Vado per mare

He laughed again. “That was nothing! Wait until you see a real storm. You are just a new sailor, but you will learn. Come, let's drink some punch and celebrate your first time at sea!” We went below deck to drink.

We drank and we laughed. In one night I forgot all my promises to God. I forgot my fear and my father's wisdom. The ocean was calm, and my conscience was calm too. I pushed away every serious thought. When the serious thoughts tried to come back, I drank more punch.

In five or six days I felt like a real sailor. I was proud of myself. I had survived my first storm and I was not a coward. I would have adventures and see the world. What did my father know about life?

But I was a fool. God had given me a warning. The storm was a chance to turn back, and I should have listened. The next storm would be much, much worse. It would almost have killed me.

Six days after leaving Hull, we reached Yarmouth Roads. It was a place where ships waited for a good wind. The wind had been against us. Our journey was slow. Many ships from Newcastle were there too. We dropped anchor and waited. We stayed there for seven or eight days.

The wind was still bad. It blew from the south-west. We could not sail up the river. After four days the wind became stronger, much stronger. But our sailors were not worried. They said that Yarmouth Roads was safe.

Our anchor was strong and our ship was good. So the men drank, laughed, told stories and played cards. I tried to behave like them. I wanted to be a real sailor. Everything seemed fine.