The captain sat at the cockpit table, staring at the chart of the Pacific. He plotted their location as 321 miles northeast of Fatu Hiva.
His first mate stood beside him, waiting for orders.
“French Polynesia?” the captain asked, pointing to the islands in the middle of the chart.
The first mate shook her head, tears caked on her face. The captain nodded and traced his hand over the north, past Hawai, until the sea ended where the empires meet.
“We have to go south,” the first mate said.
His eyes traveled down the chart, where there was nothing but sea.
The captain stood and looked at his wife with welling eyes. They buried their faces in each other’s necks.
“I love you,” the captain said.
The first mate was the first to let go. She went to the helm and disengaged the autopilot. She turned the boat to port and waited for the compass to read 180 degrees. The sails flogged until she pulled the lines and the sails went taut.
She then joined the captain, who was on his knees, sobbing on the cockpit floor. She cradled his head on her chest and rocked him back and forth until the noise stopped.
About Me: I’m a former psychology professor now sailing around the world while writing fiction and reflections on life at sea. My debut novel, Fifteen Years to Hiva Oa, is now available. My second book, The Last Harbour, a dystopian novel, will launch in January 2027.