The first time I took the helm, my pulse accelerated like a machine gun, while my fingers trembled in their white-knuckle grip on the big wheel. I had never even driven a car, so I had no background from which to steer a five-hundred-foot ship with any hope of arriving anywhere close to our intended destination. The fact that there was nothing for me to bump into helped allay some of my initial panic. Once I got the hang of it, it was actually kind of fun. I was proud of the fact that I started my driving career by tooling a 500-footer around the Pacific Ocean! But after a few days, the novelty wore off and monotony set in. There were no mountains or buildings; no roads; no hitch-hikers to liven the scenery; just me with my feet planted in the same spot, hour after hour, keeping both compass needs in their appointed positions.
I never needed to look out on the ocean during my watch, just focus on the compasses. Full moon and stars, sunrises and
sunsets were wonderful beyond description. A sparkling moonlit
path on the water led all the way from our ship to the horizon.
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