Day 16

Air / Water temperature: 31°C (16°C at night) / 14°C

Wind direction / Bft: South / 1-2

Area: PRAEGALLIA (headstrongly shaped stock of trees) – Nautical chart showing the route

Combuse: Hake (300 g) fillet (do not skin). Press 2 cloves garlic, mix with 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 pinch of salt and the juice of 1 lime. Coat the fillets with this mixture, marinate for 2 hours. Mix juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ lantern chilli very finely chopped, 1 clove garlic pressed, ½ tsp sugar, stir to make a sauce. Add 1 small ripe tomato, seeded and cut into strips.  Cook 80 g rice noodles cook until al dente, rinse briefly under cold water, drain, mix with sauce and 1 cup cilantro leaves. Distribute on soup bowls. Drain fish fillets, coat with flour, tap of well and fry in a little olive oil until golden brown. Put fillets on the noodles. (More recipes from the Chief cook of «PS Narina»)

Before I embarked on my voyage on the «PS Narina» I was worried about whether I would have enough room on board for all the things I needed. The question was legitimate. Only, what would I need? I made a list of all the things that came spontaneously into my mind. The list grew longer and longer. When I went through the list a second time I asked myself at every point whether I really needed that item. I came to the conclusion that I actually needed very few things. It was more that I wanted to have some things with me. Then I drew up a catalogue of all the things on my wish list. This too became longer and longer. I then went through it point by point, asking myself what I really wanted to take along. It culminated in a resolution quite similar to the first. The fact that we need a lot less than the stuff comes into our heads does not astonish me. What vexes me is that these wishes dissolve into thin air as soon as we look at them in sharp focus.

I came to realise soon enough that the result of my lists was a clear illustration of the universal fact that man is hard put to say what he really wants or needs.

I resolutely decided to bury all things that I neither truly needed nor wanted inside one single object: a plastic ape that can do somersaults. I quietly took it on board with me. Right on the first day I found that I had formed a deep attachment to this creature and was looking after it with great care and that I wanted to never lose it. On the eleventh day, as our boat banged against a sandy bank I clung on to my ape – and in doing so let my last porcelain plate crash to the ground. And today, when we had to pass through a particularly rough place, I put the little figure carefully into my pant pocket. And I’ve since then been asking myself if my miniature ape is any different from other deities on this planet.

Next day (17)

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