by As the sun rose behind the clouds I watched as two birds confidently approached the RV Endeavor. Other than the occasional Man O War floating by and all of the mysterious creatures living an unseen life below us, the swift movements of the birds tailing the stern reminded me of how isolated we are from the familiar world. Those two birds had to fly an extreme distance over open water and below the overcast sky without rest. It is an amazing feat for a creature of such a size that it could sit in the palm of my hand, with wiggle room to spare. We are now hundreds of miles from the nearest coast and the closest ship on the radar, The Dolphin, is headed in the direction of Turkey. I am in the middle of the Atlantic with a handful of people, and no landmarks in sight.
Aboard the Endeavor is a moderately sized crew of unique individuals who operate like the members of a cell, with each person carrying out specific tasks that are integral to the success and survival of this organism of a ship. Unlike many jobs on land, these people (and their passengers) literally depend on one another for survival. If someone does not do their job, it is not an invoice that isn’t getting mailed out, it is a storm that is overlooked, a fuel reserve that will run dry, or a pressure gauge that is left unread. Taking the time to acknowledge the appreciation for such a thing is not something to be dismissed.
With only having spent a short amount of time on this boat, I can easily see the appeal a life at sea could have on a person. As I look over the rail straight down into the deep Atlantic, my eyes are met by the most pure, deep blue color that only nature could create. The sun’s rays give it an illusion of iridescence, a hue that can truly never be recreated or imitated with success. As I let my eyes wander from their position alongside the boat in any direction, the blue stretches forever with its intensity gradually decreasing until a vast and powerful oceanic desert is laid over the surface before me. If I need a reminder of the insignificances of life’s trivialities, I can practice this at night, when the horizon is non-existent and the space between me and my problems becomes infinite.
The amenities aboard the Endeavor and it’s tight knit crew of twelve provides me with comfort and a sense of safety that most people who have made this journey over the course of time did not have the privilege of experiencing. Advances in technology and the finely tuned navigation instruments that are used on board by the trained and experienced crew gives me the luxury of wishing for another week on the Atlantic instead of praying to see land on the horizon like so many must have before me.
Kate Scully
