The StormThe first rays of dawn shone on my face. Sunlight illuminated the interior of my little yacht. Standing up, I stood on the deck, looking out at the now sparkling blue sea. For the first time I felt dwarfed by the vastness of the sea; my yacht was nothing compared to the sea. It was the second day of my world cruise, a silly challenge I had taken up in a moment of madness. However, I was determined to prove myself in my group of friends. Such an odyssey would earn my prestige rivaling that of a pop star. However, I had no idea what would happen next. I scanned the morning sky for any clouds that might bring unwanted rain. There wasn't any. Satisfied with my observation, I entered my cabin and checked the weather instrument. Everything was fine, except that the surrounding air pressure was dropping rapidly. I wasn't overly alarmed. The air pressure at sea fluctuated and so I never realized what was about to happen. If I had realized this, I probably would have abandoned the original route and headed towards the shore. Around noon, the winds began to pick up. Hoping to gain a little more speed, I hoisted the sails. Everything was fine until a few moments later. The sky darkened, turning day into night. All around me was quiet, save for the occasional howl of the wind. The sea and the sky merged as one; the whole area was immersed in night and the clouds hid the sun. The winds became stronger and stronger. Fumbling in the dark, I reached for my flashlight, accidentally knocking something over. It began to drizzle. After finding my flashlight, I took the wheel back to the cabin, only to hear the wires snap and see my tree collapse. The sea was now turbulent, with waves exceeding three metres. The initial drizzle now turned into a heavy downpour, soaking the entire yacht. In a state of panic, I tried to radio for assistance. To my complete horror, I realized that I had knocked the radio off the table earlier. Now it lay broken on the floor, its circuitry rendered useless by the torrential rain. With no choice left, I had to stay out of the storm and pray to survive. The rain got steadily worse. Visibility reduced so much that the skies darkened, illuminating everything in their path.