Calm seas

Calm seas, bright moon high in the sky. Surface of South West Pacific is color of liquid silver. Tuna clipper effortlessly changing position, on the bridge man on the watch. Lights are off, except on radar and compass. In galley only two seat and watch old tape. In engine room, I assistant engineer on the watch made routine walk through the engine room and pipe ally. If I don’t pass through and reset dead man alarm within twenty five minutes alarm will first start to go off in Chief engineer cabin, and if it is not silenced main ship alarm will go off. Most of the crew already sleep, tired of six sets made today. First was on the drift wood and bell ring at three o’clock in the morning, they finished last one about midnight.
I just made last refrigeration adjustments and pick up the trash to throw overboard. When yesterday fish holds were drained, remains of fish were flushed in pipe alley and must be thrown away before reaching bilge pump suction strainer. It was not hard and I liked those moments of peace and moon shine on surface of the sea.
Smooth sailing was best thing sailor can want. Dead man alarm reset and I climb two flights of stairs to the stern deck. Bag in the hand I approach gunwale .Ocean was beautiful. In the darkness of the night surface of the sea merged with dark sky. Moon way was wide, and shimmering, seas calm. Monotonous rumor of water from the bow, Stars twinkled and appeared /disappeared. Satellite drifted over the heavens, falling star with the tail smoke out in silence.
I swing and throw the bag that disappeared at stern. And then it happens. Shipp suddenly roll, side to side. White water rush over the stern. Next I know I surfaced behind the stern. It was no sense to yell. No body will hear me. Ship stern light’s slowly getting dimmer, smaller and finally become just dot on horizon that was awfully close. Tennis shoes soaked water and become weight pulling my legs down. I have thought for a moment and decided to be no need for shoes while swimming.
“Ok, Ok, calm down. It is no end of the World! When alarm goes off they will start search.” I thought about. My crew will find out to I am missing and get in search pattern.
“Ok, how long was I on the deck, five, ten minutes? Two minutes from dead man alarm, that make twelve, they have thirteen more minutes till alarm goes off. Half hour until they search the vessel and count crew, this makes forty five minutes. Navigator must plot curse, calculate current, calculate winding, and develop search pattern. This will take another thirty minutes. Oh man this is awfully long time. They are sailing at ten knots an hour. It will take them almost twenty miles away!”
In my head someplace behind my thinking mind, surviving mode was taking over.
“I must not panic, swimming don’t make no sense. Best is to lie on the back float and breed normally. This will sustain me for a long time, tennis shoes, ok lets tight shoelaces together. They float, it will help however slightly. Shirt and shorts I must keep. In the morning will become hot, I don’t want sun directly on my skin. What else do I have with me? Something is heavy in back pocket. Flash light. Lets see … It don’t work any more. Right, Mr. Murphy you really work overtime tonight! But it might come handy if… Oh shut up, don’t think like that, lets see, do I bleed any place, no, ok that’s good. No blood, nothing to attract sharks. Now lets see what did I learn how to survive in situation like this.”
Slowly drifting on the surface in darkness of the Pacific, hoping they will find me my working brain was performing well. Sub consciousness was sending signals to something must be done now to survive. But I was thousands of miles from closest shore, up was high and down was deep. It was no place to be and I was there. Moments before I was in engine room, now swimming in the biggest bath tub on the World.
“No, don’t let the panic settle in. They will come and pick me up. They will come and pick me up.”
With this forced in mind, I have stretched my self as wide as I can, relax, and sea did a great job of keeping me afloat. My body was rolling with the waves. It was no crested waves, just dead roll of the sea, long smooth waves. I will feel when is approaching me. My feet will start to go higher, than my knees, my torso, and than will all start all over again. Waves were floating me as coconut branch on the surface.
“This is good. No crests, my mouth stay clean and nose and I can breathe easy. Problem is with the morning, temperature increases and wind sometime pick up. Let’s hope it won’t happen to me today, I don’t need that. What is the time; three in the morning o they must be going crazy now. Cussing me and searching for me. Most likely still didn’t get to them to I might be swimming someplace behind. Boy is Skipper going to be mad. I have ruin his day already, he must stop fishing, burn diesel to find me and if he don’t find me can you think about tons of paper work one day in port he will have to fill up. Oh boy is he is mad, royally. But newer mind that. This is the time they shall be already in search mode. Lets see, three o’clock, make turn, search pattern is three miles to port and than half mile in my direction, turn to starboard and run six miles turn in my direction half a mile and so forth. God help me it will take most of the day to come where I go for a swim. Ok what will I do if helicopter fly over? Bell 47 is slow but great for search, my hair is black, ocean is blue, and I don’t think he will see me. Ok, Ok what is the color of my shirt, dark blue, my favored color? If I knew, should wear white one. Oh shut up, you are stupid. If you knew? Who will knew something will happen in calm seas. Well one thing is good, I have lots of fat and fat is lighter than water; this will keep me a float. Can you imagine if I am skinny? I will probably be sinking right now!”
Time was passing by slowly. No changes on horizon, no lights, no sound, just me and nature. After a while I become part of it too. For a time being I must fall a sleep. It was like in best water bed. Sea was warm; air was cooling down and couple of times I wished for morning.
“Ihh, getting cold here, my head is getting cold. I wish to sun come up soon. What is the time? Four? I have slept full hour! That’s good! Preserving energy is good, but what is that? “
My stomach start protesting and bowel movement for a moment startled me. Most natural action of body is to relive it self. Now In the middle of no where I have to go.
