Before I write, I wanted to preface this with the fact that this is a true story. This is 5 minutes worth of my experience when I was back on land in the US visiting my 'land kids' while my husband, younger son and youngest daughter were on the ocean on our sailboat. They were sailing from Turks & Caicos to the Dominican Republic and got caught in a storm. We communicated by way of their satellite phone that was able to send me messages that I got on my laptop, as well as a locator that showed me on a map where they were and how far they traveled. It updated about every 5-15 minutes I think. I had been following them for a week or so, since they had left Georgetown, Bahamas on their way to Puerto Rico.
This is my recollection of the experience, very close to one year ago.
(Beginning 5 minute freewrite challenge now)
"That was a big wave!" I get the message from my husband after he has been out on the ocean for a day, I think. He left T&C when it probably wasn't the best timing, but wanted to miss the big storm that was coming in a few days.
Well, of course weather doesn't cooperate with forecasts and the storm hit earlier than it was supposed to. It doesn't help that the engine isn't working in the boat any longer and they were stuck of eerily still seas for a day, making it impossible for them to get far enough to miss the storm.
He tells me that they're stuck in a sudden storm in 12 ft waves.
I choke down my anxiety. There is nothing I can do but wait for them to get past it.
I track their progress and watch the little dot moving slowly, inching across my laptop screen as I try to imagine their journey. We've been on the boat in bad weather before and it was awful, but nothing like this. I can't imagine what it's like.
I wonder if my daughter is feeling motion sickness. If she's scared. If my son is worried at all. If my husband even has time to reassure them... or if he honestly even can.
After a while, I don't remember how long, I get the message "Holy shit! Rogue wave! the mast just crashed through the pilot house."
My anxiety is paralyzing me. I don't move. I sit and hear nothing else. No more messages. The dot on my screen doesn't move.
Still not moving. I swallow my fear, but it sits in my stomach like a lump of molten lava. I'm going to be sick. I sit. Unmoving. Terrified, but paralyzed still. There is absolutely not one fucking thing that I can do.
I can't cry. I can't help. I can't speak. I can't think. I don't know who to talk to or what to say. I imagine my family in the storm, fighting the waves, terrified and stuck. Trapped in a storm. Nothing to be done.
I watch, but the dot doesn't move. Not at all. Not for hours. The minutes tick by and I alternate between sickening dread and furious anger. I'm hoping that I can just be angry. That something stupid happened and the radio/GPS system is just down.
Over four hours later... I still haven't moved, staring at the screen. A message pops up.
"Sorry! The storm died down and I fell asleep, accidentally turning off the GPS/sat phone..."
They were okay.
I was a complete wreck.
Photos are mine. Both shots of our boat during our nearly 2 year adventure :)
Prompt: Big Wave
Set your timer for 5 minutes
Start writing
Use the hashtag #freewrite
Publish your piece (include a link to this post if you wish)