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I, THE SEA TRAMP

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Bianca
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« on: March 09, 2009, 09:06:18 pm »













Each sailing season from late spring to early autumn, I blissfully bargain between wind and waves for the salaries of the men who depend on me. My Skipper and his three mates must cram into close quarters, since I am mostly undecked and only 14 meters (45' 6") long, with a beam just one-third of that. To provide for both their livelihood and their living quarters, there is scarcely a place to stand on me except the bow and stern. At each port, the Skipper takes on consignments of one kind or another, hauling whatever can be safely stowed aboard. At the moment, my cargo is 20 metric tons of African grain headed for the hungry citizens of Athens; they, like many other Greeks, are suffering a dire food shortage following several years of crop failure. Fortunately, that boy from Macedonia has just conquered the Persian Empire and thus opened up rich areas like Egypt as a ready source for our daily bread. Many frustrated Greeks naturally blame the gods for creating this food crisis, but I say, give the gods credit for creating Alexander.

Normally I carry burdens of wine and small luxury items rather than grain, but most anything will do. Empty ships fill no purses. I keep fairly close to land and leave the big loads and open waters to vessels that carry 165 tons or so and are specially designed for long hauls. No one my size likes to tie up next to one of those floating monsters in port, but they will never put me out of business: Few investors envy the risks they pose. Since about a third of all cargoes sink, my loss could be tolerated, whereas the wreck of a single supership can instantly bankrupt a lot of unfortunate people. By dividing a major shipment into small consignments distributed among several modest coast-huggers like me, bankers and wholesalers can stay afloat even if one of their rented ships does not. So far, I have made everybody happy by keeping my hull off the bottom of the sea.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2009, 09:07:17 pm by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

Your mind understands what you have been taught; your heart what is true.


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