On the Move
A ship in harbor is safe–but that is not what ships are built for.
John A. Shedd
We are moving again! The boat has been tied to the dock for too long. Barnacles have grown on the hull; dock lines are stiff around the poles. I am stagnant.
At six this morning, I stood on our aft deck. The sky melded from black to mauve. A mug of hot Oceana coffee warmed my hands.
"Drop the bow line." Patrick's voice over the handheld radio seemed foreign, it had been so long since we had had to use the thing.
"Bow line's off," our deckhands voice filled the air. I couldn't see him from where I stood, but I knew he was busy pulling the heavy line in through the fairlead.
"Mid-ship's free," the bosun called next.
"Roger that." I could hear the excitement in Patrick's voice. "Victoria, drop your line."
This was it—the last tie to land.
I let the line go slack in my hand while a man on the dock unhooked the loop from the clete
"Stern is clear." I clipped the radio back on my hip and watched as the boat inched away from the dock.
The sky slid into lilac as I thought back to all the new friends I had met in this port. I would miss chatting with the woman in the market every morning. I had learned how to poach the local shrimp in citrus from her. I still wanted to eat in the restaurant on the beach that specialized in stone crabs. I'd enjoyed the sounds of a steel guitar that the man at the corner bar played Friday nights.
But none of those things could stop the excitement building inside me.
What would the new port be like? Where would I find the market? How many new friends would I meet? There is so much to discover about a new place.
As the boat picked up speed, sea air blew over my skin. The smell of salt invaded my senses. I smiled. This is what living on a boat is all about.
The possibilities for stories bubbled in my mind. New places inspire me.
I might learn new recipes. I might find a new character wandering streets. I might hear a story that ignites my imagination and makes me ask 'what if…'.
Flying fish flittered across the sea of teal seeming to lead us to our new destination.
We were on the move again!
What about you? How long do you like to stay in port? What do you look for in a new port? Where do you want to cruise next?
Victoria Allman, author SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain, has been following her stomach around the globe for twelve years as a yacht chef. She writes about her floating culinary odyssey through Europe, the Caribbean, Nepal, Vietnam, Africa and the South Pacific in her first book, Sea Fare: A Chef's Journey Across the Ocean.
You can read more of her food-driven escapades through her web-site, www.victoriaallman.com
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