Winds of Fury by Peter Duysings

Author:Peter Duysings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2019-04-29T15:26:44+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CARIBBEAN BOUND

The roaring gusts of winds that constantly had blown the last few days suddenly abated. One moment the See Wolf was swiftly being carried southward; the next moment she lay dead in the water. It was as if the ship hit smack dab into a wall. The wall was not one of bricks that would have shattered the ship to pieces. It was not a wall of physical obstruction. Absolute calm had set in as if the wind had been seized by an invisible hand and whisked away. Encountering this abrupt stall produced a queasy feeling in the bellies of the crewmembers for they had never experienced this phenomenon before.

Becalmed, the See Wolf bobbed gently in the water under a shimmering sun and a sky devoid of clouds. The air seemed so thick the men thought they were doomed to suffocate. Not only was there a lack of drivable wind, but the air was horribly hot and balmy; even more so than in Savannah.

Fatefully, they had entered an equatorial trough where the hot air currents are raised high into the atmosphere, leaving the water surface as a motionless behemoth due to the prevailing winds being suppressed by a low-pressure zone. The nautical term coined by sailors was the doldrums or the equatorial calms – and for good reason. The scientific reason behind this natural phenomenon was not known, nor could be explained, but was a reality that blighted the best of sailors. Many a ship would be besieged for days on end waiting for the trade-winds to fill their sails, all the while drifting at the mercy of Mother Nature. If the schooner were small enough to be paddled along by oars from her own deck it would do so, but not this colossal vessel. If desperation settled in, they did have a method to move the ship along. However, that particular process was not only slow but a daunting physical task, which required many men. It meant lowering all eight rowboats filled with sailors manning oars. It had been done before, but making headway was slower than a handicapped turtle. If it meant doing so to survive, every live squid onboard including the officers would grit their teeth and attempt it.

Other captains told Heinrich he would likely encounter the doldrums but was still dumbfounded when the ship succumbed to it. There were not enough breezes to even ruffle the sails; they drooped lethargically. Being adrift without wind was more than a strange feeling. No one liked the condition of being a sitting target if their present proximity held an opposing ship bent on plundering. Heinrich, Otto, and Günter gathered at the helm discussing the situation.

“Let’s be patient, Heinrich.” Günter said to reassure his young captain, “The winds will start up again in time. We are at the mercy of the gods.”

Heinrich grunted and his brow furrowed in frustration. “What are you, some Norseman, who looks to Odin for favor? I do not think we have much choice in the matter, do we? Very odd though, don’t you think?” he asked no one in particular.

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