Atlantic High (31 page)

There was great commotion at the Immigration dock during which we all endeavored to place telephone calls to America, on the understanding that doing so would not interfere with our consumption of champagne, which Van had sent ahead in copious supply and Betsy had taken care to keep chilled. I don’t know why, but suddenly I felt an impulse to pull out. I did so without ceremony, walking, champagne glass in hand, back along the lifeless dock, toward the boat. I stepped gingerly over the lifeline, grasping the shroud with my left hand: the other hand was not available, as there was still the champagne glass. The boat, moth-balled in moonlight, was dead. Everyone was ashore, telephoning, reveling, roistering. There was no breeze, no sound. I walked aft to the stern cockpit and maneuvered down the stillness of the companionway to the master cabin, flicked on the reading light, dropped my pants, shoes, and socks with a single downward motion, and slid between the sheets. For the first time in seven days, no need to fasten the canvas leeboards that had kept me, during those screeching moments of heel, from being tossed onto the floorboards. I picked up my journal and began to write. The dozen words I managed I cannot, at this moment, decipher. They are illegible. But I know what they say. Know what they express. Gratitude.

¹
We had informally designated our transatlantic crossing in 1975 as the
“BO”—
i.e., the Big One
.

¹
Until reading Tony’s journal I don’t remember having come across “fiddle.” Webster:
“Naut.
A frame or railing on a ship’s table to keep dishes, etc. from sliding off in rough weather—vt-dled,-dling.” I’d have used the word “lip,” but find no authority for it in the dictionary
.

²
This gallant navigational gallimaufry I discuss later, in a commentary on navigation at sea
.

¹
Beard-McKie:
“Latitude and Longitude:
A series of imaginary lines on the earth’s surface drawn at intervals parallel to the Equator (latitude) or the poles (longitude) as an aid to navigation. Since they are invisible, many mariners find them of limited usefulness.”

¹
(Beard-McKie-“Binoculars: Entertaining shipboard kaleidoscope which when held up to the light reveals interesting patterns and designs caused by salt spray, thumbprints, and scratches. Uncapped, its lenses may also be employed to collect mall amounts of salt from seawater through evaporation.”)