– Yeah, man, it's great. I'm not sure where you can go, but I will check it out.

– Yes, please. Do this for me. If you can give me a call later or send an e-mail, it would be just great.

– For sure, for sure! I'll do that!

– Thank you, Lew.⁵⁷

И снова вокруг только небо, да бескрайний синий простор. В этой части Карибского моря почти всегда тихо. В корму дует легкий ветерок, утреннее солнце ласково греет спину. Стоя на открытом крыле мостика, за чашкой утреннего кофе сочиняю очередное послание недоступной ямайской красавице.

From:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

To:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

Date:            Mon, 13 Mar 2006 06:20:11 -0500

Subject:      TGIF

Hi Grace,

The last Saturday came astray as did many before it. Not that it was totally unexpected, but still it left me with a nasty feeling of something being wrong. Despite your offer of a friendship it's quite clear that I'm next to nothing for you as yet, and I can understand if you tell me that you don't want to see me anymore. The thing that I cannot understand is how a man you are living with can treat you so.

Why should you sit home all the daylong if he is not taking you anywhere? Trust and respect are the most essential things for durable relations. They are even more important than love, more so the love itself will not last long without those two. He actually checks through the list of calls in your mobile phone?! I still cannot believe it, it's disgraceful!

You can tell me that it's not my lousy business and be right about it. Maybe it's not as it appears, maybe, – I still know too little about you.

Though by what I know you are the best girl I've ever met (aside from being striking beautiful and graceful), and every new thing I learn about you makes this feeling stronger. Would I can meet you earlier…

Anyway I haven't totally lost the hope of seeing you again. They advised me of one restaurant which supposed to be a nice place and is open in daytime. The name is "TGIF" i.e. "Thanks God It's Friday". It's situated on Old Hope Road, nearby of New Kingston. Can we go there on next Saturday?

How was your weekend? Did you come to St. Elizabeth after all?

Dmitry⁵⁸

Пытаться обвинять действующего кавалера, шаг безусловно рискованный, но с другой стороны, что мне было терять? Ответа пришлось ждать два дня, но он того стоил.

From:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

To:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

Date:            Tue, 14 Mar 2006 15:03:05 -0500 Subject:      RE: TGIF – Hope all is well

Hi Dmitry,

If it was a case where I didn't want to see you believe me I would have said so. And let's be frank here, the man that I live with (as you put it) does not treat me anyway. He just does not like the idea of his woman going out with another man, whether or not it is said to be on a friendly basis only.

To be honest with you it's the same way I react with regards to him going out with any woman other than myself. Maybe it's a case where we don't trust each other :)(lol) sad haa. But that's the way things are for now, besides I never told anyone that my life was perfect.

Maybe you need to reconsider, is Grace the girl I really need to be my friend? What is it about me that attract you so much?

There is a lot that I need to know about you too and I know that it won't happen overnight. One thing I know for a fact it that you are not a quitter and that's a big turn on the only thing is that I promised myself that I would never get involve with a sea fearer because they always have a woman in every port and I will never allow myself to be put through that.

I was looking at your vessel's file the other day and I realized that you were born in June just like me. Maybe that's the reason why we are so quiet. What do you think? I heard that TGIF is ok, I have never being there before, so if nothing unexpected comes up on Saturday we can go and check it out.

I'm having another crazy week at work so I have to go.

Grace⁵⁹

Выпад достиг цели, за спиной соперника зажегся зеленый огонь, очко в мою пользу. Но что ж все так моряков-то не любят! Не так уж мы и плохи. В общем, обычные люди, ничуть не хуже, а во многом и лучше тех, кто ходит по суше. Длительное пребывание в небольшом замкнутом коллективе учит сдержанности и умению прощать, а общение с морской стихией дает пищу для размышлений и воспитывает чувство собственного достоинства.

From:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

To:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

Date:            Wed, 15 Mar 2006 06:37:08 -0500

Subject:      All is perfect

Hi Grace,

Unfortunately, I don't have your birthday in my files So, can you tell me when you was born?

My English is not good enough to express impressions and feelings caused by talking to you, watching you smile at me from photos, reading your letters. In short, you are the girl who makes me happy and that's attracting me most of all. I admire your appearance, your beauty, your elegant style. I like how you behave yourself being always so quiet, polite and tactful. I respect your aspiration for career and self-perfection.

