Hi,
Just sailing into Kolkata, with the river pilot, a very typical Bengali Babu of the kit-pit variety, not wanting to disturb me (in actuality, why ask for trouble from Mr Trouble himself, must be his thought process …....I’ve been kicking ass around here, a bit, had become sick of their nit picking, one at home is sufficient) leaving me enough time in hand to jot down my ravings. The sea was really rough and I was in ballast, a lot of tossing and turning around for the last four days and who else can I rave and rant about it to.
Come September and the weather gods normally shine on this part of the world in their pristine avatar and in abundance at that. The isles were pretty, with a slight drizzle, the small hillocks covered with thick low hanging clouds and the waters in the harbour crystal clear and small islets with overhanging bushes, dotted within the harbour itself….. Getting in and out of the virgin harbour, with the crosscurrents, shallows and changing winds, that too on a single screw ship is tricky, but that is what I am being paid for anyway. The gaily attired women ,albeit not pretty, but who cared about their prettiness so long as they added colour to the surrounds and Mother Nature already at her charming best and in all her fineries. With the nights getting a bit clammy…… lolled off to the poop deck, with the rains barely caressing you, and a cool breeze giving you goose bumps all over, silhouette of the hillocks with an occasional light flickering, a faint smell of some logwood fire, dancing lights from the occasional passing fishing boats bouncing off the calm waters, stage all set and just about perfect for a deck chair lazy lounging to absorb the ambience and its total essence,…..scotch on the rocks and ol’ favourites…… (Songs, guys, don’t go thinking anything naughty, we are getting old now) rounded up the scenario….. …I did miss my better half and her hen groups along with those naval/pongo pals of mine, during the almost regular Barbecue&Bawdy songs, antakshari and Dumb charade sessions on the vizag ,fort kochi,carbyn’s cove beaches, the Pykara/rishikesh /Barmer camps. Hmmm, what will I not give for those heavenly days passed by!!! Well, all the same, evenings in the isles still very well spent minus all the fanfare of yore. In fact, I did chat up with my ol’ friends, just prior leaving, mentioning in the passing that I was just having a wonderful time, a virtual paid holiday etc.
As the saying goes, if it is good, it doesn’t stay long or it ain’t designed for you. I had to dump some pulses on a tiny Burmese isle and soon thereafter I sailed out on a nice sunny day. It was a day and a half later that sea turned rough and had my …lls in a vice, couldn’t scream either; after all it was the Sea lord, Mr Varuna(Lord Neptune) himself, at his mischievous best, turning nasty. I had been rather careful in avoiding storms, cyclones, depression etal,but not this time.(BTW,the latest cyclone off the US coast is named after one of our own batch typhoons…Ike) Two days out at sea with a depression plonk on my route and threatening to come my way. Boy hasn’t the Sea lord planned it real well for me this time, no turning around, no safe port and quite a promising jam session to boot. A very light ship and in ballast, I was. Caught with the sea beam on, winds on the bow resulting in a corkscrew motion, a veritable nightmare? Yes!! Imagine a combination of merry go round and the giant wheel that you have seen at the fairs, that too in perpetual motion for four continuous days on end with the speeds reading ‘slow & very fast’ with no inkling of what next!! By now you should have got a fair idea of what I am talking about. You take a forkful of food to put in your mouth and it ends as a reverse sweep onto the bulkhead behind, giving a fair competition to that master blaster Sachin. So much for the sea and it isn’t over yet, guys.
I anchored off , at Sand heads on arrival, In spite of the rough weather didn’t drag one bit, but whilst picking up lost my anchor flukes to the lord. Very good care taken by the good ol’ Lord for all my dodging prior, I suppose. The good lord seem to be actually saying with a chuckle,” Finally Gotcha you, Have a good time ol’ chap, but don’t ever go make a song and dance about it” reminding me of the cat and the canary story, that You must’ve all heard about but cross-refer the above by juxtaposing the sea lord and I in lieu and am sure you guys will be laughing away with all expenses paid for, by yours truly!!!
But have I learnt my lesson having been Mauled, battered, lost my flukes and still spinning around like a Zombie!! No-go!! Here I am recounting every bit of it to you all. I am cocksure that Mr Varuna is also well aware of my tom-tomming, computer savvy or not, and awaiting the next opportune moment to get my back to the wall. Well, I will cross the bridge once I come to it, after all the sea lord and I do have some common traits, you see………. Temperamental, unpredictable, never forgetting but always forgiving ….and the last trait is, what I intend cashing in on.
The occasional ‘Dumb Charades’ that, I have with the sea lord is what keeps my Adrenalin primed and helps me going, guys!!!
Ciao, have a great week.
------------R*
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