Athena log 6 – Friday December 6th 2013 – 13
58.17 N / 36 25.27 W
I know the world is round. I’ve always known it. I learnt it as a child. There may be some flat-earth-theorists
left but I’ve never been one. I
know the earth is round. I sit on a
small boat, on a vast ocean, with a full-circle view of water to an unbroken
horizon. The sensation of being
atop a great sphere, rolling on an on, round and round, is stark and real. It surprises and delights
me.
We make our way along this surface but it is
unending. The rolling seas and
white-horse capped waves create an everchanging sameness, day after windblown
day. We pass our time in our boat,
our capsule, our little home, in this great alien environment. Protected within, we go about our daily
routine. It is as a little world,
our world, our earth, floating around in a vast alien universe. Cosy within, we are all right. But we daren’t step off. Outside, there is no sympathy for those
who do not belong. Inside we are
safe.
We travel for days and do not see a living soul, beyond
our own shell. During my watch, I
constantly scan the horizon. All
around, as far as the eye can see, not a single sign of human life outside
Athena. This is the true
wilderness.
Brian
PS
Philip asked
me to extend further thanks for all the birthday messages relayed by Muirish
(Ground Control – Dublin) from family and friends and from our sister ship Misfa
now happily making way west after a brief pit stop in Mindelo, Cape Verde. We
heard we’d given Misfa an excuse for a party last night in celebration of
Philips birthday. If they need any further excuses for a party jus send us an
email and we’ll oblige!
John