The deck seems so beautiful ... Green and White ! Had it been heavy snow, we won't be seeing green at all ... Fresh epoxy paint we applied all the way while coming to this beautiful port of Novorossyisk ... ladies in steel all around ... the most beautiful ones are near the pier by the breakwater ...
While entering I was in forward station ... still a new recruit ... learning the ropes ... I remember dropping anchor ... the port one ... captain had ordered ... "let go port anchor" ... then after long silence ... I saw a tugboat approaching ... they were shouting something ... were they asking for heaving line ... nope ... cigaarettay commandante ... F U ... take the line up your ass cheeks and pull our ropes you bloody scoundrels ... that's what I heard next ... and then I remember myself running ... running from bits to bollards ... passing on the rope ... turning the winch wheels in the outward direction ... till the time ropes reached the pier ... they put it diligently around the staghorn ... heave ... heave ... and then I heard captain asking everyone to heave all tight and we are "all fast" ... yes we were ... who could be "slow" ... but now with rain water dripping from the edge of my helmet, I felt homesick ... Mummy ... Papa ... I miss you !
I remember cycling in rains when I was a kid ... especially near the giant open granite mine in Bharra Basti near my home in Bokaro ... it was an open pit mine ... they called it a quarry I think ... cycling all the way down like a helix around the periphery of the giant pit used to be sheer fun ... and then there was a green color lake in the crater formed out of the pit ... Atlas cycle ... yup ... this was my cycle ... those were the days ...
And then these are also days ... the way I miss those days of childhood that I spent in cycling around the green forests and overflowing rapid rivers in my small hometown ... must be the same way I'd miss these days that I spend on ships ... amen !! Can't take more of it ... Well ... Why? ... Let's think on that later dude ! ...
Chief calls me on walkie-talkie ... "Cadet, the pumping has stopped. There's a 3 day long strike in the port. We won't be doing any cargo operations for 3 days, all going well. So secure up everything and we stay all fast. Shut the manifold valve. Shut the drop valves too on your way back to CCR." 5 minutes hence I was in CCR.
"Cadet, you should push off now. It's been more than a day you have been awake. Take a break !"
"Sir, can I please go out in the evening sir ? With my mates ? It's been long since I last took a shore leave, Sir !"
"Okay, but what would you do outside ? It's been snowing ! You won't find anything open."
"We will see Sir. I just wish to take a break. Hope that's fine."
"Yes yes. That sounds "determined" ... I dare not stop you ... eh ? ... Go and have fun :-)"
(After 2 hours)
We 2 mates are walking down the gangway, almost running :-)
Few of the best moments onboard are the ones in which you're running out of the ship ... Trust me !
It's like ... you get "grounded" when you leap off the last step of the gangway and land on the wharf :-)
Snowing had got mild and it was the perfect moment for us to move out.
So, basking in complete joy, we headed for the tanker terminal's gate. It might have taken me around 15 mins to come in viewing range of the terminal security personnel who were guarding the gate. Showed our passports and shore passes, I specifically showed a cheshire smile (the one which we Indians tend to enact in front of unassuming white folks) and asked for permission to exit.
"This way please sir !" He stepped on the side and showed me the way to the gate. Woah ! That was fast :-)
My mate's name was Imtiaz Ali. He had been on ship for few less months than me and was almost same age.
And that's why we shared a very good rapport with each other. Fortunately, this was the first shore leave where we were going out together.
We took a cab from terminal's gate and asked him to drop us at the nearest cyber cafe.
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