Medusa

He nodded, smiling at me. He understood the problem. ‘It might interest you to know he’s just rung me to say he wants one sailboard with wet suit and goggles ready on the flight deck by 09.00. I’m in charge of sailing, you see.’ And he added, ‘Sorry about the board, but it’s the best we can do. No dinghies, I’m afraid.’

It was probably nervous exhaustion that finally got me off to sleep that night for I was dead to the world when Petty Officer Jarvis shook me into consciousness. He was earlier than usual. ‘Lieutenant Craig would like you to select whichever one fits best.’ He dumped three wet suits on the foot of the bunk. ‘They’re the only sizes we have on board.’ And as he went out, he asked me to leave the two I didn’t want and any borrowed clothing on the rack above my bunk.

By then the bo’s’n’s mate was rousing the ship, and shortly afterwards Gareth’s voice announced: ‘This is the Captain. Just to bring you up to date. We are now approaching Port Mahon, the main harbour and capital of Menorca, one of the Spanish Balearic islands. For obvious reasons we shall not be tying up alongside. Instead, I propose to anchor well clear of the town in the approaches opposite Villa Carlos. In the circumstances, I do not see any possibility of shore leave. I will let you know how long this courtesy visit is to last as soon as I can. That is all.’

His cabin was empty by the time I arrived for breakfast. ‘Captain’s on the bridge,’ Petty Officer Jarvis told me. ‘And there’s no choice this morning.’ He placed a heaped plateful of bacon, sausages, eggs and fried bread in front of me. ‘He thought you might appreciate it. Later in the day, that is.’

I was still working through it when Gareth appeared. ‘We shall be abreast of St Carlos Point and La Mola in approximately fifteen minutes. Things will begin to hot up then. As soon as you’ve finished, I’d be glad if you’d return to your cabin and wait there until Petty Officer Jarvis comes to take you down to the quarterdeck. Chief Petty Officer Clark will meet you there. He will have …’ The Sinbad loudspeaker interrupted him, a voice from the bridge reporting that revs were now being reduced. ‘Also, there’s a small vessel lying off Lazareto. Spanish Navy by the look of her, sir. Could be coastal patrol, or one of those small minesweepers, can’t tell yet.’

Gareth reached for the mike. ‘Very good, Simon. I’ll be up.’ He turned to me again. ‘That could complicate matters. I didn’t expect an escort.’

‘You’ve decided have you — to get me off the ship by sailboard?’

‘Yes, didn’t Peter Craig warn you last night?’

‘All he told me was that you’d ordered him to have a board ready on the flight deck by 09.00. I didn’t know you’d made up your mind till your steward brought me a choice of wet suits with my tea this morning.’ I hesitated, but this looked like my last chance to question him. ‘Has Wade been in touch with you?’ I asked him.

‘Commander Wade?’

I nodded, watching him closely as he said he couldn’t discuss official contacts with me.

‘Particularly Wade I suppose?’

He didn’t answer. I think he had intended having a cup of coffee with me, but now he put his hat back on his head. ‘I’ll try and arrange it so that Medusa is between you and the escort when we drop you off. The engines will be stopped for that moment and I’ll get as much of the way off the ship as I can. You’ve got a good breeze, so with luck you’ll be on the board and sailing fast enough to remain hidden from the escort vessel as we gather way again. Okay?’ He smiled then and held out his hand. ‘Good luck, Mike!’ And as we shook hands he had the gall to add. ‘If you make it to Bloody Island you’ll be able to hide up with that archaeological Amazon of yours.’

There is something about a Navy ship that instils a sense of something akin to discipline even in a civilian visitor like myself. I could have turned left, gone up to the bridge and watched our approach to Mahon. Nobody would have stopped me. I could have got my things, found my way aft down to the flight deck and waited there. Instead, I did what Gareth had told me and went straight to my cabin. I wished I hadn’t. Sitting on the bunk, staring at nothing except the opposite berth and the cabin fittings, time passed slowly. There was no porthole and even if I had had something to read, the ceiling light was too dim, so that I would have had to stretch out on the bunk with the little bulkhead light on.