Night  Watch

It’s 12:15AM January 10th and I am in my cabin after completing my first night watch. I don’t know when this will be posted as we are on day one of our 4 day crossing from Thailand to the Andaman Islands and there is no wifi connection in the middle of the Andaman Sea. Only men who hunt fish in the inky black darkness on boats that glow green in the night sky and have pulleys and winches and steel arms that all moan under the weight of nets the size of houses as they hoist in the catch of the night. They do all of this so you and I can have calamari at Thursday happy hour.

Night watch. It reminded me of a moment in my life when I realized I missed an opportunity. Something maybe we all have done. In my last year at Vincent Massey Secondary I met a beautiful adventurous girl. Her name was Elizabeth Pope. We never had classes together. As a matter of fact until we were in the final school play together I don’t think we had ever spoken. The play was “Everything in the Garden” by Edward Albee. It was a fun show to do.  Something I had never done before. Anyway after the show was over the cast party was at the Madrid Hotel in Windsor, Ontario. They had a lounge on the second floor with a small jazz band. You have to remember this was early 70’s. Lounges were big at that time. The band had a flute player who is now a big player in the Detroit jazz scene. His name Alexander Zonjic. Alex fronted the band with his flute playing and they were playing Chicago’s Colour my World for last call. So of course I asked Elizabeth to dance. We dated from that moment on. It didn’t last more than a year as I was too stupid to realize she was more important than what I was focused on at the time. Not long after we split she packed a backpack and headed to London England. Elizabeth kept in touch sending letters describing what it was like to be in London and live as a squatter. People who lived in abandoned buildings because they could do it for free and landlords were having a hard time evicting them. As the temps cooled she headed south. I didn’t here from her for awhile after her departure from London. Then one day a letter arrived. It was from Elizabeth. Written while she was on night watch on a sailboat going from the Med to the Caribbean. She described the moon on the water, the abundance of marine life. What it felt like to have whales surface beside the boat. Elizabeth was sharing with me what she knew to be my dream. It was something I will never forget. I never heard from her again and have no idea where Elizabeth ended up or where she is today. What I do know is that I missed an opportunity. So, to Elizabeth, wherever you are I am finally joining you on an amazing adventure.

Time to sleep. The moon is glistening on the water and the warm wind is gently pulling us North. 

Until my next post be safe and live the adventure.