Pellele at Night

Po Po Po, as the Greeks would say. It's hard to find a word in English to describe how I feel at this moment, but for sure I'm going to enjoy this watch.

Its' just past 2AM, four hours of an exclusive paradise awaits me.

The first hit of coffee half drunk, first Camel smoked, sleep fading, clarity arriving.

So, what's the office looking like tonight. The watch handover was sparse in content, sleepiness prevalent on each side of the conversation, both in different stages of sleepiness. Anyway I like to make my own full inventory of the situation.

All the vitals appear to be as expected; course, speed, weather, proximities all much the same as of 10pm, just before forcing my off-watch snooze, taken but not really needed or wanted, however essential.

No changes to the rig, its’ set for safety and comfort. There is a steady Force 4, sea flat, sky clear, moon full, viz as good as it gets at night. We're running in easy mode, under canvassed for minimum effort; Genoa furled 3 turns doing the business out front giving a high clew; one reef in the main, not that we need it but it gives a balance; mizzen and staysail furled. Forward visibility is much better with this plan, and it is very unlikely that it will need to be altered unless we want to. We lose some speed like this, but the priority is to get safely through the night without the need to wake the off-watch or leave the cockpit, rather than break records, after all this is short handed cruising not racing. The wind is due to drop anyway, so we'll probably shake it all out at the dawn changeover. The course is spot on and autopilot earning its keep. Depth is vast, no shallows or dangers from below expected until we approach the island tomorrow. Good Good Good.

Scanning the horizon reveals nav lights of a smattering of fishing boats, both large and small, all far enough away to give me time to find a rhythm and track them. No ferries yet, but I expect them later, not that they will be a problem, we are big enough to show on radar, and the Greek captains are fantastic, very competent, abiding the rules and even accommodating to us ragtops. It's not like this everywhere. We left the tanker routes when we cut in between the islands, so I'm not expecting any stressful moments worrying about impending collision courses. I'll switch the radar on in while just to confirm my eyes when I go below to do the log and check the engine room.

Okay, tonight’s in-tray is sorted, my responsibilities understood and duties planned. Essentially stay awake and enjoy. Time for some checks below; the bilges, the engine and geny fluids, batteries and an inventory check the snack locker. Radar check while the coffee brews and then it will be time to focus on tonight’s entertainment.

Twenty minutes later, clipped on and cocooned safely in the cockpit, second coffee sunk, second Camel consumed, serenity secured, eyes adjusted to the night, my temporary paradise is fully appreciated. There is barely any light pollution here at the far end of these islands, there is little visibility of mankind and our corruption of the night, no lights, just a faint glow on the horizon possibly coming from Thira town, where no doubt the nightlife is just getting started.

For my visual entertainment I have a universe, billions of stars, a Milky Way, a full moon, some satellites and maybe some shooting starts to keep me company. The colours of the constellations astound, you would think the night to be monochromatic, but no, there are purples, pinks and blues above me. I'm sure I can see them mirrored in the surrounding sea.

Closer to me, occasional small waves tumble, throwing me slithers of moonlit crests, shining out of the darkness eerily. Looking to the stern wake dispersing behind, I see something I wish for every night, one of the rarities that make night sailing so magical, the bioluminescent of plankton. Phosphorous blue and green shimmer dissipating into the night.
Time for trip to the bow to marvel the creation of this phenomenon. It never fails to amaze me, the bow pushing throw their colony causes these tiny animals and plants to emit a beautiful fluorescent glow, they discharge into the bow-wave and pass gentle around the hull, fading into the wake. Here the sea will be full of feeding fish, with luck there may be a school of dolphins about. Seeing them swim towards you through plankton is a scary experience, they trigger the light with their rostrums, first thought is always that you are under attack, illuminated torpedoes racing towards you. I always freeze in awe. I could attempt to attract them, Dreadzone has worked well in the past here, the sub base deep in the hull must pump out something they like. But this isn’t a Dub moment, maybe some Chicane or Groove Armada. Good Plan, I’ll fire up the Bose next time I venture below for the log entry and visit to the snack locker and experiment with Dolphin’s pre dawn musical preferences. Time now to look around and ensure all is shipshape and secure; rig, rigging, sails, lockers, hatches, nothing lose or flapping. All present and correct, back to the cockpit for some more musing.

Magical is one the few ways to describe the exhilaration and excitement of sailing at night, particularly in calm and warm waters. There is a serenity not often found, an overwhelming sense of tranquillity, peace, joy mingled with a feeling of wonder, with an edge of tingling, a sensation of danger and the unknown. The darkness holds secrets, hidden out of sight, some thrill, some menace. We slither with power through an inky sea. Lurking just beneath or semi floating could be many perils of both man and natures misadventures; tree stumps torn from home, lost shipping containers, abandoned fishing nets, escapee navigation buoys freed by storms, vacationing scaffold planks. They are rare, but exist and in the obscurity they wait with peril. The thought of probability hovers for a while, and then fades to the delights of the night.

My world enclosed in a vignette, the darkness consuming my origin, my destination and all other options. Temporarily all that matters is here; within my focus is all I have and all I need to think about, all that I knew before lays outside the veil of the night. There is feeling of completeness, of true freedom. The stresses of humanity fade, at this moment, I have left its ills and become part of nature. I can only be, by respecting the greatest laws, those of the natural world, my existence dependant upon finding a harmony.

Above me, millions of individual specks of light, so small and far away, collectively enforcing my insignificance. Here I am gliding through the darkness, the faint gurgle of displaced sea gently seeking to restore the equilibrium it held before our passing. A paradise.

I switch the autopilot off and helm for a while, choosing a star just off the bow to steer towards it. Feeling the night, sensing the forces that play. Becoming one with the wind and the sea, moving the wheel instinctively and in anticipation, the smile grows larger, fatigue fades, pure pleasure consumes. All my senses honed to understanding my proximity, eyes cycling the sails, rig, horizon, course, instruments; ears alert for variance; skin feeling the wind and pressure of the helm; body flexing to the movements.

Dawn is coming, my cosy berth awaits, we're running on a broad reach, a rhythm of sinusoidal oscillations in pitch and roll, a hint of yaw, not enough swell to trouble 50 tonnes, just perfect for happy sleeping.

One day I am going to have to commemorate this moment, capture it in paint on canvas, or printed pixels and nail it to the wall of a house made of bricks, surrounded by land, chaos and humanity.


LorZ
Tarragona

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