Worst is the best possibility...

Propellers couldn’t pull back the boat in water & so we jumped overboard to push the boat out but receding tide being swift, the keel of boat was soon visible. After whole day of survey along the coast around Rameshwaram our boat had hit the mud.

The water ebbed. We were grounded on a beautiful wet beach. To pull our boat back in water we had to wait till high tide at 1AM. Message regarding the same was transmitted to the mother ship.

The chetak (chopper) landed on the beach with our EXO (Executive Officer) walking out of it. Expected to proceed on leave tomorrow, it seemed with us he too is struck.

Our clothes were wet and with dusk it began getting cold. Few fishermen came over to make inquiries & offered help. Fifteen thousand bucks they demanded.

Not very long ago the seafarers would offer help for goodwill which now had been expediently replaced by moolah. Help is out of fashion; only service is available for a price.  We thanked them for their offer & bid them bye.

The chopper revisited to drop our dinner. “With the cost of the fuel in choppers sortie we could have feast here” …someone grumbled. Humans never cease imagining better things.

In damp clothes we lay on the beach in murky no moon night. My wife once said, “Time never is bad, only how we take it”. I relished the thought but the frigid sea breeze perturbed me. To beat the cold I went running around …while few followed others coiled themselves around each other.

We tied long thick ropes to haul the boat. Midnight the water raised enough to stroke the boat. I pulled at the far end of the long rope. Gradually the boat floated. The waves pushed it further in while with the thick lines we lugged it to sea. Two of the crew mounted the boat.

The engine roared. The coxswain set the propellers & the boat stirred. It was a moment of triumph. Few of the crew clambered up the boat as it headed towards sea. At far end of lines, we cheerful of our accomplishment & tired of drawing the lines released it while the boat steered clear to the open sea.

It struck upon that we still not onboard would have to fritter night in bitter cold in drenched clothes. The beach too was reclaimed by the sea. It was either to act or endure. I instinctively decided to act.

I clinched the line & swam to the boat. Almost immediately did I realize that I clasping to the rope was being towed by the boat. It sailed full ahead (max. speed) & nobody onboard appeared to have noticed me.

Two prospects awaited me; either someone would pull the rope & I’ll be onboard or finding hard to retrieve the rope make good use of seaman knife. Chop the line and depart.

I am a good swimmer but in neap tides when waves are towering worst is the best possibility.

Apart from engine I could hear faint sounds of the men on the boat. Before long I could hear them yell & then I could recognize the voices … I was being heaved in. While all were jubilant, I having spent almost half an hour floating was happy to be onboard and alive.

Life goes on with revelry & …adventure!