Sephina - Ship Ahoy

0330UTC Wednesday.

"Skipper, there's a ship coming up astern, very fast".

I was off watch, sound asleep for a change when Pete shook me awake wanting to call the ship on VHF to establish it's intentions. Now to set the scene, since the fleet seperated south of Gran Canaria, we'd seen two ships within the first few days, and then two yachts (neither in the ARC) and the top of another mast at some distance (so other vessels had been a bit of a rarity). It was a clear startlit morning dark enough to see the Milky Way (no not the kind you can eat between meals without ruining your appetite).

"It looks like a cruise liner, lots of lights along the side, but I can't make out the Nav lights yet" says Pete.

I climbed out of my bunk, carefully negotiating over Robin's bunk so as to try and not wake him unnecessarily, and made my way to the companionway, thinking, 'if it's coming fast enough to worry Pete, then it must be the Queen Mary 2'. "If you can see all along the side, how is it coming toward us then" asked I. On closer inspection, it appeared (to my sleep fuddled brain) to be becoming airborne. Just then, the cloud bank shifted, and lo and behold, there's a pale white crescent slowly ascending into the heavens. "Which VHF channel do you think we should use then Pete, 16 or 77 ?"