Night Watch

It was a warm and clear night; I had just taken the last wheel watch on board the Addie – Lee. She was the pride of her fleet, measuring close to ninety feet from bow to stern: her colors were bright, clean white with a sharp contrasting red bow and mast. As I stood in the half –moon shaped wheel house, I could see another world passing in front of me, as if I had the balcony seat at a theater. Pale colors of red, green and white flickered all around me as the passing shrimpers rolled by on gentle turquoise seas. As I looked out the bow window I could see our massive anchor line lying neatly on the deck,

Suddenly an abrupt static filled the cabin, two shrimpers on the ship to shore radio were jabbering about there catch. I reached back and turned the volume down so the captain wouldn’t be awakened. Now the cabin was quiet and dark and it seemed almost eerie. Only the red lights of the navigation system reflected against the windows. I stood at the helm, holding the smooth spoke wheel as we slowly pushed forward through the endlessly cresting waves.

We were dragging our nets behind us until the glimmer of dawn would find the crew gathered on the back deck: It was there that we would wait in anticipation to see what fish treasures the ocean would yield. I stood listening to the constant low purr of our diesel engines, when the smell of freshly brewed coffee raised form the galley and broke through the stale cabin air. The

smell reminded me of home, a home that seemed a thousand miles away.