GEM

A caption from "The Golden Century" by Ross MacTaggart about Gem, a 164 ft motor yacht built in 1913,

After a very difficult week, you're lying in a chaise on the aft deck of you 50-foot yacht. The stress you've felt all week is slowly draining from your face. Suddenly, a shadow blocks the warm, invigorating sun from your face. Opening your eyes, you see your wife blocking the sun; she asks you a question. Before answering, you note sudden and dramatic change in her face. Gone is the casual and familiar look, its replacement one of wonder, even apprehension, as her eyes stare, seemingly riveted, as something off the stern. Worried, you get up and... gasp. Coming toward you is an apparition both elegant and dangerous looking. As it glides by, you stare openmouthed at the vessel, long and low to the water, with her 18-foot beam an extraordinary contrast to the 164-foot length - like a huge pencil, you think. The twin stacks puff a greeting while the captain waves from the raised pilot station. Dumbly, you wave back as the plumb bow before you knifes through the waves. your eyes wander up to the long, carve scrollwork, and as the apparition cruises by, your stare remains fixed - like watching a long train go by - as foot after foot of Gem finally appears, only to slowly disappear. A few moments pass before your wife pinches you and asks, "Was that real?"

- Lloyd Cooper