Archive
All Dispatches
Every field note filed so far, in reverse chronological order. Read from the top to keep up; read from the bottom to start at the beginning.
Friday, 16 October 2026Followed Everywhere
A quiet day after the excitement, a long walk with my silent escort, and an attempt to discover exactly how a cat enters a locked cabin.
Thursday, 15 October 2026A Detour for a Sailing Boat
A distress call, a change of course, a bridge full of quiet professionals, and the strange relief of being beaten to it.
Wednesday, 14 October 2026The Face on the Pillow
Container has stopped merely sleeping on my bed and started arranging herself so that the first thing I see each morning is her face.
Tuesday, 13 October 2026The Bridge Has a Biscuit Tin
Dawn drinks with Priya, an increasingly public biscuit collection, and a Pacific crossing measured in small familiar rituals.
Monday, 12 October 2026Engines We Will Never Fit
Tiny and I resume the imaginary engine swaps, with Big Kev providing engineering criticism nobody had requested.
Sunday, 11 October 2026A Small Quiet Day in the Pacific
Grey skies, a borrowed book, and Container taking charge of a day with very little to report.
Saturday, 10 October 2026Birthdays on the Back Deck
Elena takes the world menu outdoors, two birthdays are celebrated, and my policy on desserts undergoes public scrutiny again.
Friday, 9 October 2026Dawn and the Ginger Biscuits
Our early bridge visits are becoming a habit, and Priya has developed surprisingly precise views on biscuit selection.
Thursday, 8 October 2026The Hose and the Pacific
A supervised turn with the fire hose produces considerably more joy than is dignified for a man my age.
Wednesday, 7 October 2026Watching the Fire Drill
A bridge view of the fire drill reveals how much quiet preparation sits underneath an uneventful day at sea.
Tuesday, 6 October 2026The Garage in the Control Room
Tiny and I begin assembling a dream garage in a room full of machinery that makes all our engines look decorative.
Monday, 5 October 2026Korea for Dinner, the Ocean for Afterward
Elena continues the journey around the world one dinner at a time, with Korea receiving a thoroughly convincing second visit.
Sunday, 4 October 2026Busan Falls Astern
The cranes recede, the Pacific waits, and the biscuit collection acquires a regular appointment.
Saturday, 3 October 2026The Biscuit Inspection at Dawn
Coffee for Priya, tea for me, and a dawn assessment of a collection I had previously considered private.
Friday, 2 October 2026Busan and the Important Cargo
Busan supplies another impressive port, a short shopping expedition, and biscuits that immediately attract senior management.
Thursday, 1 October 2026A Cat, a Champion, and Korea Ahead
Container follows me to the bow, Priya retains the title, and Busan waits beyond the mist.
Wednesday, 30 September 2026The Championship Final
The last game of September goes to one point, one biscuit, and one merciless opponent.
Tuesday, 29 September 2026The Fog Comes Back
Grey weather closes in once more, but the sea remains calm and the ship carries on.
Monday, 28 September 2026Japan by Menu
Ramen, dumplings, and a dessert that prompts negotiations over the final portion.
Sunday, 27 September 2026Shanghai Alongside
A vast port, rapid cranes, and biscuits bought under severe time pressure.
Saturday, 26 September 2026The Water Turns Brown
The blue sea gives way to the broad silty water of the Yangtze approaches.
Friday, 25 September 2026Championship Pressure
I win one, Priya demands an immediate review, and Container interferes with the evidence.
Thursday, 24 September 2026Australia from the Galley
Meat pies appear off the Chinese coast and Big Kev claims expert status.
Wednesday, 23 September 2026A Tin of Biscuits and a Tram
Six hours ashore, one tram ride, and a biscuit tin selected mainly for its lid.
Tuesday, 22 September 2026Hong Kong Lights
We anchor beneath a wall of lights and wait our turn for the cranes.
Monday, 21 September 2026Taiwan in Clear Weather
Mountains rise through clean air and the ship seems suddenly close to everything.
Sunday, 20 September 2026Sunday Words
Scrabble becomes a championship because Priya writes Championship on the score sheet.
Saturday, 19 September 2026Through the Luzon Strait
The traffic thins, the swell rises slightly, and Taiwan appears ahead.
