Modern Day Flying Dutchman

Page 1

The half inch wire for the port side cargo hook had parted and Eddie was up on the very tip of the boom clamping in a new wire to the shackle on the booms dog ear.
This was not the kind of weather that anyone wanted to be up there in, but it had to be done and Eddie was the boats engineer.

It was about 4:30AM and the Skipper was running the Oceania down sea or with the tide to keep the boat as steady as possible in the confused and building 20 foot cross seas while the repairs were made.

Eddie’s dory mate Paul, was on deck directly below Eddie reaving the picking block when he saw Eddie slip as the Oceania got rolled way over on her port beam by a huge, and freak sea that came roaring in out of nowhere.
Every man on deck saw Eddie’s 60 foot plunge from orange tipped picking boom into the raging, inky black sea. In less than two minutes all sight of Eddie was lost. Eddie was gone!
The owner of the Oceania had made all of his boats unmistakable by painting the cross trees as well as the tips of the masts and booms a bright orange while the rest of the rigging was a bright white.

The Skipper immediately sent out a May Day and the drags were hauled back as fast as possible.
Nine boats were within 20 miles of the Oceania, and everyone who could help look for Eddie quickly had their fishing gear on deck and the search began in earnest.
All of them were far enough offshore that the May Day had to be relayed from boat to boat over the VHF until one was close enough to land for the Coast Guard to be informed. Immediately two Lear jets, a C-130 and three Sikorsky helicopters were in the air.
It really was all for naught though, and everyone knew it. NO way could Eddie have survived more than fifteen minutes in such raging seas and frigid water, even if the fall itself had not killed him (survival suits had not yet been invented).
But Eddie had survived the fall with it’s impact into the icy water, and for a brief time he fought to keep his head above water only to see the Oceania quickly disappear among the spray and madly churning seas that were doing their best to drag him down into the unknown depths.

The Sun soon enough rose and by noon it was no longer a search for a survivor but a search for Eddie’s body. 24 hours later the search was suspended indefinitely.


Continued

Page 2

Eddie laid there in a fog trying to get his eyes to focus on what was around him. Eddie could not understand why he was lying in a rack, warm and dry. After a few minutes he sat up and realized he was in the Foc’sle of what appeared to be the Oceania. How had they gotten him back? Where was everyone? As he swung his legs over the sideboard of his rack he couldn’t help but vomit, his head was spinning wildly, making it hard to focus on where he was. After a minute or two he stood and caught himself by grabbing the ladder that led up to the deck. It was cold in the galley, the stove was not even lit.

After slowly making his way up on deck he sat on the forward hatch for a minute to steady himself. His head was pounding and he couldn’t stop shivering. Stranger still, there didn’t seem to be anyone on board.
Eddie shouted again and as he stumbled his way aft he realized, nothing on the boat was running, nothing.
Deciding to go ashore he made his way up to the rail using the gallows for support and stepped ashore.
Looking around he was shocked to find the boat was tied up to the end of the palisade on Nantucket Island.
With his feet now on firm ground he began to quickly feel better, and then he saw the name painted on the bow, Commodore.
It couldn’t be. The Commodore was lost with all hands two years earlier during a Christmas trip and nothing of it or the crew had ever been found.
Maybe it was a boat registered in Maine, ran through his mind.
Eddie began to slowly walk up the dock towards town but he kept looking back at the boat.
It’s mast and boom tips were painted the bright orange he would expect to see but that just made it all the more confusing.
As he stood there looking the boat over, he heard someone yell out, Eddie, hey Eddie, is that you?
He turned to see his dory mate from the Oceania standing there looking at him like he was seeing a ghost.
Paul came running and wrapped Eddie up in a bear hug and the two men just stood there hugging and crying.
When Paul was finally able to ask, how it was possible, how was it that Eddie be there, Eddie turned to point at the Commodore, but for some reason Eddie later said, he was not shocked to see no boat tied up where the Commodore had been. There was not a single boat tied up alongside the pier.

The commotion that was stirred up around the docks and with various authorities by this strange story was almost beyond description.
Everyone was accused of making the whole thing up. To a man, every fisherman that had been aboard the Oceania the night Eddie went over, never went to sea again.

As for Eddie, he ended up living his life out working on a huge cattle ranch in Wyoming. Riding the range on horseback, repairing fence lines was enough to make him happy.
He never again even gazed upon the ocean, any ocean.


The End

Another captivating story, from beginning to end!

Thank You!

Want to see what Scalloping is really like?
I found a great video.
I fished with Welchy on The Westport..

m.youtube.com...






a reply to: nugget1

I'd like you to check your PM (private-mail) box.

Thanks!
Johnny

Disregard this story as an entry for the contest.
It will be my last.
Adios ATS!!!

originally posted by: PiratesCut
Thank You!

Want to see what Scalloping is really like?
I found a great video.
I fished with Welchy on The Westport..

m.youtube.com...






a reply to: nugget1

One great story and one hell of a video !

a reply to: PiratesCut

Excellent ghostly story, PiratesCut!

Is this an old seafaring legend or from your own imagination? Either way, it's compelling and makes my mind wonder at the mystery.

originally posted by: PiratesCut
Disregard this story as an entry for the contest.
It will be my last.
Adios ATS!!!

Oh, no!! I hope you aren't leaving PiratesCut; you're much to valuable a member to leave! ATS needs quality members and writers, and that means you!

a reply to: Encia22

My bad, I missed the clue in the title. Your story is an excellent adaptation of the Flying Dutchman legend.

Dude, sorry to hear your bowing out and departing ATS. Good wishes for your endeavours and may fair winds speed you goosewinged to prosperity.

Your sure welcome back anytime

a reply to: PiratesCut