The moment finally came as a brutal storm finally began. The wind blew with incredible speed creating massive and turbulent waves. The rain was pouring very hard and it became difficult to see around as the sun was completely covered with dark clouds creating a night-like atmosphere.
The ship was stopped in the middle of the sea and it was swaying heavily with the waves. Evan could not handle all the bumping up, down, left, and right and began vomiting violently.
"HOLD THE SHIP TOGETHER!" Jacob shouted from near the steering wheel where he had taken command.
The crew used all the power in their body and moved the peddles to keep the ship stable and in one direction. The small sails were fluttering violently as if they would tear apart at any moment.
With a large wave, the ship suddenly tilted sideways to a 15° angle and crashed back on the surface right after. A lot of water got into the ship but no one had the time to dwell on that as everyone was rolling around all over the place.
Some people were starting to panic as they were mumbling incomprehensible words in fear and were about to make bad life decisions.
"Come on ya bunch of pussies! Can't even handle a little storm? Bloody shit, go home and send your fucking women here! at least they will be useful for something. Whahaha!" Jacob yelled out loud trying to raise everyone's spirit. And what's a better way than to question their courage and dignity?
"WAAAAAA! WE AIN'T NO FUCKIN PUSSIES!!!" some of them shouted and energetically began peddling.
"HELL YAAAAA!!!" others were up cheered up as well by the sudden swearing fit and also got back some hope.
"YEAH! GOD IS WITH US! FUCK THE SHITTY STORM!" Someone else shouted,
Those who were about to make bad choices also cheered up a bit and diligently fought for their lives as they forked out even more of their energy to keep the ship stable and in the correct direction. The ship needed to be on the right course and not get lost in the middle of nowhere.
Jacob had veins popping on his hands, neck, and forehead as he was handling the steering wheel with all his might while giving out orders and keeping up the morale.
Evan was panting heavily, some of the salt water had gotten into his mouth when the ship had titled. But he just gritted his teeth and clamped himself to the floor as if his feet had glued to it with concrete. His whole body was soaked with water and his clothes had gotten heavy. But ignoring everything, he cheered up his fellow officers and peddled with all his might.
James was also in the same situation. He was also following Evan's lead and giving it his all
The crew and Evan's men were all getting tired after an hour even though Jacob was doing his best to rile them up. Some more time passed and people were on the verge of collapse. Just as it seemed that all would be lost, the raging storm, piercing rain, and intense wind were getting mild as time went by.
The storm went on for over two hours, the winds were visibly reduced and the sea was coming to its prior calm state albeit slowly.
The sunshine finally got through dispersing the dark clouds and revealing the light of day again with a blue sky.
Everyone on the ship was very exhausted and collapsed on the deck. Evan had a tired but satisfied smile on his face. There were some times when he thought that his journey would end there but everyone, fortunately, pulled through. Evan was happy that he and his officers helped. He also had his first thrilling adventure on the waters.
When Evan got to his cabin after he recovered from exhaustion, he saw that the cabin had turned upside down. His shoes and coats were floating on the water on the floor. The bed was slightly moved from its original place and now was in the middle of the cabin. Fortunately, he found the waterproof packet in which all his important documents were stored.
His luggage was stored in the compartment up high to the roof and so his clothes and personal belongings did not get as wet. Unfortunately, most of his books which he used to keep on the small table so that it would be convenient to read whenever he felt like it, were all wet to the last page and almost destroyed.
This was the scene all over the ship and people swearing could be heard when the adrenaline rush had run out and they finally had some air to breathe without the pressure of death looming over their heads.
Some clamor could be heard coming from the deck as the crew had already begun doing the maintenance. People were removing buckets full of water from the vessel and the experts were checking on the sails for any potential damage.
Jacob was also doing his own thing like looking at the map and determining their exact position. He would sometimes look at the sea through the binoculars trying to search for something, then he would discuss something with his assistants.
The way he was behaving as if nothing had ever happened and the threat of a miserable death had never even existed. It was as if this was just another day for him. Many people saw him and bowed in respect to show their gratitude.
Evan was also done rearranging his cabin and got to the deck with a cigarette in his hand. He leaned onto the railing and placed the cigar in his mouth. The sea was now completely calm, not even a single dark cloud was visible in the sky. The sun was shining just as brightly giving out the warmth of life. Evan inhaled the smoke after lighting up the cigar, and perhaps with a sigh of relief and satisfaction, or just gratitude for survival... He let out a puff of smoke into the air.
Just like this, Evan also experienced the hazards of a sea voyage which would be one of many such experiences in his life.