Welcome on my boat and hopefully I won’t kill you in my sleep

This Popeye looking boat in the harbour of Gibraltar was owned by Paul, a South African 65 years that agreed to host us in it, while we looked to hitch a ride to the Canary Island . In exchange he asked for an onion, a tomato, tobacco and rolling papers.

For a long time Paul had dreamt of navigating across the mediterranean and, after a long search, he came across this old fishing ship. It was not in the conditions to roam the seas, leaking in multiple points,and so he had embarqued in what he estimted to be a year long restauration process. Had he ever sailed before or did he have any boat experience, in both repairingand navigating them? Not at all, never set food behind a ship’s wheel in his life.

This is roughly what he said on the first night, just before going to bed.

“Oh by the way guys. If you hear me scream tonight, don’t worry too much about it. Lately it happens quite often. Sylvain (the Swiss hippy hitchhiker also staying on the boat in exchange of carpetery work) the other night got actually quite scared. Apparently I was screaming out of my lungs and woke him up. Yeah i was dreaming about this guy in front of me and I really wanted to kill him. So I started strangling him, as hard as i could, and punching him and then I think I stabbed him. It’s a bit of a problem, you know? One time I punched my wife on the face during one of this dream. No, not in the dream, my wife sleeping next to me. And the other day I finally woke up only because I hurt myself, banging my hand against the table. I mean i was standing a few meters from the bed. I think I need to go see a doctor about it. Well, anyway, goodnight guys.”

That night we only managed to sleep reassured by the thought that we were on the bottom floor and he was on the top. If he was going to try to kill us in his sleep we would have probably heard him coming. And anyway, Sylvain was sleeping between us and the stairs, so he would have probably got him first.