MMB Chapter 1670 A Majestic Departure from Sea
Chapter 1670 A Majestic Departure from Sea
Chapter 1670 A Majestic Departure from Sea
The bow of the "Pioneer One" resembles a miniature altar.
In the very center, a large pig's head is enshrined in a red lacquered plate, with the pig's tail in its mouth, representing "a complete journey from beginning to end," signifying that the voyage will be successful and complete from start to finish.
There were bowls of glutinous rice, pastries, and fruit on the side.
A spirited, bright red rooster was carefully held by the crew, who would later drip its comb blood onto the bow of the ship in what was called a "consecration" or "eye-dotting" ceremony.
The incense burner was filled with the smoke of tall incense sticks, and the red candle flames flickered.
After Ye Yaodong led the crew in paying their respects, he picked up the first handful of steaming hot glutinous rice and threw it high into the sea in front of the bow of the ship.
The snow-white grains of rice traced an arc in the air, then fell into the sea like shattered jade.
He loudly recited auspicious words passed down through generations:
"Scatter rice into the sea, and the hold will be filled with gold and silver! The Sea God clears the way, and the Dragon King bestows a feast!"
This action, in essence, is offering the most precious food to the ocean. It is an ancient gesture of goodwill and exchange, meaning "I offer you the best food and ask you to give me a bountiful catch in return."
Then, he picked up a large bowl and filled it with clear, strong liquor.
He did not pour it casually, but solemnly and slowly sprinkled the wine onto the sea on both sides of the bow of the boat.
This action is full of ritual. The first cup is offered to heaven and earth: to thank the favorable weather for the voyage.
The second cup is offered to the sea goddess (Mazu/Dragon King): praying for divine protection, safe voyage, and avoidance of all storms and reefs.
The third cup is offered to the four directions: it is a tribute to the "friends" and "past" in the sea, which is both a greeting and a way of saying "please do me a favor and don't make things difficult for me".
The act of pouring strong liquor into the sea also carries the meaning of "expelling evil spirits," with the hope of dispelling all misfortune and bad luck.
Finally, the paper money is burned, and the ashes are watched to drift into the sea, signifying the completion of the ritual and that the intentions have reached the heavens.
Ye Yaodong clapped his hands, turned around, and ordered the offerings to be poured into the sea. He then bowed once more.
After everything was finished, he shouted in a loud voice, "Ceremony complete! Cast off! Set sail!"
In an instant, the roar of the engine replaced the previous silence, and the huge propeller churned the seawater.
Ye Yaodong also walked towards the cockpit.
Ye Chenghu jumped up, "Wait, wait... I haven't gotten off the boat yet, wait for me..."
"Why are you still here?"
"Didn't you say you'd stay until you finished watching? Let's go now."
Ye Yaodong's brows were so furrowed they could trap a fly.
“I’ll be on this ship next month too, so of course I have to participate in the prayers. I’m getting off now.” He muttered a few more words as he walked away.
Ye Yaodong walked directly to the cockpit. During the ceremony, everything that needed to be checked on the ship had been checked and everything that needed to be prepared had been prepared. Now they could set sail immediately.
He entered the coordinates of the fishing grounds near DYD, 123°28'E, which they now refer to as the 123 fishing grounds.
After the fishing boat slowly sailed away from the shore, he used a satellite phone to contact the shore command headquarters.
After he identified himself, the Taiwan authorities replied that they had notified him yesterday and also reported the fishing data of each fishing boat.
A long list followed, with each fishing boat giving a general report.
Ye Yaodong understood immediately after listening. Yesterday, he had simply tested the satellite phone and let those at sea know that he had acquired his seafood collection vessel and had already set sail.
As the fishing boat sails on the sea, its massive, streamlined hull, towering bridge, and advanced radar antenna array stand out like a mobile sea fortress compared to the traditional fishing boats around it that are only a dozen meters long.
He held a thermos in his hand, his gaze sweeping over a row of electronic screens flashing various data in front of him—GPS, radar, AIS (Automatic Identification System for Ships), fish detectors—everything was under his control.
Now his ships are getting bigger and bigger, and the number of them is increasing. Everything is at the forefront. Whenever a new technology or shipbuilding technology comes out, he updates and improves it accordingly.
Otherwise, the price wouldn't be one when the contract was signed, but another when the ship was built; he closely follows national technology.
