Brass Ship's Clock

A Little Story around the Brass Ship's Clock

The brass ship's clock was a present from his wife. It was mounted on the bulkhead next to the barometer where it was easy to see from out in the cockpit. A small light mounted just above the clock showed the cabin and the sleeping form of his wife in the starboard bunk. At least she was able to sleep finally. She had been sick for several days since the start of this storm.

In the cockpit, Morris was holding on to the tiller like it was going to get away from him. Indeed it might as the boat surfed down the face of one of the largest waves yet. At the bottom of the wave, the boat hesitated and then was suddenly climbing up the face of the next one. It was near dark and he had been at the helm for a long time without rest. It was too stormy to leave the boat to steer herself but if Morris didn't get a break soon, he was going to be in trouble. He glanced down into the cabin to look at the clock and marveled at how warm and cozy looking it was as opposed to how wild it was up on deck. He noted the time on the ship's clock. 20:25. He was just straightening up when he noticed a bright flash of light off to starboard. He turned to look in the direction of the light as the boat was just cresting the top of the wave. It was almost too dark to see now but in the fast fading light, he could see the endless lines of wave crests and off in the distance, again, the flashing light.

It was a strobe but he couldn't see what kind of vessel it was attached to. As the boat surfed down the wave again, he lost sight of the light. What could it be? They hadn't seen another vessel in days which wasn't surprising given their remote location in the Pacific. As the boat came back up on the next crest, he saw that he was gaining rapidly on the light. Now he could see that it was a bright yellow liferaft with a canopy and the light was fastened to the top of the canopy. He altered course slightly to intercept the liferaft though what he was going to do when he got to it, he was unsure. They were going too fast and the conditions didn't allow him the luxury of pulling along side for much of a look. As he pondered the situation, he looked aft and saw the boat hook attached to the backstay. He grabbed it and without thinking, made ready to snag whatever he could on the liferaft as he neared it. He didn't have long to prepare as they came up on the crest of the next wave. There, almost in front of the bow was the liferaft. He quickly tied off the tiller and without hesitation leaned over the rail with the boat hook in both hands. He stabbed out with the hook on the end and managed to snag the canopy as it went by. The pole was nearly yanked out of his grip but he hung on and was astonished when from the door opening of the raft, a small round face looked up at him.

"Grab the pole! Quick, grab the pole" he yelled over the roar of the waves and the wind. The boat was now in the trough between the waves and in the slight hesitation in the motion of the boat and the raft, he felt the pole being grabbed by a surprisingly strong hand. He pulled with all his might and the raft came quickly along side. Without a moment to lose, he reached down and at the same time as he let go of the pole, he made a wild grab at the hands that were reaching out to him. He felt the hands grab his. Despite the urgency of the situation, he noted that the hands seemed like they were very small. As he took the full weight of the person, he held those small hands in a death grip and swung the weight up and over the rail in one quick motion. The liferaft spun wildly and shot behind as they crested the wave and again began to surf down. Morris slumped down in the cockpit. He was exhausted.

"Thanks, Mister". The small voice came from the bundle of foul weather gear on the cockpit grating. He reached out and pushed the hood of the jacket away from the face. It was a little girl. A very cold and wet little girl with exhausted looking eyes.

" Was there anyone else on the liferaft?" Morris asked, as there was no time to waste.

" No sir, just me. Our boat was taking on water and my mom and dad put me in the liferaft and told me to wait for them. They were just going to get some jugs of water and some food and then get on the liferaft with me but they never came. The rope holding me to the boat let go and I just drifted away in the waves. I couldn't get back to them and they couldn't get to me because the boat was sinking." She began to cry and Morris picked her up and with one hand pulled the cabin doors open and pushed the hatch back. He stepped over the coaming and went down into the cabin. He was surprised by the quiet now that he was out of the wind. He stepped over to the sleeping form of his wife and nudged her awake. He stripped off the little girl's foulweather gear and found she was dry but cold in her shorts and t-shirt. He grabbed a towel and roughly dried the girl's hair.

His wife sleepily looked up and Morris just pushed the crying girl onto the bunk, under the warm covers with her. To her questioning eyes, Morris simply said, "I'll fill you in later but for now, just keep her company and try to get her warmed up. I've got to get up on deck and keep us on course." He glanced at the ship's clock and was astonished to see that only 15 minutes had passed since he had last looked. They had been a happy couple without a care in the world, just cruising the ocean and now they had a new crewmember who had lost her family and they had to figure out where to take her and what to do with her. How did all that manage to happen in such a short time?

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Well, that's just a little story for fun. I was looking at a photo I have of the cabin of one of the boats I used to own. There on the bulkhead is a brass ship's clock much like the one shown here. It made me think about sailing and being out at sea. Everyone should have a clock like this on their wall. It's great nautical decor with a very useful function. Keeping the time and making you feel like you're in the cabin of a boat on the ocean with adventure just over the next wave! Get one of these beautiful clocks for your home or as a gift for that salty adventurer in your life.

Nautical Decor such as Books, Model Boats, Balance Toys, Nautical Notecards, Marine Art, Oregon Coast Photos, Nautical Flower Planters, Sailor's Valentines...and more!