When the time came to go home, Nicholas returned to Caesarea and struck a bargain with the captain of a merchant vessel to drop him off in Patara. On such journeys, passengers had no cabins or beds. They had to content themselves with a spot on deck amid the stacks and piles of cargo. The ship set out with a fair wind. Nicholas passed the time by chatting with the seamen and gazing at the passing coastline. Then the weather changed. A storm blew out of nowhere, lashing the boat with fierce gales, and waves crashed over the bow.
