Under a Bugis mast

Claudine Frederik

The Bugis schooner cut through calm waters without so much as a sound. Only its main sail creaked at regular intervals when it swayed slightly under pressure of a mild wind.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was out and the sky shone azure blue with an electrifying brilliance that stung one's eyes. Ullie lowered her eyes and stopped peering at the blue expanse overhead.

They had left Ambon yesterday afternoon. Her father had finally decided that they should return to Minahasa in North Sulawesi, where they had a home in the highlands. Ambon had nothing to offer under Japanese rule. They had no home of their own and to make matters worse, no income and consequently, hardly any food.

Those facts had steeled Dad's heart and spurred him to book passage on the schooner. There were no more regular liners, he told Mom. Most, if not all of them, were laid to rest on the bottom of the ocean by the Japanese when they overran the archipelago.

"But, how safe is a trip on such a boat," Mom sputtered.

"It is just as safe as a train ride," Dad assured her. "Once we're back in our hometown, we won't have to worry so much about getting food the next day. We don't have to buy rice, we have our own rice fields."

Mom nodded in agreement, but she could not dispel her fear altogether. Ullie could see it in her eyes.

"Lunch time," one of the deckhands-cum-cook called at her side. He held two plates of warm rice garnered with several side dishes, and offered Ullie one. It was a tasty meal, Ullie had to admit quietly to herself. The cook had prepared bamboo sprouts mixed with chunks of pumpkin in heavy coconut milk, spiced up with salted fish.

Dad had joined the captain for lunch as he seemed to be reluctant to leave the helm to the deckhands.

"Will this fine weather last until we arrive at Bitung," Dad asked the captain.

"That is hard to say," the captain replied. "The weather in these parts can suddenly change without warning. We have to navigate a rough spot in a couple of days when we reach the island of Mangoli."

He took a long swig from his cup of coffee, drunk without sugar. For cane sugar was a rarity now.

"What do you expect at Mangoli?" Dad said, unable to conceal the anxiety in his voice.

"We have to pass a cape. Even with no rainfall, it will be rough going. You will have the experience of your life very soon."

With these words, he drew the helm sharper north and directed Dad's attention to the white caps that had suddenly formed on the waves.

The sea showed no longer a smooth and calm panorama, the waves dancing joyfully, for it had started a rousing melody, a robust song escaping from unruly waters.

Ullie watched fascinated, reaching a hand toward the waves underneath her.

"No, don't do that," the captain said sharply. "You could fall in the sea and it will be impossible to find you then."

Ullie watched the captain more closely. Everybody respected him, and he always had the last word. Nobody challenged his words. Even Dad consulted him about everything that had to do with the trip, like on the afternoon when they were about to sail from Ambon.

"There is a good wind," the captain announced then. "We are going to hoist all sails," he told Dad. The main sail was already up, majestically unfurled on the head mast. The deckhands were busy undoing the smaller sails aft and ahead. No people saw them and other passengers off when they set sail at four in the afternoon.

Dad went up to the captain, clutching a compass in one hand.

"I have a compass with me. We have to head for the North where Bitung is," he told the captain. The man did not so much as throw a glance at Dad's compass.

"We don't need your tool. We go by the position of the stars, they have never let us down. You can put that thing away," he told Dad.

When evening fell, the captain called Dad and pointed at a cluster of stars. "Those will lead us north and eventually to Bitung," he said.

Ullie looked up again, trying to figure out which stars were to lead them homewards.

On the third day the wind sagged, and the sails flapped in a surly pace to the rhythm of the waves.

Nothing could be felt but the hot, humid air. The deckhands were already lowering and folding up the sails. Without protection of the sails against a merciless sun, it became unbearable on deck.

"You all had better go down where it is cool at least," the captain said.

"Down" was a dark space below the schooner's deck.

Somebody brought a ship lantern and Ullie could see that they were sitting on reed mats. Mom lay down with her eyes closed. Suddenly, Ullie became aware that it had become very quiet on deck. No voices could be heard. As she wondered what could have happened, the figure of the captain filled the narrow opening to the schooner's sleeping quarters.

He looked at the sleeping silhouette of Mom and then whispered to her to be very quiet. "Why, what is happening?"

