Ship's Cat
Container
Antwerp (stowaway, 2023)
Sleeps on the ECDIS. Has opinions.
Boarded three years ago in Antwerp, refused to disembark, and has since acquired seniority. Sleeps on whichever screen is warmest, generally the electronic chart display. Considered by the crew to be lucky. Considered by the electronic chart display to be a problem.
Portrait is a comic book invention. Under the conditions of my passage, no likeness of the working crew may appear here, names have been changed and faces drawn from memory.
Sunday, 1 November 2026Dolphins off Baja
A quiet Sunday morning, a pod of dolphins at the bow, warm air at last, talk of the crew pool, and a biscuit tin that is lighter than it was on Friday.
Saturday, 31 October 2026Halloween in the Mess
A pumpkin carved like the ship, a crew party at sea, Big Kev dressed as himself, a costume coincidence, and a very small pie.
Friday, 30 October 2026I Hired a Sports Car, Briefly
Shore leave. A Porsche with the roof down, the Pacific Coast Highway, a Chief Officer who drives the way she plays Scrabble, tea, biscuits, and an engine photograph for Tiny.
Wednesday, 28 October 2026Paperwork and Suspicion
The day before landfall. Forms, crew lists, Marco ironing everything, a shopping list of exactly two items, and a cat who will not leave my bag.
Tuesday, 27 October 2026Two Cups on the Bridge Wing
The last full day of the Pacific crossing. A sunset on the bridge wing, a question about going home, a shore leave plan, and an answer I meant.
Sunday, 25 October 2026Container Takes the Watch
A blue Sunday, the clocks going forward yet again, Big Kev winding her up for California, and a cat who has decided the bridge wing is hers.
Thursday, 22 October 2026The North Pacific Has a Word
A proper autumn gale, a ship the size of a town leaning politely from side to side, plain toast, and a phone call from the bridge.
Monday, 19 October 2026Scrabble at Midnight
A rematch on the bridge during the middle watch, a word I should not have played, a word she definitely should not have played, and my first win.
Sunday, 18 October 2026Tiny's Workshop
The second Saturday, a lathe, a lump of brass, and a long conversation with Tiny about fathers, Peugeots, and the correct way to hold a file.
Saturday, 17 October 2026Saturday, Twice
We crossed the date line in the night and were handed the same Saturday again. I spent the first one becoming a Golden Dragon and the second one wondering what to do with a free day.
Friday, 16 October 2026Followed Everywhere
A quiet day after the excitement, a long walk with my silent escort, and an attempt to discover exactly how a cat enters a locked cabin.
Wednesday, 14 October 2026The Face on the Pillow
Container has stopped merely sleeping on my bed and started arranging herself so that the first thing I see each morning is her face.
Tuesday, 13 October 2026The Bridge Has a Biscuit Tin
Dawn drinks with Priya, an increasingly public biscuit collection, and a Pacific crossing measured in small familiar rituals.
Sunday, 11 October 2026A Small Quiet Day in the Pacific
Grey skies, a borrowed book, and Container taking charge of a day with very little to report.
Sunday, 4 October 2026Busan Falls Astern
The cranes recede, the Pacific waits, and the biscuit collection acquires a regular appointment.
Thursday, 1 October 2026A Cat, a Champion, and Korea Ahead
Container follows me to the bow, Priya retains the title, and Busan waits beyond the mist.
Friday, 25 September 2026Championship Pressure
I win one, Priya demands an immediate review, and Container interferes with the evidence.
Wednesday, 23 September 2026A Tin of Biscuits and a Tram
Six hours ashore, one tram ride, and a biscuit tin selected mainly for its lid.
Monday, 21 September 2026Taiwan in Clear Weather
Mountains rise through clean air and the ship seems suddenly close to everything.
Thursday, 17 September 2026The Cat Makes Rounds
Container now follows me everywhere and has developed opinions about the engine control room.
Sunday, 13 September 2026North Again
Singapore drops astern and the ship begins the long turn toward East Asia.
Thursday, 10 September 2026Waiting for Singapore
At anchor among hundreds of ships, close enough to a city to see its windows.
Tuesday, 8 September 2026Port Klang Biscuits
Another port, another hurried search for supplies, and a tin featuring a building I did not visit.
Saturday, 5 September 2026Jets Over the Andaman Sea
Two fast aircraft arrive without warning and leave the whole deck looking upward.
Tuesday, 1 September 2026Back into the Grey
Colombo falls behind, the mist returns, and the new biscuits are tested properly.
Saturday, 29 August 2026Fog, Still
A second day without a horizon and a cat that refuses to lose sight of me.
Thursday, 27 August 2026Words at Sea
A rematch, a disputed word, and an appeal process with only one judge.
Monday, 24 August 2026A Quiet Monday
Four miles around the deck, a calm sea, and nothing requiring an answer.
Sunday, 23 August 2026The Biscuit Audit
The Rotterdam supplies are counted, judged, and found dangerously low.
Friday, 21 August 2026A Wider Sort of Blue
The ocean opens ahead and the ship settles into the long eastward run.
Thursday, 20 August 2026The Gate to the Indian Ocean
The Red Sea narrows, the traffic thickens, and Container begins following me to breakfast.
19 August 2026The Pillow Has Fallen
Six weeks in, halfway down the Red Sea, and I woke at 07:00 with a cat's face two inches from mine, occupying territory that used to be mine.
11 August 2026From Russia with Love
Priya invited me to a film in the crew television room. I had no idea I was a Bond girl. I have decided that I like it.
5 August 2026The Pillow Campaign Begins
Container has moved two inches up the bed. This is not random. This is a campaign, and I am now taking measurements.
3 August 2026A Kite, Plain Rice, and a Respectable Second
Priya taught me to fly a kite from the bridge deck. Elena moved me onto plain rice and plain toast. Container has claimed the foot of my bed. We came second at trivia.
27 July 2026The Cat, the Eggplant and a Trivia Team I Did Not Ask For
I woke up to find the ship's cat at the foot of my bed. I also discovered I do not like eggplant. Priya has rostered me onto her trivia team. The seagulls are judging all of us.