“What I am to do? To pee is easy, did it before, but what now? How to do that? For Christ seek take shorts off and just do it! Yes and than this will float around me whole day, most likely will come to me as flotsam come to the ship. And what if odor attracts sharks? Oh well Skipper always say sharks don’t eat shit, but in Adriatic in blue sharks we found from soda cans to license plates, whom is to say to this one here have different appetite? Or might be he doesn’t but giant squid do? Yes, yes, and you are just lucky one to be found by giant squid! Oh shut up, rest is the best. What is the time? Almost time for wake up call. Stupid, if they are not awake now they will newer be. Ok, Ok, rest relaxes.”
My mind was racing from over drive in dead slow. At moment I was in strange mood. It was possible to they pass by me in search and not see me.
“What if they don’t see me? Nooo, they trained to see smallest things bobbing on the surface, four big ones and we have six small binoculars aboard. That make ten pairs of trained eyes searching surface, they will see me! What ewer will see when time comes? Look this way, oh boy that’s pretty; this star is pure blue color. And other one? Red, blue and white and blinking? Newer heard about the stars behaving like it, but what is it? Ha, ha ha ET come home, hey ET come here I want to go home. Ha ha ha, oh boy are you dummy. Aha, can see the light, oh over there is the East, Good morning world; I am still here and kicking. Skipper will tell me to I didn’t come here for rest and relax but to work. Boy he must be crazy mad right now! Well which direction we were sailing last night, so I can watch around and spot them before they spot me? Damn it, I should go to the bridge and check as I did before. I think were going North North East, that is in this direction, ok, ok, now in search pattern they will be coming from my left and my right, its impossible to see them with bow on me, first I will see is the smoke from my engines. Few hours after, hull will be visible. You must wait till you see people on the house and bridge, than start splashing, take shirt off and wave. That’s it until I don’t see them they cant see me. No, that is not right, they can spot me way before they on higher ground. My sight is limited by curvature of the earth and them looking from sixty feet above sea. “
Sun was climbing slowly but steady and soon was becoming hot. I knew to thirst will be my enemy. I forced my self to think about ways to prevent that at least for a while.
“You remember when you were the kid and read Karl May books about Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. In desert he suckled on round rocks and that made mouth produce saliva! That’s it! Oh, shut up dummy. Where will you find rock here? But what should I do? I need something! Wait wait, flash light has bulb in side and is round, just don bite and all will be ok. “
I took flash light apart and took light bulb in the mouth. Cold glass brought instant gratification, no ice cream taste so good. After a while my mouth, start to produce saliva just as in the book.
“Good old Karl May, died century ago and still do good did's on this earth. God almighty, it’s really hot today! What is the time? Seven o ‘clock, timed fly when you don’t needed, now it doesn’t move. What if I have fallen through dimensional door? It might be to me watching this from other dimension? Dummy, it is no such thing as parallel dimensions! Or is it?”
Noon already is gone and still is no sign of ship. Being wet is ok; being wet and cooked at same time by relentless start above my head is something completely different. This sun is bugging me.
“Remember when I was young and being fishing with family? That was good times! What happen to the grandma cow? She was giving plenty of milk! Milk? If I just can have one cold cup of it! You must be hungry, don’t think about food, it will drive you crazy. Cold, I want something cold to drink! Don’t think, no thinking is good thing. Think only about rescue. God is it hot, what if I put shirt on the head? That might help. No rest of the body will be exposed, you don’t want that. Just for few minutes! Ok , pull back on the head but leave front toward the sun. Oh my Gosh, this fills good. Should do that earlier! “
Sun was slowly sinking to the West when first time I sow the ship.
“Here, here, there they are what is this sound, look up, look up, its good old bell 47. Hey hey can’t you see me? Hey you son of a bitch I am here, no don’t go away, I am here, here!”
Helicopter flew over me and didn’t see me.
“Don’t let the hope disappear. They will find me! Oh no they going away. Get back you shit, get back, get me out of here, oh God please let them see me and come back. I will light candles in Hagatna cathedral if they find me!”
Ship was so close and yet so far. I knew they are in search pattern and will be back this way soon.
“Oh baby, come back to me, ill feed you best motor oil I can and purify diesel for you twice. I promise ill keep you clean, just- come back to me”
Sun was so low, if they don’t find me now sure is no chance to find me at night.
“There she goes again, closer, closer, I can see them on the crows nest , and I can see them on Pilot house. They get closer! Lets pull the shirt now and start making commotion and splash, this will attract eye attention, don’t lay motion less, did they see me? Every body running around, to the skiff, speed boat, aha they stop and now turning back, here here I am. I am tired now. They found me, I am tired.”
Speed boat and skiff were launched, speed boat racing toward me. Its here. Familiar face leans above me with gallon of drink in the jug.
“You want some?”
Chamorro punch newer tested better in my life. Cool liquid was running down my throat.
One of the guys in speed boat helps me in.
“You know you as hole, you keep us awake all night long, but you know its so good to see you. Old man will chew your as down to the size.”
From speed boat I walk on the pilot house deck.
“ You dirty son of a bitch, I didn’t give you permission to go swim, this is not a pleasure cruise, this is working boat, and oh boy it’s good to see you. We were about to give up for today, when deck boss saw you from crows nest, what happen to you last night?”
Since then every day is good day, gift, ultimate present, and yes it was just first time I have gone for drink.