UFOs and Aliens

My watch partner, the Chief Mate, and I saw what can only be described as a
UFO. It was at the time of morning when the sky just begins to blue and I
thought it was Venus rising, until I realized I could visibly see it moving.
It wasn't a plane (no lights) and from the way it was lit it appeared to be
in low orbit and quite sizable. The Mate said it looked like exactly like
the International Space Station passing overhead, a rare event he witnessed
off the coast of Canada and what we initially thought we might be seeing,
until the object changed course by 45 degrees and went behind a cloud bank.
We are not alone.

The Great Dane, who I relieve at 0345 (he's on the 12x4 watch), told me he
saw a comet and he pointed at a place in the sky where clouds obscured any
visible confirmation. He's quite astronomically knowledgeable and has a
tracking telescope at home, so I have no reason to doubt him, but try as I
might I never located it before it was gone. Stupid clouds. And now I just
read about an asteroid that is to pass over the Indian Ocean at 0345 on the
13th while we're in Egypt- hopefully I can see the sky and look for it when
it passes nearby.

I saw the green flash again last night. And the sky was cloudless last
night, too, and clear, clear, clear... on the stern I enjoyed the vivid,
moonless skies I saw all last trip where the sea is lit by starlight alone,
aided only a little by the generic bioluminescence referred to simply as the
"green glow," the only, temporary, telltale of our ship's passing.

I watched the mountainous shores of Somalia and Yemen (or is it Saudi
Arabia- I forget) slide by on either side as we passed through the Bab el
Mandeb while I painted handrails, today. And this afternoon we passed a
group of islands in the middle of the Red Sea that are made of volcanic
vents, some old, some new, and that are listed on the chart as "Active
Volcanic Activity." Apparently a military base was nailed and many people
killed there by an eruption when the Old Man was still new to the sea... and
I have no name of the islands for you b/c I didn't write it down (again).

Today we are in dark jade colored seas composed of squid ink waters that
churn to a color and texture of green-smoked agate. We have 2 - 3 meter
following swells with whitehorses and light, puffy cumulous clouds clustered
off over the Somaliland's territorial waters. Visibility is about 18
nautical miles, the wind is light and following, it is simply gorgeous out
and 75 degrees F.

I have decided to purchase my own copies of Bowditch Volumes 1 and 2, as
well as Publication 9. And "Captain Joe's" study guides for a more advanced
license, as well... a referral from the Mate.

I was taking the elevator from the main deck up to the bridge two days ago.
The elevator, of course, went down all the way to the tanktop, first, to
pick up the First Engineer and the Reefer- a ride that creates a
simultaneous sick pleasure and irrational anger deep in my heart due to the
elevator games mentioned in earlier posts- when the First got his ponytail
caught in the elevator door. He tried to step forward but his head's motion
was checked, of course, by his captured hair so he just stood there, facing
me, while the Reefer mocked him.

This is the same guy who, several days ago, passed out on the pool deck
while we were in high risk waters and in full lock-down. The Mate and I
took turns going aft of the bridge and shining our flashlights down on him
to make sure he was still alive and sharing our incredulity at his
bone-headedness. Lock down means he got locked out. And there were rains
squalls on all sides. Unfortunately, he awoke and caught us shining our
lights down on him so we had to let him in, but it did NOT save him from a
public dressing-down by the Old Man at the next Fire & Boat Drill. I
desperately wanted him to get awakened by torrential rain only to find the
doors secured fast... alas, my primitive, monkey brain was denied such sick
pleasure.

Remember: Don't be a lightning rod.

And I have yet to find a single sailor aboard who believes the Egyptians
built the pyramids... it is more plausible to everyone that they were built
by aliens than Egyptians, a damning testament if there ever was one. In
fact, with no additional goading at all, by simply mentioning the pyramids
you will be hit by an angry, vehement tirade to this effect with NO irony
whatsoever. I have tested this odd bit of trivia several times and the
consensus is 100%... and I laugh, and I laugh... but the point is hard to
argue. Visit any port in Egypt, transit the ditch and deal with the port
officials and longshoremen, and you can't help but agree.