The beach was quite crowded in the early afternoon today, and Konrad (my younger son) was having fun on his skimboard. By the way HOW can one have fun in a cold winter sea?
This is how we spent the first day of the year 2013. I was taking some pictures of the calm sea. There were few ships at the roadstead waiting to be taken into the port of Gdansk.
I remembered a certain January many years ago.
It was an extremely stormy January then. My Father who was returning from a long sail, got stuck at the roadstead of Gdansk. No pilot boat could sail out of the port (port pilot’s service is compulsory in Gdansk). The wind was more than 8⁰B, and the weather forecast said it would last few days more…
Finally the storm calmed down a bit, and Dad called us on the phone. He said that if I came to the beach, he would light up all the ship’s searchlights and turn on the ship’s siren. So that I would know which is his ship, and where he is at the roadstead.
So I took the dogs for a long walk… At that time the roadstead of Gdansk was full of ships, and it was the time when the port was vibrant with life.
I stood there on the beach, and wondered how far the roadstead seemed. It is amazing how distances change according to the weather conditions.
Suddenly loud and clear there came the voice of a ship’s siren… I looked at the sea and saw one of the ships illuminated with all searchlights it had. It was “my” ship, the one I know well, as I spent part of my childhood sailing with my Dad.
Now it was even more mine. It was lit up only and especially for me… Since then – whenever I am walking on the beach I remember that stormy January many years ago…
* / *
So…
Everybody – have a very good year 2013.
May you all have your own ships – illuminated only for you brightly and clearly…
Tutivillus and others 
What a wonderful thing for a father to do for his daughter! By lighting his ship for you he lit up your life! As a result, you are now able to do that for others! Thank you for sharing this. It makes me think of my dad who died eight years ago. Although he didn’t have a ship or even a car, he lit up my life with his warm smile and a heart full of love.
Thank you Elfrieda for writing this. It reminds me what my Grand Father said when I was young – that as long as we talk about our beloved with a smile on our faces, or in our eyes – our Long Gone are still with us 🙂