The Trackless Sea
Tenacity47
Thu 21 Jul 2011 16:27
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Bermuda sinks quickly below the horizon, a mid-Atlantic Brigadoon, leaving
us alone on the torn blue circle
of the ocean. Sun and clouds, waves with whitecaps in their endless
patterns. Only a few birds notice our passage.
The sea seems so vast, anonymous, trackless.
But we know exactly where we are. Half a dozen
wonderfully compact devices constantly update with our precise location.
I think they can tell which side of the boat I’m sitting on. With our
widgets and their waypoints, we chart our path north
and east, seeking out favorable winds and current.
Others have passed this way. Days, years, centuries ago.
Seeking what? Exploration, adventure, commerce;
they all had their reasons. And each of them subject to this endless circle
of sea and sky. As are we. Seeking what?
Well, the Azores, for one thing. (“Why don’t you just fly there?”) But
there is more, somewhere in this trackless blue
horizon. |