The voyage

On a cold, spring morning, a man stood on the dock admiring his ship. She was a beautiful ship, paint fresh as the day she became his with a smooth, sleek hull.

He loved his ship. She had carried him on many an adventure, and now, it was time for another.

He cast off the mooring line and hopped onto the boarding ladder as the tide gently pulled her away.

Once aboard, he set about making way, setting sail and moving the tiller, steering her towards the open sea.

He walked the deck, savouring the feel of the boards beneath his feet as the wind whispered in her sails, encouraging her to quicken her pace and break for freedom.

As the calm harbour waters gave way to the swells of the ocean, he placed an affectionate hand on the stern rail, a quiver of excitement running through him as he sensed her joy to be at sea once more.

At first he had been an awkward seaman, with only a rudimentary understanding of how to treat a ship. Those first outings had been difficult for him to manage, struggling to demonstrate a skill that he didn’t actually own. A struggle made easier by the ship herself. She anticipated and made up for his mistakes, not always riding the waves smoothly but always returning to an even keel.

She was his first real ship, and though he had sailed with her for eight years, he knew that he would never need another.

Her beauty never dimmed. He knew her better than he knew himself, and he was grateful for every voyage they shared together.

As the safety of the harbour faded into the distance, he felt no fear.

He turned towards the horizon and smiled in anticipation, for his love was taking him on yet another new adventure.

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David Alliband