A Tres Hombres tale involving sea-witches and sky-dragons

After many adventures in the Caribbean Seas, Tres Hombres and her salty crew are ready to sail home again. Their next destination: Horta in the Azores – 2600 miles NEE of Hispaniola.

When leaving the islands, and entering the open blue plains of the Atlantic, they are confronted with a big Wall of Eastern winds guarding the flying kingdom of the Immortal Redbeard, forcing them North towards the dreaded sea-witches.

One of them spots the ship and decides to play with her a bit. She starts weaving a long tail to sweep the tiny ship over the water.

Fortunately, sea-witches have other duties to attend to (like besieging Redbeard), so when the crew sensed her plan, they reached the end of the wall and cunningly slipped away to the east while maintaining their starboard tack, and rigging the ship for maximum speed.

Thelma (the sea-witch), seeing her prey escape, set out to pursue. Now the race is on. Watch after watch the deck-folks and rigging monkeys set and douse kites, bobs and the Royal or ease and tighten sheets, to squeeze out every knot of wind.

One evening the crew could see the first traces of the Thelma’s tail forming in the skies behind them, and they anxiously started preparing for her games.

But somehow during the night nothing manifested. In the morning they even saw the traces behind them dissolve, was she gone? Possibly because of the great White Sky-dragon in front of them…

The crew looked up in amazement, both happy but also a bit unsure. Why wasn’t he moving? Is this some other trap? Or a test maybe, like Atreju in the NeverEnding Story, when he faced the judgement of the sphinxes, where his heart will be weighed to see if it only contains pure intentions. If not, they will destroy him!

Boldly the crew sails ahead, confident but also cautious. Expecting a drop in wind they prepare to hoist the Royal and the upper bob. They can see the shadow of the dragon on the sea coming closer when suddenly, with the sun gone, and the sky-dragon unmoving, the wind picks up!

He is awake and aware. It feels like we’re traversing a dangerous mountain pass. Starboard watch and day crew are all on deck alert and ready to respond to whatever this magnificent creature will throw at them.

Somehow they are led through the passage, with rains left and right, but always a clear path ahead. When suddenly they’re in the valley on the other side : open blue sky, good steady wind, calm seas.

They made it! Their hearts were weighed and found full of pure intentions.

Relieved and thankful, the crew resume their normal daily duties and continue their journey, still being chased by Thelma. But that’s for another day.

Today is a good day again aboard Tres Hombres!

Cast of characters:
Sea-witches: Low-Pressure Areas bringing rain and wilder seas
Sky-dragon: large, long formation of white clouds.
Kites: extra sails set when there is less wind (gaff-tops and flying-jib).
Bobs: trapezoid sails between the 2 masts.
Royal: highest of the stack of square sails on the foremast.
Rigging monkeys: able crew (like deckhands Aaron and Vincenzo and their pupils Jonas and Anne-Co) who climb the shrouds and hold on with their tails (some would say harness) to the standing rig. They (un)furl the royal and bobs, so the deckfolks can set or douse them.
Redbeard: a besieged High pressure area, giving tres nice calm seas.
Tres crew: Lead by la reine des pirates Anne-Flore, and guided by her 2 lieutenants Jess and Jeremy who – always watching – lead their watches through all the manoeuvers. 

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