It is little wonder that the Greeks love blue. It dominates their world. All hues and shades can be found. We close our eyes at the end of the day and the memory of that azure blue sky adorned with pillows of white clouds remains. The sea is another shade, deep and dark, cerulean maybe or perhaps simply Mediterranean blue. It too wore highlights of white here and there periodically throughout our day. If one were asked to paint an image of the day, it might be quite simple, childlike perhaps, simply the sea and the sky with a few scattered islets, pale and somewhat blocky in shape, perched squarely on that interface between air and water. At least that is what one would draw looking out but a good part of the fascination of today consisted of looking up. When on an elegant sailing ship one cannot help but stare endlessly at the sails!
A day at sea is a pleasure always but today was special. It was a day sailing on the sea, not with engines throbbing but with sails unfurled. Like spiders on a web of interlacing lines our crew scampered up and down the rigging, first to loosen the sails and then to furl them for the night (a rather sad sight after the pleasures of the day). Four masts and their associated yardarms and all the attendant sails makes for a lot of lines, lines that seem logical to the crew but for us there is still much to learn. We thank the captain for his sailing lesson and recognize the years of experience needed just to understand the physics of our motion.
The luxury of time is often an unattainable goal. Today it was a gift given and received with gratitude. With gentle winds our headway was at times imperceptible while at others we enjoyed a stiffening breeze. But we were in no hurry. Our minds could wander freely to the ships of yesteryear and wonder where they came from and what destinations drew them on. The history of our own ship proved fascinating too. We wandered through the corridors and peeked into the lives of the rich and famous, those who once called this vessel home. Even today, life on the Sea Cloud could be described as “living on a cloud.”
