their pre-
cious off-watch hours.
The wind continued to abate, and eventually Déjà vu entered the doldrums, or “horse latit-
udes.” The old mariners would call them this because sailing ships, trapped in these calm
waters, had little option but to eat their horses. The sea presented itself here as a blue mill
pond. There was no movement or sound. The silence was even quiet. It was uncanny; the
atmosphere was loaded with anticipation; there was great tension in the air brought about
by absolutely nothing happening. The sky was cloudless and huge, the sea a dirty dark blue,
almost oily in texture. Even here, though, there were signs of life. Cormorants, frigates,
and petrels floated lazily about, as far as one could see. Little fish nibbled on the slimy,
green algae growing on the boat's waterline. The heat built-up during the day and created
discomfort and tension within the crew. Murphy's Law was blamed for all that went wrong
on-board. He was cursed and sworn at with vehemence by all.