As to seafarers having girl in every port, it's just a tale. Any man feels natural affection when he sees a pretty girl, but being human and not an animal, he every time considers for himself if the relationship with his woman (a wife or a girl-friend) is worse to subdue this natural desire. Because any smart man clearly understands that if he makes a single false step the relations with his girl will never be the same. And seafarers in this regard are not different from any other men. It's true that some of the crewmembers are just going wild in almost every port, but the majority of seamen keeps fidelity to their women in distant homeport and expects the same faith from them in return.

Everyone’s life is just as he makes it. So, if you say that your life is not perfect than might be you need to change something in it.

Our call to Honduras has been cancelled, so we are arriving in Kingston ahead of schedule. Therefore, we are going to anchor on Friday and will come alongside on Saturday. For today, I have a stowage plan to prepare and to deal with a great amount of reports for the end of the month and the end of first quarter. It's quite long time already as I work in Chief Officer's position, so as part of getting ready for a new rank, I'm preparing all the Captain's papers as well. Hope to finish all of it by the time we're berthed, so that nothing will prevent me from seeing you.

Dmitry⁶⁰

Ее письма становились все интересней и содержательней. Меня начинал увлекать процесс общения сам по себе, а не только как средство добиться свидания с загадочной и недоступной тропической красавицей.

From:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

To:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky^SkyFile.com>

Date:            Wed, 15 Mar 2006 15:42:46 -0500

Subject:      RE: All is perfect

Dmitry,

Nice to know that you are been kept busy :), so you'll be having another Friday night at anchorage with nothing to do. I hope you will get a chance to come alongside at the port on Friday, because I will be going to Port Royal with my girlfriend and I would love the company to come back into town. Anyway we'll see what happens.

Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable about my statement "All seafarer has a woman in every port" you say it's a tale, but I also have many friends on the high seas and they confirmed that it's not a tale. So for now I will take their word for it.

I like the way you talk and I think you English is perfect, almost better than mine :). You seem to be a very honest and sincere person and I'm hardly ever wrong when it comes to judging people's character, I hope I'm not wrong about you.

I was born on the 27th June and you were born on the 11th like my sister. She is a very nice person and the only one out of seven sisters that I always manage to get along with. One thing you are definitely right about is that life is what you make it and I'm trying to make the best of mind with very little errors/mistakes, hence I always learn from other people's mistakes because I think that life is too short to make all of them on my own, that does not mean that I doesn't slip up from time to time though.

How many languages do you speak? I'm thinking about attending the language centre here in Jamaica to learn at least two other languages.

Tell me a little about your country, what's it like to live there? I know for a fact that it's always freezing there, which is one of the main reasons I would probably never visit that country. I like it here in the tropics, where the weather is nice and warm all year long.

What's your favourite dish/What do you like to eat?

Grace⁶¹

Спасибо, милая девочка, за твои добрые слова, но давай же, наконец, встретимся, чтобы ты смогла воочию убедиться, такой ли я, каким стараюсь казаться. Безусловно, я прилагал все усилия, чтобы показать себя с наиболее выигрышной стороны, но в то же время, я был совершенно откровенен в этих письмах. Тем радостней было осознавать, что она меня понимает и во многом разделяет мои мысли. Как же рассказать ей, выросшей на маленьком островке, в обществе, лелеющем старые обиды, ищущем правду в клубах дурманящего дыма и считающем агрессию проявлением силы, про огромную и прекрасную страну, раскинувшуюся меж трех океанов, с великим и гордым народом? Было бы здорово привезти ее туда. Мне кажется, она смогла бы понять и полюбить Россию. Пока же начнем с малого.

From:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

To:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

Date:            Thu, 16 Mar 2006 05:41:57 -0500

Subject:      Russia

Hi sweetie,

Now, there is another tale about wild frozen country. No, it is not snowing there all the year around and bears are not swarming the streets of ice covered towns. Russia is quite big and climate is different in different parts of it. It's cold in the northern part, but comes to a tropical climate in extreme south. The city of St. Petersburg, where I'm living is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was a capital of Russian Empire in days of its glory, so there are many nice buildings back from that time. Presently it is the second most important city in the country. It's cultural, industrial and political center, providing good possibilities for education, business and carrier. I really like it, though I have to admit that climate is not the very best part of it. Unlike Jamaica, there are considerable seasonal changes of weather. But even in winter time with all its snowing and freezing you may have lots of fun by skiing, skating, playing snowballs. You just need to dress yourself properly. For instance, how would you like riding a horse across the snowfield on a crisp winter morning? Now it is spring time over there, when nature awakes from the winter sleep. Snow melts down and new green springs from the land, flowers start blossoming on the trees. It's really beautiful to behold. Spring is considered to be the most romantic time of the year, the time for love. By the way, speaking about climate, Canada is even colder. So, may be you will change your mind and will go to Saint Petersburg during your vacation. Of course, I will pay your tickets and make arrangements for Russian visa. There should be flight via London with British Airways. What would you say?

Dmitry⁶²

From:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

To:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky^SkyFile.com>

Date:            Thu, 16 Mar 2006 11:02:16 -0500 Subject:      RE: Russia

Hi Dmitry,

After an explanation like this I would definitely love to visit your country. Though I think if I go via London I'll need British Visa as well. Anyway, it's too early to speak about this, as my vacation will not be before August or September. There is another havoc day here at work, so I need to go.

Grace⁶³

From:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

To:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

Date:            Thu, 16 Mar 2006 11:46:22 -0500

Subject:      Visa

In London you would need to transfer from Gatwick to Heathrow, but normally they don't request any visa from transit passengers. I always did it without one.

Tomorrow at anchorage we are going to launch a rescue boat and visit Lime Cay. Have you ever been there? What do you think about that place? Do you like swimming?

Dmitry⁶⁴

Лайм Ки – небольшой песчаный островок неподалеку от косы, соединяющей Кингстон и Порт-Роял, как раз напротив аэропорта. На острове расположен городской пляж. По выходным и праздникам желающие искупаться добираются туда на больших открытых лодках, которые регулярно курсируют между островом и Портом-Роял. В будние дни пляж пустует, за исключением редких счастливых бездельников, обладающих собственными плавсредствами. Добраться туда в этот раз нам, к сожалению, так и не удалось. Капитан неважно себя чувствовал, я был занят составлением месячных и квартальных отчетов, возглавить экспедицию оказалось некому.

From:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

To:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

Date:            Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:39:14 -0500

Subject:      RE: Visa

Hi Dmitry,

I know for a fact that I'll definitely need a British Visa if I should travel via that route. Not sure what the procedures are for visiting your country, but there is a Russian Embassy here in Kingston, so I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to find out.

I am reading the application procedure online and it doesn't seem so hard, pretty much the same like applying for a US visa. I'll read some more and we can probably discuss it later.

I don't go to the beach that often, not because I can't swim :) but because I rather to go to the beaches in the country.

Grace⁶⁵

Упоминание о сельской местности пробудило картинку из недалекого прошлого: Грэйс отвозит меня на судно после совместного обеда, я высказываю мнение о том, что Кингстон является, вероятно, наименее презентабельным и наиболее опасным местом на Ямайке; она соглашается со мной и предлагает однажды прокатить меня по острову, чтобы познакомить с его достопримечательностями. Тогда это предложение казалось слишком далеким от реального воплощения, сейчас же, кто знает?

From:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

To:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

Date:            Fri, 17 Mar 2006 15:03:37 -0500

Subject:      Country

Hi dear,

It would be a great thing if we can go some day to a beach together. I would love to see you swimming. Back home it is not possible to go for a beach all year around, because of the climate (of course, you can use a swimming pool, but that is different), so here I try to use every possibility for enjoying warm Caribbean waters. For instance, when vessel stays at anchor in outer roads, I usually make them rig a pilot ladder and swim around. Speaking about country side, do you remember proposing to drive me to the North coast and to show other nice places on your island? Is this proposition still valid?

Dmitry⁶⁶

From:            "Grace Palmetto" <GracePalmetto@WImarine-pandi.com>

To:            "Dmitry Karetniy" <Ch_Off.Odysseus-Sky@SkyFile.com>

Date:            Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:29:42 -0500

Subject:      RE: Country

Yes the proposition is still valid, however you would have to have at least an entire day to dedicate to the journey and even so it's no guarantee that we would see the entire island. But the north coast we could definitely drive to and reach back in Kingston within a few hours.

Anyway it's 1630hrs and time for me to leave this office. So see you later.

Grace⁶⁷