Friday, 18 September 2026Brazil for Dinner
Black beans, slow cooked pork, orange, and silence around the table.
Thursday, 17 September 2026The Cat Makes Rounds
Container now follows me everywhere and has developed opinions about the engine control room.
Wednesday, 16 September 2026Restoring the Internet
A bucket, a brush, a safety harness, and the least glamorous repair of the voyage.
Tuesday, 15 September 2026The Starlink Incident
The seagulls strike the communications equipment and the internet loses.
Monday, 14 September 2026Greece at Seventeen Knots
Moussaka returns in a form my stomach agrees to discuss.
Sunday, 13 September 2026North Again
Singapore drops astern and the ship begins the long turn toward East Asia.
Saturday, 12 September 2026A Serious Biscuit Port
Singapore provides tea, biscuits, and a shopping receipt of alarming length.
Friday, 11 September 2026Singapore Alongside
Cranes begin their precise work and the cabin fills with the sound of a port.
Thursday, 10 September 2026Waiting for Singapore
At anchor among hundreds of ships, close enough to a city to see its windows.
Wednesday, 9 September 2026Equatorial Scrabble
We cross the equator with a board game, pineapple biscuits, and disputed arithmetic.
Tuesday, 8 September 2026Port Klang Biscuits
Another port, another hurried search for supplies, and a tin featuring a building I did not visit.
Monday, 7 September 2026Traffic
The sea fills with ships, fishing boats, lights, and reasons to stay out of the way.
Sunday, 6 September 2026Thailand on the Horizon
A green line appears to port and the menu travels to Japan.
Saturday, 5 September 2026Jets Over the Andaman Sea
Two fast aircraft arrive without warning and leave the whole deck looking upward.
Friday, 4 September 2026The Sun Returns Briefly
A strip of blue appears, everyone notices, and then the cloud closes again.
Thursday, 3 September 2026Italy for Dinner
Risotto on a moving ship proves that Elena has either courage or supernatural timing.
Wednesday, 2 September 2026The Board Returns
A close Scrabble game ends with Priya winning by one tile and behaving with restraint.
Tuesday, 1 September 2026Back into the Grey
Colombo falls behind, the mist returns, and the new biscuits are tested properly.
Monday, 31 August 2026Biscuits at Colombo
A short port call produces ginger biscuits, coconut biscuits, and unreasonable happiness.
Sunday, 30 August 2026Sri Lanka in the Mist
Land is close enough to smell but not to see, and dinner visits France.
Saturday, 29 August 2026Fog, Still
A second day without a horizon and a cat that refuses to lose sight of me.
Friday, 28 August 2026The First Grey Day
Cloud closes over the ship, the horizon disappears, and the sea stays oddly gentle.
Thursday, 27 August 2026Words at Sea
A rematch, a disputed word, and an appeal process with only one judge.
Wednesday, 26 August 2026Scrabble, Opening Moves
Priya produces a Scrabble board and an atmosphere usually associated with international competition.
Tuesday, 25 August 2026Mexico by Way of the Galley
Enchiladas arrive in the Arabian Sea, followed by a firm ruling on portions.
Monday, 24 August 2026A Quiet Monday
Four miles around the deck, a calm sea, and nothing requiring an answer.
Sunday, 23 August 2026The Biscuit Audit
The Rotterdam supplies are counted, judged, and found dangerously low.
Saturday, 22 August 2026Saturday Curry
Elena begins her menu around the world, starting with a curry that silences the mess.
Friday, 21 August 2026A Wider Sort of Blue
The ocean opens ahead and the ship settles into the long eastward run.
Thursday, 20 August 2026The Gate to the Indian Ocean
The Red Sea narrows, the traffic thickens, and Container begins following me to breakfast.
19 August 2026The Pillow Has Fallen
Six weeks in, halfway down the Red Sea, and I woke at 07:00 with a cat's face two inches from mine, occupying territory that used to be mine.
18 August 2026Flying Fish and a Quiet Day
Fish that leave the water and stay out of it for longer than seems reasonable, a lost trivia rematch, and a debrief I did not enjoy.
17 August 2026The Red Sea and the Heat
Forty one degrees, a stash inventory conducted in secret, and the discovery that chocolate has a limited operational lifespan in this climate.
