Sunday on the Esperanza
Posted by at 9:04 AM,
June 20, 2004
Hello all,
Now that I'm an accomplished deck hand, I know more about boats than you do. But don't worry, I'll help you out. For example, just because there's a helicopter pad doesn't mean shopping trips into town whenever you want. Also, if the ocean is coming in the round window thingy, you should close it. Lastly, if you are visiting the bridge, do no sit on the "Control Panel." No need to thank me for these tips, I'm just doing my job.
--- Marnee
Hello all,
Now that I'm an accomplished deck hand, I know more about boats than you do. But don't worry, I'll help you out. For example, just because there's a helicopter pad doesn't mean shopping trips into town whenever you want. Also, if the ocean is coming in the round window thingy, you should close it. Lastly, if you are visiting the bridge, do no sit on the "Control Panel." No need to thank me for these tips, I'm just doing my job.
Today was Sunday, and I slept in until 10:30. Our cabin was totally darkened, so it was impossible to tell what time it was without looking at a clock. And I really didn't make much of an effort to look at a clock. I had volunteered to make lunch, so I got up, showered, and headed to the galley.
I decided to make pasta D'Ambrosio and, with Marta's invaluable assistance, it turned out pretty good. If you don't already know, pasta D'Ambrosio is made from fresh tomatoes slow roasted with extra virgin olive oil, oregano, basil, lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar. Add a bunch of feta cheese, spill it over some linguine or capellini, and there it is. Buon appetito!
Either the seas are calmer or I am getting more used to life on a ship or both, because today was relatively easy as far as queasiness is concerned. I can finally see how a person could get used to the movements of the ocean and grow to love them.
I can't remember taking more than a few siestas during my whole adult life, but I have taken one almost every day on board the Esperanza. Just a short one, mind you, but still. Some days it was due to the threat of seasickness; once or twice it was because of my back injury. Today I took a little time in the afternoon to read some pages from "The Whaling Season" by Kieran Mulvaney. It's during these quiet moments that you hear the constant drum of the engines and you appreciate the slow, steady progress of travel by sea.
Spent the late afternoon helping Demet, Helena, and Marta cook dinner. The meal was Turkish, and soon the whole place was blanketed by the alluring aroma of onions, garlic, peppers, cumin, eggplant, and rice. In the galley we had Manu Chao cranked up, and we were all performing different tasks but to the same beat. It felt like a party. We opened a bottle of red wine (Oops! Sorry Hans, we'll definitely replace that.) and toasted the effort.
It was during the preparation of dinner that we got our first glimpse of Iceland. So cool! We saw snow capped mountains and many small islands in a row, some as young as 50 years old. More birds are flying with us now that we are closer to land. All of us in the galley snapped pictures through the portholes, and Demet managed to capture a bird flying through her shot. It's so good, I'll try to post it soon.
After dinner I helped clean up and then checked my e-mail. Soon there was some commotion on the bridge and someone announced that there were killer whales in the vicinity. I raced out to the bridge, camera and binoculars in hand, and watched for half an hour as the beautiful creatures surfaced, dove, and resurfaced. They are so graceful! There were parents traveling closely with their children, whole families swimming merrily along. We found them on every side of the ship- gliding along, breathing, living in peace.
WHY CAN'T WE JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE? What is wrong with people that they have to track down whales and kill them? WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? When will you wake up? You have got to be kidding me with this whaling bullshit!!! Put your harpoons away and figure it out!!!
-Marnee
