I have always longed for adventure and fun. Is that why I was placed in a situation which not many women experience? I am married to a mariner. Life on a ship is not easy. I quickly realised that I was second to another woman, one who protects, nourishes and works for her men -- the ship.
She does not take kindly to another of her kind aboard so easily. Her staircases are narrow, her doors heavy, and the lifestyle rigorous. But I was not willing to bow down to her either. We had a long way to go together. We would have to be friends.
I joined a tanker vessel, with my husband in Fujairah, UAE. I was going to spend the next six months with him.
We spent the first few days anchored in Fujairah. Then a pilot boat guided us out to sea.
I watched from my porthole. Slowly the lights of the boat disappeared and she merged into the inky blackness around us. We were our own. Slowly we ploughed through the water and our journey across the world began.
We sailed through the Persian Gulf, which is supposed to be calm. But I could see the swell in the water. Everyone kept warning me that I'd get seasick. Bad weather, but I didn't get seasick! Remember, I was going to be an equal here, and not let Her rule over me.
Life can be beautiful out there at sea. It is so refreshing to stand on the deck and feel the cool breeze on your face. It's a thrill to see the ship slicing through water, leaving a frothy wake. For miles and miles around you see nothing but endless water and a big, blue sky.
The nights, especially on full moon, are surreal. The moon lights up the entire sky. The silvery waters, the soft breathing of the sea, the glow of the phosphorescence... it is like a dream.
If you go right up to the fo'c's'le , the enormity of the sea overwhelms you.
This is infinity defined. The sea and sky are one, and you are just a tiny speck in this vastness. You can see the ship striding on with a purpose. Steady and mighty.
And then you realise, it is only happening because the sea is letting it happen. If it wills, it can swallow the ship. We are always at the mercy of the sea.
From the fo'c's'le I could view nature's canvas. Each sunrise and sunset was a work of art. Truly, is there anything more spectacular, more perfect, than sunrise and sunset? Perfect performances, each different from the previous. A one-man show all the way, and didn't we know that all good things in life are free!?
It is such an amazing experience to discover that the sea is full of life. Scores of flying fish, glittering in the sun, gliding from one wave to another. Schools of dolphins, leaping, diving, dancing, swimming along with the ship. Big whales underwater, shooting spouts of water into the air. Sea snakes and jellyfish. Gulls. There is one big, happy family out there! At the Bay of Biscay. The sea turned an angry grey, with big, white, frothy waves. Waves lashed the ship incessantly. She pitched heavily, and water came gushing on to the deck. The wind howled. Visibility was almost zero due to the rain and spray.
What an experience! Wet, grey and alone, fending for yourself. Life gets depressing then. But always, always there is a brighter side. After every storm, the sun shines warmly on your shoulders.
Where else could I have attended a party on a full-moon night, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? Where else would I have had the opportunity to talk to a dolphin? Where else would I have got to bask in the Mediterranean sun all day? Or count shooting stars all night?
You tell me, should I call myself lucky? |
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