Forgive Me Father DAVID

Heavenly Goddess

David took a spare blanket from the cupboard and sat on the small sofa, with a quite fuck it, He swallowed half of a bottle of Dom Perignon 2008 Champagne and with an aching groin he took himself off to bed, placing the blanket on the sofa and using a cushion as a pillow. It seemed as though he had just dropped off when he rolled over, jerking from the dream he had just had. ″Jesus what am I doing″ he whispered to himself. He sat up and reached for the glass of water on the cabinet, spilling the glass of water over the sofa and his hand, drinking what was left. David got up and had a cold shower and a quick shave, threw on a shirt and trousers and walked through to breakfast.

After breakfast David moved the Goddess to the oiling point and topped up with fuel and water, he had more than enough left but he was cautious and always topped up everything when he could. After all, at sea you never know what might happen. From the oiling point he took the Goddess back to the jetty and then went ashore for some fresh food, tins were okay but fresh was better. After returning from the store, he plotted the course for the day, made notes of landmarks along the way and put a rough time he would expect to see them. It was already nearly mid day, that would mean arriving at the destination, a small sheltered anchorage with a totally unpronounceable Aboriginal name, in the early evening.

David put the starboard engine to slow ahead and as the Goddess pushed forward, the forward breast rope pulled the bow in and kicked the stern out away from the wall. He walked forward, released the rope from the cleat until it was slack enough for the kind fisherman to lift it clear of the bollard and drop it onto the deck. David walked back to the bridge and the fisherman, dropped onto the deck. David went astern on the port engine and the Goddess, with the fisherman coiling the ropes, moved backwards into the middle of the harbour.

David turned the wheel to port and stopped the port engine as the Goddess did a slight curve to port. He put the port engine ahead and the starboard engine astern and the wheel amidships the Goddess turned on the spot until she was almost facing the entrance and then David put both engines on slow ahead, as the Goddess felt her way out into the open sea. It had taken some days to arrive at Port of Immingham

David had been out for three hours when the radio which was always set on the emergency frequency burst into life. ″ Port of Immingham Coastguard to all shipping message timed at 1550 GMT hours - large volcanic eruption 500 miles of Antarctica, expect extremely large surges. Wave height 70 feet speed 175 MPH, expected to arrive off our coast in the next 90 minutes″. David reached for the chart he was going to have to ride the wave, the Goddess had been built for the open ocean. David notified the coastguard of his position and turned the Goddess to meet the wave when it came. The coastguard notified him that HMAS Dido was in his area and was making its way to him.

He reached for the copy of Jane’s fighting ships and discovered she was a destroyer of 8000 tons, more like a World War 2 cruiser. David acknowledged after an hour, three trawlers appeared behind him. He recognised two of them from the Bridlington Bay, they were both well found ships built for these waters though not necessarily 70 foot waves. They had left the bay rather than risk being caught with no where to go. David called them on the radio and suggested they should stay in company and they agreed. Soon, the Dido joined them and took charge instructing them to remain behind her.

David picked up the handset and called the Dido acknowledging the order. Dido then asked him to identify himself, David spoke into the handset ″Captain William Brownlow Royal Navy. Ship Heavenly Goddess on route from Port of Immingham to Bridlington Bay. Did you say Captain RN?″ ″Yes″. After a pause long enough for the Dido to confirm he was still on the active list and Dido called him. ″Sir this is Commander Jameson as senior officer do you want to take charge?″ ″Would you prefer me too?″ ″Frankly yes sir I would″. ″OK in that case I want you to rig hoses of your booms and when the wave is here lay a carpet of oil in front of the trawlers, then signal them to remain in your oil trail that should give them more of a chance″. ″Aye, aye″ came the reply and the radio went dead.

David picked up his glasses from around his neck and looked at the Dido. Parties of seaman were rigging the booms on both sides and others were securing canvas hoses along there length. Once that was done a seaman sat astride the booms, punched a series of holes in the hoses with a knife and then climbed back on board. Others were rigging life lines around the decks and the trawlers were doing the same.

As the Goddess neared, David swung the glasses ahead of the Goddess and he saw a long hump heading towards him and so braced himself for the ride of his life. The wave when it came was huge, David ordered the Dido to lay her carpet of oil and the trawlers to follow the Dido as closely as they could. All acknowledged, and then no one had time to worry about anyone else. The Goddess’s bow began to rise and as it rose her stern, dug deeper! David moved the Morse controls forward and felt the twin engines speed up to his touch, soon they were on full ahead as the Goddess climbed the wall of water until she reached the top. She levelled off and her propellers were pushing air not water. The Goddess was shaking violently, David stopped the engines and the Goddess teetered on the top of the wave and as it passed under her, her head dropped as she headed down the back of the wave, as soon as the propellers were under water again David moved the Morse controls to half astern.

As the propellers gripped the water the headlong plunge down, slowed, and then the bows were sinking into the trough of the wave as the water crept along the fore-deck down, down she went until with a shudder she shook her bows clear and started to climb the next wave, this time with her engines on full ahead. David was untroubled, as though he was watching cricket on a village green. The Goddess was still climbing waves but these were no where near as big as they had been for the previous two hours. He looked out at the shore and thought it was about time he had some tea, taking a quick look behind him at Dido, her bow was above the wave and he could see 100 feet of her hull was clear of the water.

David made three trawlers put oil on the sea. It holds the surface of the water together and makes it easier for small boats to survive. It sort of glues the surface water together. The radio burst into life, the Dido had to leave a merchant ship, cargo had shifted and she was listing the crew who was trying to put it back where it belonged and had asked for assistance. David put the engines to full ahead and then sent her up the back of the next wave. She rolled wickedly and the top of her mast gyrated across the sky wickedly. The merchant man was asking for any ships to stand by them. David acknowledged and the Dido’s engines kicked into life and as the sea astern of her bubbled, her bow wave grew and she was charging off smashing her way through the waves, sending sheets of water right over her bridge 40 feet above sea level. David had to turn her and that was going to be fun.

There was still heavy sea running and the waves was still big. ″I have to turn her on the top of a wave or she will roll over″ David thought to himself. ″Now is as good a time as any″. David looked intently at the waves, he saw one he liked and as it was passing under the Goddess he gunned the engines forcing her to climb. Just before the crest, he put the starboard engine full astern and the wheel hard a starboard, the Goddess’s head turned until she lay along the length of the wave. David waited and waited and then the Goddess was going round. As she came round he stopped both engines which were in any case doing nothing as the propellers were out of the water and, as she headed down into the trough he slowed her descent on the engines. A warning came, another large wave was coming up behind. David was now worried, he did not know exactly where he was, then the dolphins came, a whole school of them. They shot passed the Goddess, one of them stood on his tail looking at him as though to say follow us, it then dived into the water and a succession of them swam back, swimming along side both sides of the Goddess leading her towards the shore.

Soon David could see the waves breaking but one part did not break and ran right to the beach. David increased speed and put the wheel hard-a-port and entered the calm water. The Goddess ran along at slow ahead until she came to a wide area where he stopped engines and then let go of the anchor. Two hours later with both bow anchors down so as to keep her head to sea and two stern anchors laid from the dingy the Goddess was as snug as David could make her. As a precaution against any large wave getting over, he packed a four man tent and some sleeping and cooking gear into the Dingy and rowed to the shore. The camping gear he loaded onto a small sack barrow and securing the dingy to a tree as high up the beach as he could he pulled the sack barrow half a mile inland and set up camp by a small stream.