Thick fog blanketed the port before we set sail for the North Sea. An eerie silence deafened our ears, until a squawk from the lone seagull above broke the uncanny quiet. The atmosphere reflected the emotions of everyone present: every sailor, whether a captain, a first mate, a seasoned veteran, or average joes like us deckhands.

I’m Jim. Loads of work to be done around here. We had to prepare for one of the most dangerous journeys a sailor could face – the North Sea.

I wondered whether the voyage to collect rare plant species from the Svalbard Seed Vault was really worth it. The shallow yet devastating waves that would soon rock our old “rocker”, our vessel, were already playing in my mind. I knew every nook and cranny of this ship. Not many hiding places from destructive waves, sadly.

We were all afraid. My nerves were even worse than the first time I tasted stale, frozen food out at sea. No one was smiling, except maybe the grocer downtown, who was probably glad I wouldn’t be around for a while. Don’t judge me; I’ve only shoplifted for food once. Or maybe… thrice. But ehhh…

There was much more at stake now. Soon, we were all loaded up with enough equipment and food to last six months! And then it came. The horn bellowed, shaking the ship and startling the seagull I told you about earlier. That sound meant one thing – we were ready to begin our voyage through the North Sea.

As the engines started and we drifted away from the pier, I found myself praying hard for the engine to cough, splutter, and ground the voyage. But it didn’t. It kept humming, loud enough to be heard all the way up to the mast. Our rusty old ship was still afloat, and that surprised me. It looked like it was from Victorian times, with metal coverings so rusted the paint peeled off at a snap.

It guzzled fuel like crazy. I often heard the captain grumbling about how our budget barely covered it. Still, we were moving. I swear I could hear waves smashing the deck of a ship hundreds of miles ahead. I must’ve been hallucinating.

I headed to the captain’s cabin, awaiting our list of duties. I hoped the captain would go easy on us, but no! A long list of hard tasks awaited. I guessed they’d take three hours to complete. And Jimmy’s never wrong.

I just finished my share of work and was blown away by how quickly my crewmates had wrapped up theirs. I was the last to finish. Expecting to find them lounging about, I was surprised to see them gathered at the bow, transfixed by something. Then I saw it.

The North Sea.

As we inched closer, I wished I could somehow reverse the engines. But I knew better – the engine room was off-limits to us deckhands. Soon, chaos erupted. We all ran helter-skelter in search of shelter. Hey, that rhymed! But this wasn’t the time to enjoy my first rhyme.

Smash! Waves began battering the vessel. I ducked for cover below deck. Suddenly, the ship lurched sideways and I blacked out.

I don’t know how long I was out in the smelly storeroom, but I do know I would’ve stayed there longer if my fellow deckhand hadn’t come down looking for cables to repair the ship, which had taken heavy damage. I could barely recognize it. But despite everything, happiness crept in.

I had survived my first journey through the North Sea.

This isn’t the end of our voyage to Svalbard – it’s still a week away. But I did it! I made it through the North Sea. Though, to be fair, being knocked out cold on the wet storeroom floor kind of helped.

I heard stories from the others – waves slamming against the ship, sailors drenched head to toe. Maybe hiding wasn’t such a bad idea after all, especially considering we only had one pair of clothes each. But we knew one thing for sure: we needed to get our vessel patched up before the captain found us.