Chapter 20 - So near and yet so far

Gammelnok gets to sit in the cab on the way to the small fishing village on the west coast.

He has trouble looking out of the front window and the seatbelt does nothing other than nearly strangle him. 

Still, he is happy knowing he is moving towards his goal of reaching the garden and pond he has set his heart on since seeing it from the sleigh one winter day, on the way to deliver presents from Santa's workshop.

As they get nearer to the coast, the land features turn even flatter and the wind blows stronger. So flat it is said you can see a rabbit running for days and so windy, even the crows fly backwards so as not to get sand in their eyes.

The fishing village is indeed very small, and the roads so narrow, the lorry driver has to park quite a way outside so he can be sure he will be able to turn around and continue his journey north in order to sell his precious cargo of fresh flowers.

Gammelnok is asked to stay in the cab while his new friend goes to ask his old friend to help get his new friend to England.

After what seems an eternity the lorry driver returns with his old friend, a gnarled weather-beaten fisherman wearing a wool cap, overalls and clogs. Smoking a pipe, he looks just like a bigger version of Gammelnok.

It is agreed that they will sail just gone midnight in order to cross the English Channel towards the south of England taking advantage of the tide and before they are too visible to the patrol boats.

Not that there should be a problem, as long as Gammelnok stays hidden below deck. The fisherman has after all taken this trip many times before. Why this is and what he might be carrying is not clear at this point.

When Gammelnok sees the boat, he has doubts as to whether this is a good idea. The boat looks small and old. The paint is flaking and as it is, the boat resting in the low tide mud, does not look seaworthy.

Anyway, Gammelnok is lifted onboard and lowered through the open hatch. He is asked to make himself comfortable, stay out of sight and wait for the tide to come in.

As per usual, Gammelnok drops off to sleep but around midnight is woken by the sound of the diesel engine and the gentle rocking of the boat on the incoming tide.

Soon they are in the Channel proper and having crossed the busy shipping lane without colliding with a larger vessel, they now head south west at good speed.

A few hours later, the wind starts blowing strong, the waves are crested with white and Gammelnok starts feeling seasick.

A fierce storm is brewing but turning around is not an option. The tide is too strong, the shipping lanes too busy and their destination is only a few hours away. The skipper continues, battling the wheel and keeping the bilge pumps going. After a further hour daylight begins to lighten the sky even though the heavy cloud cover is dark as night. The waves are getting taller and the little fishing boat gets thrown about. It gets blown closer to the rocky coast just outside a large shipping port. Then one huge wave lifts the boat high and carries it onto the bulwark at the harbour entrance. The boat splinters, the skipper has no control and in the confusion, Gammelnok is thrown clear, landing head first among the boulders supporting the harbour wall entrance.

He gets knocked unconscious and is now partly concealed from both sea and land.

The skipper is nowhere to be seen and the fishing boat has disappeared below the waves.