A Day at Sea
A northerly wind and swell push the Sea Lion on her way like a soft stone skipping across chocolate pudding. I can feel a sort of joy emanating from the ship; foam and spray break from the bow like laughter as we head southward on this day at sea. The ship’s mood is contagious, even the Captain is smiling as birds soar about us, wheeling and dodging, shouting greetings, as well as good natured taunts to each other, to one another and to us. In the water, dolphins and the occasional green sea turtle approach in curiosity with shy smiles and we smile back. All this beneath an untroubled sun that bathes us in a warm light, fresh and clean, each young ray never seen before, then gone in a twinkle, a quantum trick better than a magician’s. Beneath us, unknown and unknowing, there is a different world, bigger and wetter. Where there is light, there are bright colors, even creatures of pink or orange, like in the picture. A gaudy garibaldi takes our measure with an unblinking eye, not its usual aggressive self, as there are no eggs to protect at this time of year. Behind this orange damselfish is a young female sheephead, a kind of wrasse, all pink with a white chin. It is an almost perfect world down here where the ladies are almost always young and the men are almost always strong and knowing. Why, because all male sheephead start off as females and wouldn’t that make a difference? Yes, all of this, all around us, on this day, this day just before tomorrow.
A northerly wind and swell push the Sea Lion on her way like a soft stone skipping across chocolate pudding. I can feel a sort of joy emanating from the ship; foam and spray break from the bow like laughter as we head southward on this day at sea. The ship’s mood is contagious, even the Captain is smiling as birds soar about us, wheeling and dodging, shouting greetings, as well as good natured taunts to each other, to one another and to us. In the water, dolphins and the occasional green sea turtle approach in curiosity with shy smiles and we smile back. All this beneath an untroubled sun that bathes us in a warm light, fresh and clean, each young ray never seen before, then gone in a twinkle, a quantum trick better than a magician’s. Beneath us, unknown and unknowing, there is a different world, bigger and wetter. Where there is light, there are bright colors, even creatures of pink or orange, like in the picture. A gaudy garibaldi takes our measure with an unblinking eye, not its usual aggressive self, as there are no eggs to protect at this time of year. Behind this orange damselfish is a young female sheephead, a kind of wrasse, all pink with a white chin. It is an almost perfect world down here where the ladies are almost always young and the men are almost always strong and knowing. Why, because all male sheephead start off as females and wouldn’t that make a difference? Yes, all of this, all around us, on this day, this day just before tomorrow.
