I have discovered that many large ships move in the night. I know not exactly why....perhaps it has more to do with weather conditions than any other factor. Whatever the reason, it is fascinating to 'catch' one when it makes a 'night move'.
Earlier this summer I wrote about one such vessel whose diesel engines awakened me in the dead of night. Two nights ago, I had a similar experience, only this time it wasn't the sound of the diesels alerting me to 'boat!'. I think the vessel was the Wilfred Sykes, a huge freighter that had been tied up for repair and machinery installation at a ship builder in Door County, Wisconsin. The 'Sykes' had a giant piece of equipment attached to her topside and a group of us had a chance to observe a part of the installation. We were not aware that the ship's retrofitting was near completion so I had no idea what sound grabbed my attention around midnight of a recent evening, but the sound was unmistakable......boat moving.
There are two sounds that herald the movement of a boat: Diesels and thrusters. (Well, there are actually three sounds, the third being the horn blast, a sound no boater wants to hear from another boat!) It was just after midnight and I was having my usual difficulty finding sleep. I heard what sounded like thrusters and I scurried out of bed, to the upper deck of our Aqua RV, ignoring the cold with my curiosity simply too strong, to see what was moving. Actually I thought it might be another boat in the marina and marina movement at night is rare, but night marina movement when it is very windy is a matter to check out. I heard the sound of thrusters several times before I noticed a blinding light that seemed as if it was shining directly at me! Of course it was not, but the light was so intense I felt as if I was on Broadway. It was then I noted that the light was moving and, as my eyes adjusted to the night as well as the light, I caught the outline, in the moonlight, of a bow with a huge deck house. Nautical giants appear to crawl along, when in reality, they are moving at a relatively fast pace, even in the channel. All of the forward portholes were lit and the pilothouse was awash in light. The white piece of equipment that had been recently installed stuck out like cream cheese frosting on a chocolate cake in the moonlight, all the while silently slipping past in the murky darkness. The Sykes' diesels were obviously operating but with a deafening silence. Had it not been for the extreme wattage that lit the Sykes up like an O'Hare runway, I would have never realized that a Great Lakes' giant was moving past me. I ignored my shivering body and kept my eyes glued to the ship until her aft pilothouse had passed and I was looking at her stern. Only then did my attention turn to the cold and I did a reverse-scurry back to the relative warmth of the Aqua RV's interior, cold but thrilled that I had yet another encounter with a nocturnal nautical visitor.
Sometimes there are benefits to poor sleep patterns.
Ancora imparo
