The Rogue Wave

5:06 Am

Steve and his crew have already loaded the boat and untied the ropes from the dock. As their boat putters out of the marina before the sunrises, a stiff morning breeze blows over the deck. The crew is all huddled inside, drinking coffee and preparing for the cold winds and back-breaking work that lies ahead.

Once they arrived at the first fishing spot of the day the sun was just beginning to rise and the men began to work. As they readied all the nets and traps Steve monitored to scanners to see where the most fish were. Everything was going smoothly and the first three hours of the day were usual and mundane. Around 8 AM, the crew had hit three spots and had a considerable haul already. Steve was overjoyed at the bounty of fish they had come across and decided to make another pass to get as many fish as the boat could hold.

By the time they had filled the boat, it was nearly 9:30, they began to head back.

However, in the caption's desire for more fish they had gone out farther than they had anticipated and were quite a ways from shore. When they were about halfway back they saw dark clouds forming on the horizon and felt a chill in the air. The clouds didn't look good, they were coming from the area they were heading, and coming straight for them.

The crew knew they were in for a bumpy ride so they began to put things away and secure as much of the equipment as they could in anticipation of the coming storm. They had planned for this and trained for it, and many had been through storms before, which is why they knew it was so dangerous. After securing the decks the crew came into the cabin with the captain as the rain began.

The clouds were advancing rapidly, and the rain and wind picked up considerably. Their visibility was greatly reduced, Captain Steve and the rest of the crew were now relying on the navigation system for guidance. The waves began to pick up and the 25-foot fishing boat was soon being bounced around by the growing waves. The boat swayed back and forth, creaking and yawning as it is thrown back and forth all the crew can do now is hold on.

All of a sudden a rogue wave comes along and crashes down on top of the ship, damaging the radar and satellites on top. That caused the entire navigation system to crash and left Steve and the crew in the dark, literally and figuratively.

The only lifeline they had left was the radio system they use to communicate with the coast guard. The boat had received a great deal of damage from the rogue wave and the storm in general, they decided it was time to call for help.

Steve grabbed the receiver from the radio and started an SOS call to the harbor, or the coast guard, or anyone else who could send help. After trying numerous times on multiple different channels, the small green light in the right bottom corner went out. With that light went their last hope of help from land, all they had now was each other.

The boat continued to be tossed around, loud cracks could be heard anytime a wave came crashing in. The crew didn't know if the next crack will be the one to break the hull, all they could do was continue to hold on and pray.

The person who seemed the least afraid was the man behind the wheel, Captain Steve. His strong, calm demeanor was mildly reassuring to the crew. In reality, Steve was incredibly worried and he felt responsible, after all, it was his lust for more fish that had driven them so far from shore.

He now felt incredible pressure to get his crew home safe.

After weathering the storm for what seemed like hours, and with many near-death experiences, the waters started to calm down and the rain let up. The navigation system and the little green light were still dead yet, slowly, they were able to see again. To their surprise and relief, they were only a couple miles out, well within view of the land. The crew was a little hesitant to celebrate until they had safely docked, but when they did there was a collective sigh of relief and some even shouted with joy at the fact that they were all still alive.

Steve remained stone cold in his expressions as always, but inside he was grateful to be alive, and seeing his crew alive and happy almost brought a tear to his eye.