4. FIRST DAY SAILING

The next morning when I woke up, the ship was still at berth. We were scheduled to leave for Singapore in the evening, so I decided to explore the ship once again.

My first stop was the CCR(Cargo Control Room), where Smith was busy with Chief Officer discussing cargo operations. My mind was overflowing with questions-what is this, what is that? The 3rd officer, who was on cargo watch duty, patiently explained everything to me. He told me that the CCR controls the cargo pumps, the tank gauging system, the nitrogen system, and is full of computers that monitor’s the ship’s operations.

After that I went to messroom. There were two of them-one for officers and one for the crew. The officer’s messroom had a big dining table, and I noticed that the center-most chair belonged to the captain. To his right sat the Chief Officer, and to his left, the Chief Engineer. Out of curiosity, I sat on the Chief officer’s chair. Soon the GS(General Steward) served breakfast-chicken sausages, bread toast, cheese omelet, and orange juice. It not only looked delicious but also tasted wonderful.

I then peeked into the galley-that is what the kitchen is called on ships. It had three hot plates for cooking, a large fridge, a cutting table for vegetables, a spice rack, utensils racks, and a wash basin. Everything was so neatly arranged that I instantly started dreaming of cooking there someday.

By evening, our ship was ready to unberth. A pilot boarded to guide the ship out of the port. And that was the moment I saw Smith in his full uniform for the very first time-white shirt, black pants, epaulettes with four golden stripes, and polished black shoes. I was spellbound. My heart skipped a beat, and I fell for him all over again.

As the ship slowly began to move, I noticed even the water bottles shaking gently with the ship’s motion, a sound I can still remember vividly. Two tugboats were towing the ship with thick ropes and I could not believe I was witnessing all this with my own eyes.

I stood on the bridge, watching Smith command his officers with such confidence and authority. He was no longer just my husband- he was “CAPTAIN.” My pride in him grew deeper than ever.

By the time, the sun set, we were already out in the open sea. Exhausted but happy, I went to bed early.

The next morning, Smith gently woke me up and asked me to look out of the porthole just above my bed. What I saw took my breath away-water everywhere. Nothing else. I had never seen anything so vast, so clean and so endlessly beautiful. I quickly ran to the bridge to take in the full view. My heart was full of gratitude to GOD for giving me this chance to witness such pure beauty of nature.

It was going to be a six days and seven nights voyage to Singapore and I was filled with curiosity about what awaited me on the way.