the sloop

The Sloop

In the bay a single-mast sailing vessel, a sloop, rigged
fore and aft, was anchored near the shore, I swam over
and was met by a couple in their forties who had spent
time and money doing the old ship up. The idea was to
sail along the coast delivering cargo, cheaper than by
trucks and her hold was quite roomy. I didn’t tell them
that most cargo now was in containers and that a sloop
needed her deck clear of clutter. They wanted one more
crew member, kindly offered me a job, knew they didn’t
mean it; I had gladdened them by admiring their ship.
“Too old to climb the rigs,” I said, but offered to cook,
they smiled at that. Restless night I was the captain of
a sloop bound for Buenos Aires, the great city looked
just as I remembered last time I was there… in 1964.