meant , but we settled for photographs . The flying fish , the skidding shearwaters and the voyaging terns , the sweet quiet of the fo ’ c ’ sle , where you cannot hear the engine , only the hiss off the bow cutting on through the water , as if forever , through all the moods and colors of the sea , moved him as they did me . There are moments on a voyage when you experience the quiet harmony of transcendence . It comes from the ocean ’ s gift of proportion ; its scale returns you to your true size . Only love matters then , and you do not have or need words for your feelings at that moment , as you gaze upon the sea . One evening on the Pacific the captain said , “ When you get home you will tell them where you have been , and they will imagine sunsets and sunrises , but they will never understand , however much you tell them , how vast the oceans are .” It was as if the sea itself had spoken ! But you will know what he meant . The great secret of the ocean is out there , and it is much , much bigger than any landed life can see .
HORATIO CLARE is the award-winning author of “ Down To The Sea In Ships : Of Ageless Oceans and Modern Men ,” and other books .
ON OCEANS