The captain said quietly not to make a sound so as not to disturb the passing whales. If they get upset, they may become curious and come near the boat.

"And that is not advisable," he said. "The waves these sea mammals make could capsize the boat."

"I'd like to see those whales," Ullie said. "All right, but as I said, make no sound at all."

She crawled next to Dad who was looking in awe at two gray floating fields, bobbing, languishing at sea. Male and female, no doubt. The whales passed some 20 meters from the boat.

After the whales, Ullie discovered a school of dolphins swimming alongside the boat, making gurgling sounds not unlike the snorting of pigs. The dolphins accompanied the boat far into the evening. They seemed to like the company of the Bugis schooner.

The following day the captain informed them that they were nearing Mangoli. "We will store fresh water and replenish our food supply there," he said. "If all goes well, we'll get to Mangoli tomorrow morning."

He ended the conversation abruptly and strode with quick steps back to the helm, which he had secured temporarily on a line.

After an early dinner, the captain lit a lantern keeping its flame way down. "If we turn up the flame, we will attract big fish," he explained.

"What kind of fish," Ullie wanted to know.

"All sorts of big fish like sharks, swordfish and many more."

Later in the evening, Ullie saw that the captain was praying in front of a charcoal fire. The sweet smell of incense wafted in the evening wind. Ullie wondered why the captain was observing a ritual, but she dared not ask.

The captain had assumed an aloof attitude. Ullie felt that questions had to be shelved at this moment. Much later, the captain explained that he had offered prayers to the sea gods, for safe passage.

The cool evening air lulled Ullie to sleep. Hours later Ullie woke up quite suddenly. The boat was rocking dangerously from side to side. Small drops from the wily sea sprayed her face.

"Ullie go down to your mother and sisters," Dad yelled, trying to make himself heard above the tumult. Ullie was in no hurry to join her mother. She made a move halfway to the door leading downwards then stopped midways to observe her surroundings.

It was pitch dark, but beside the boat she could make out white foamed wave tops which seemed unnaturally tall in the shadowy night. Nothing else could be seen or heard, except for the sound of thunderous claps the boat had to endure from an angry sea.

The boat made an unexpected move and Ullie tumbled down the few wooden steps to the sleeping quarters. She clamped onto the top step and managed to get a better hold.

From this place she could quietly observe Dad and the captain. Dad had tied himself to the head mast, and the captain held on for dear life at the helm. He was no longer navigating, he had surrendered the boat's fate and theirs to the whims of the elements. Soaked to the bone from sea spray, the captain clutched the helm in small but strong hands.

The masts were all secured on lines. Ullie wondered what the deckhands were doing since they were nowhere to be seen.

From behind, Ullie heard her Mom wailing, "Oh God, please save us, please save us." Mom was on her knees praying and pleading to God.

The boat climbed each high wave, making a fearsome cracking sound, then it came down from the crest with an ear splitting clap.

It had grown little lighter outside and Ullie was shocked to see how high the waves were. The sea churned in wild abandon beside the boat which had not stopped its swaying. When they were thrown upwards once more, Ullie decided to get down with her mother and two sisters.

Mom's wailing had turned to soft moaning. She was no longer on her knees. Ullie's two younger sisters were wide awake but kept very quiet.

Dad came down briefly.

"The captain says that we will soon be out of the cape's waters," he told Mom to calm her nerves. "It was a nasty experience, but we have a very good captain. This is not the first time he has handled such a situation."

At daybreak they reached calmer waters. The boat no longer shuddered and painfully creaked under the wrath of angry waves.

They anchored off Mangoli and went ashore to find a well where they could bathe. They were welcomed by the locals, but Ullie was shocked to see they were practically naked, the men only wearing loincloths.

The boat departed from Mangoli in the afternoon. The rest of the trip went by rather pleasantly. Bitung was reached within two days. The captain sailed quietly to the port of Kema, not Bitung.

Dad had expected a visit from the Japanese harbor authorities upon arrival, but when nothing happened they disembarked, quickly finding a bus to the highlands.

Years later, Ullie would remember that difficult trip, thinking that it would have made for an adventurous sea voyage but for the fact the country was caught in a war.