Foreword

The sea has so many tales to tell. Even in these modern days of technology, when nobody writes of giant whales, beautiful mermaids, lost treasures, one-legged pirates and crew mutinies, trust me—there are many, many stories out there as varied as the colours and the moods of the oceans. This old sea dog has taken on the mantle of bringing another collection of such sea stories to you. having been a seaman for more than 40 years, I have always felt this compulsion to give something back to the sea, the entity that has given me such a fulfilled life of travels and adventures. I decided to do so as a narrator or a raconteur…call me what you will. My first collection Driftwood—stories washed ashore (2019) consisted of stories of the sea and of modern seafarers, but not necessarily for seafarers alone. They were for anybody and everybody who wanted to read fiction—tales of adventure, love, romance, piracy, intrigue...and human nature. Wind Chimes by the Sea—stories washed ashore is no different. These are some fresh stories for you with a hint of brine that have blown in from the oceans, a couple of them from long ago, all intended to transport you to another world. I want you to hear the echo of the seas. I want you to feel what it is like to be on a ship at sea. I want you to empathize with the trials and tribulations of seafarers; to get inside their heads and view the world through their eyes. If, dear Reader, you have been able to do that by the time you finish this collection (and I hope you don’t abandon ship midway!) I’ll consider my job done.

Capt. Beetashok Chatterjee

Master Mariner

New Delhi, 2024