The night at sea is a different sea. This Captain and The Kid watched the land drifting north. We were too far west to see Andros and too south for Bimini. What we were seeing was massive and it began to appear to be on a course where we could possibly intersect.
The Bermuda Triangle stories we have all read make for good reading if that kind of stuff appeals to you. Yes we were in the quote, Triangle. The Kid climbed up the mast to get a better visual. "Anything on radar?" came the question from the darkness shrouding the mast.
"Nothing. It looks like land, but its gotta be a couple of vessels."
"Looks like maybe two or three big ships. That's my guess anyhow."
Off the mast, The Kid pointed to the horizon. "See there, there, and maybe there. Three big ships, or two huge ones."
Our concern was the seeming erratic course the vessels were following. We knew it best to give way no matter the maritime laws that govern maneuvers at sea. Our traveling friends behind us had now caught sight of our mast and asked if we had picked up radar to our east.
"Nothing on radar yet, but we think there are few ships out there we need to watch carefully."
As we continued on course, it was clear that what we saw were two large vessels. The first was quite a distance in front of the other and moving faster. We could consider passing to the south of the first vessel and before the second one. The distance appeared to be safe to try this and then our friend behind could sail by after the second ship went by. The two vessels changed course again and it seemed we would have to consider sailing between them or tack way south and fight the stream.
When you are sailing at night the charts remind you about faraway places where you can escape to. They take some of the uncertainty and edginess of the night and put in mind why you are crossing at night. Soon the sun will rise and so will a nearby island. There is excitement and romance in a crossing. Escaping to the Bahamas is always a good escape. Usually, the crossing is good and uneventful, but this night was a good reminder about the need to not lose touch with real on your way to make believe.
"We lost the radio." The Kid said with some nervousness.
"GPS too. What's goin' on?"
Our compass, GPS, and radio were all down or improperly operating. The Triangle thoughts came back as we watched the vessels. The one was now to port and the second well to the south but on the same course. Could these two ships be the cause for our navigational problems? Our radio crackled, but we couldn't discern the words. It sounded like our friend off our stern. By now he must see the ships.
"Let's split the two. We have the speed and the distance."
"Wait." The Kid replied. "Wait."
The Kid had noticed something. It was a flash or reflection, or just a hunch, but it was important to look ahead with strained attention.
"There!" The Kid pointed.
Some water disturbance, maybe from the Gulf Stream, flashed some white water onto the black between the ships. What was revealed is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Next time, what we saw off our bow.
The Captain and The Kid
No comments:
Post a Comment