\u201cDiego Garcia!\u2014August 1975<\/p>\n
Time is but an illusion.\u2014Einstein<\/p>\n
Relieved to have finally crossed the equator after so many wild days at sea, I washed a bucket full of dirty clothes, hung them on a line to dry, and sat on deck reading while the fresh ocean breeze dried the laundry.<\/p>\n
I spotted a bright orange ball starboard. \u201cLook,\u201d I said pointing it out to others. \u201cIs it a buoy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like one,\u201d Charles said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA buoy in the middle of the ocean?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be weather related,\u201d Charles said. \u201cCollecting data for reports.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr marking a navigational hazard,\u201d Alon added.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s find out,\u201d Dylan said. The men moved to adjust the sails and steer the yacht in the direction of the big ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time we reached the buoy, the men decided they had to check it out. Alon lowered the sea anchor bags to keep the boat in place, and lowered the ladder into the water.<\/p>\n
Charles and Alon put on swim fins and lowered themselves into the ocean. Donning masks, they swam around the buoy to see what they could see in the water below.<\/p>\n
When they surfaced a few minutes later, Charles said, \u201cCan\u2019t tell what it is, it\u2019s tied to something further down.\u201d<\/p>\n
They snorkeled around the bouncing buoy again, pulled on the attached rope, and tried pulling the object loose. It didn\u2019t budge. They surfaced to report they had no clue what it was or why it was there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would need scuba tanks to go further,\u201d Charles said. \u201cIt\u2019s tied tight to something quite heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook,\u201d I said, pointing to a large ship appearing on the horizon. \u201cWe have visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re speeding our way,\u201d Dylan said, looking through his binoculars.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing straight toward us,\u201d I added.<\/p>\n
Charles and Alon scrambled up the ladder and placed it and \u201cthe anchor bags back on deck.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like a military vessel,\u201d Dylan reported. \u201cThey\u2019ve appeared out of nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh-oh,\u201d said Charles. \u201cWonder what\u2019s down there?\u201d<\/p>\n
When the ship got closer, Dylan identified it as a Russian military ship. It did a broad sweep around the Zozo and without delay sped away, heading east, and disappearing from view.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpooky,\u201d I said to Charles. \u201cDon\u2019t think they\u2019re collecting weather data. They must have been alerted when you pulled on the rope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles nodded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cDiego Garcia!\u2014August 1975 Time is but an illusion.\u2014Einstein Relieved to have finally crossed the equator after so many wild days at sea, I washed a bucket full of dirty clothes, hung them on a line to dry, and sat on deck reading while the fresh ocean breeze dried the laundry. I spotted a bright orange … <\/p>\n