This is an account from my early days at sea. I was a junior officer on my first international voyage aboard the vessel named Sea Crest. Our entire crew was from the same coastal region, and we understood the rhythms of the water.
It was April, and we were sailing the southern Pacific, bound for a port in New Zealand. Our cargo was raw timber. A routine inspection of the main cargo hold doors was scheduled. The weather had been calm, so the heavy doors for the forward hold were left partly open to allow fresh air to circulate after some repair work was done on the hinges.
Late one evening, just after eleven, the first mate called my quarters. He instructed me to secure the hold for the night. I pulled on my deck boots, grabbed a heavy flashlight, and notified the command deck that I was heading out to complete the task.