Back into the Grey

We sailed before lunch, leaving Sri Lanka behind and moving into another grey afternoon. The Indian Ocean to the east offered calm water, low cloud and very little in the way of a farewell. I watched the view settle back into its familiar restrained palette. Apparently the brief availability of land had not entitled us to continued visual variety.

A fine mist settled on my clothes without ever becoming rain. This is a particularly evasive form of weather, capable of making you damp while denying you the satisfaction of naming a proper shower. The fabric cooled against my skin. The sea remained smooth enough to suggest that nothing at all was happening, which made the accumulating moisture feel almost personal.

Fortunately, the coconut biscuits are excellent. Their sweetness and crispness provide a useful counterargument to the afternoon outside. There is something deeply civilising about opening a fresh packet while the world beyond the window declines to distinguish between water and air. I am not suggesting biscuits replace scenery, only that they can sustain morale during a temporary failure of supply.

The mysterious packet from Colombo contains something halfway between a cracker and a sweet biscuit. This presented a classification problem that could not responsibly be settled after one sample. I ate six while deciding. The sixth provided no decisive new evidence, but by then I had become committed to the process. My conclusion remains provisional. At sea, it is important to leave oneself meaningful work for the following day.