16 August 2026The Canal Transit
A 400 metre ship moving through a ditch in the desert at walking pace, with sand on both sides and a pilot who talked continuously for six hours.
15 August 2026Port Said Anchorage
Anchored in a queue of ships waiting for a convoy slot, watching a city glow on the horizon that I am not permitted to visit.
14 August 2026The Engine Room at Full Noise
Two hours below with Big Kev, ear defenders that did not entirely work, and a machine so large it stops being a machine and becomes weather.
13 August 2026South of Malta
Thirty four degrees on deck, a dinner that silenced the mess, and the beginning of Suez paperwork season.
12 August 2026The Floating Container
A rusted box in the water off the port bow, a very short period of genuine alarm, and a lesson in how routinely the sea eats cargo.
11 August 2026From Russia with Love
Priya invited me to a film in the crew television room. I had no idea I was a Bond girl. I have decided that I like it.
10 August 2026The Mediterranean and the Pool
Sea temperature crossed the threshold. The pool has been filled. I have swum in a metal box on the deck of a moving ship and I would like everyone to know about it.
9 August 2026Through the Strait of Gibraltar
Africa on one side, Europe on the other, and the entire ship's company suddenly finding a reason to be on deck.
8 August 2026Portugal and the Flat Calm
A sea so flat it looked wrong. I stood at the rail for an hour and did not check my phone once, largely because I have not switched it on since Savannah.
7 August 2026Off the Spanish Coast
Warm air for the first time since the Atlantic, and a conversation with the Captain that lasted three sentences and contained more than most meetings I have sat through.
6 August 2026Biscay Again, but Kinder
The bay let us through without argument. I walked four miles round the boxes and thought about absolutely nothing.
5 August 2026The Pillow Campaign Begins
Container has moved two inches up the bed. This is not random. This is a campaign, and I am now taking measurements.
4 August 2026The Supermarket Dash
Eighteen hours in Rotterdam, a shopping list written like an operations order, and a personal stash that is now the most valuable cargo aboard.
3 August 2026A Kite, Plain Rice, and a Respectable Second
Priya taught me to fly a kite from the bridge deck. Elena moved me onto plain rice and plain toast. Container has claimed the foot of my bed. We came second at trivia.
27 July 2026The Cat, the Eggplant and a Trivia Team I Did Not Ask For
I woke up to find the ship's cat at the foot of my bed. I also discovered I do not like eggplant. Priya has rostered me onto her trivia team. The seagulls are judging all of us.
26 July 2026Gulls, Diesel and a Peach Cobbler: 22 to 26 July
Tiny fished off the stern, Kev finally opened the engine room, the sky went a ridiculous blue, and Elena produced a peach cobbler that has rearranged my priorities.
21 July 2026The Laundry, the Engine Room, and a Pie I Did Not Share
I found the laundry, lost the argument about outdoor drying, missed driving, and told Big Kev about my turbocharged Miata. He was unimpressed.
20 July 2026A Birthday that I did not mention
A key lime pie the size of one honest portion, a song I did not enjoy, and the discovery that this ship has Starlink and a library. My iPhone remains, on principle, switched off.
16 July 2026Warm Water and a Stash of Tea: 14, 15 and 16 July
I have found a swimming pool, lost a game of eye spy at 02:30, and accidentally befriended the cook with a hidden supply of hotel tea.
13 July 2026Useless and Thrilled: Three Days Out of Savannah
The ship finally moved. The horn, the gap of water, the smell of diesel and salt and something I cannot name. I have never felt more superfluous in my life.
9 July 2026Aboard at Last: Berth 8, Garden City Terminal
I am on the ship. I have a cabin. I have met three of the crew. We sail tomorrow on the tide.
8 July 2026Embarkation Notes from Savannah
Three days of humidity, oysters, paperwork, and a very serious conversation with a shipping agent named Doreen.
Monday, 6 July 2026Departure: Atlanta, 06:42, Peachtree Station
The train south. A duffel that will not zip. A MacBook balanced on my knees. A boiled peanut vendor who asked no questions.
3 July 2026The Plan, or: How I Ended Up Booking Passage on a Container Ship
A quiet run of free time, one wall map, and a slightly unhinged spreadsheet. This is how the whole thing started.