He was very familiar with this route and could teach people how to sail and use the technology with ease.
Practice is more important than theory. He kept sending people to ship training centers to learn, but that was just theoretical. To truly master the technology, one must rely on practice. Only by combining practice with theory can one master it more effectively.
Ye Yaodong guided the students like a mentor, explaining things along the way. Fortunately, the cockpit was big enough to accommodate them.
Just as the fishing boat had traveled two-thirds of the distance, the display screen detected another fishing boat dozens of nautical miles away, and that fishing boat even contacted them.
"Hey! You blue and white boat up ahead, yes, the one with the number Min Xianfeng No. 1, displaying Dongsheng Fisheries, are you a seafood collection boat? Is it Boss Ye's boat? I am Zhejiang Fuyun."
Ye Yaodong paused slightly, the name of the ship seemed familiar, as if they had captured Japanese soldiers together. He picked up the microphone: "This is Ye Yaodong, I can hear you, please speak."
"It really is Boss Ye! I'm Lao Liu, do you remember me?"
I don't remember...
"Hey Lao Liu, what's up? That's your boat. I was just thinking how coincidental it is to run into a fishing boat."
"Wow, Mr. Ye! Is this your new boat? You even got a seafood collection boat. It's so impressive! It's huge. You must be rich again. I could see it from far away with binoculars. I'm so envious!"
The other person's voice was warm and urgent, "Judging from the direction you're going, are you going to DYD to collect fish?"
"Yes, I have too many fishing boats, and not enough to collect fresh seafood. I need to get a big one. This is the first time I've set off."
"Then do you think we should take back the cargo on my boat? I've been shouting all the way here but haven't come across any cargo ships that collect fresh produce. Several times they've already returned fully loaded. It's just too unlucky."
"Huh? Since you've already gone back, why don't you just dock and sell the goods for more money?"
“It’s too much trouble and too time-consuming. How long will it take me to sell all this cargo? Unlike fresh seafood ships, I don’t have the channels and connections. The time wasted in the process is enough for me to fill up my ship again. Since your ship has already set sail and needs to collect cargo, I’ll sell you the cargo on my ship.”
Ye Yaodong said politely and regretfully, "I'm really sorry, Mr. Liu. This ship is specifically for collecting our own cargo. I have nine ships on the sea, and they are all basically full of cargo. They are just waiting for this ship to arrive to collect the cargo."
"Besides, I didn't bring any money with me. I don't have a single penny on me, so I can't accept your goods. After all, my ship only serves its own purposes, and I don't need to carry cash when I go out to sea."
Hearing this, the other party had no choice but to give up. After all, they had only met once or twice. With tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods on the ship, they dared not trust someone so easily and hand them over.
After all, his fishing boat needs to continue fishing at sea, and he doesn't know when he'll be able to dock again. Going back to collect debts in a month or two would be too inconvenient and uncertain.
"Oh, that's a real shame. I was thinking that we had a pleasant collaboration last time and we're practically acquaintances now, so I felt comfortable selling the goods to you."
"It's a bit of a shame that I didn't bring any money with me, otherwise I would have liked to help you. You should hurry back now, get the goods done as soon as possible, and you can get out sooner."
"Okay, that's settled then. See you next time."
"Ok."
Ye Yaodong was also a little disappointed, but he had actually gotten to know quite a few boat captains from the last collaboration, some of whom were even in the local fisheries association.
If he really gets a few fishing boats to collect fresh catches, he can connect with quite a few fishing boats, but high returns are accompanied by high risks.
A trip to sea requires carrying at least several hundred thousand yuan in cash, enough to buy dozens of lives. It's safer to receive your own cargo.
He couldn't handle so much stock. Going out to socialize, develop channels, and meet bosses was exhausting, and dealing with all that stock was killing him.
Now it's a complete chain from fishing to production to sales, which is quite impressive and leaves a way for others to make a living.
After cutting off the communication, he continued to maneuver the fishing boat forward.
We have now reached the second turning point, the Kuroshio tributary, and are not far from our destination. It should take about 12 more hours to get there.
On the screen of the echo fish finder, signs of life in the sea below were also displayed, with varying shades of color outlining schools of fish and the topography of the seabed.
If there were any dangers in the terrain, they were in this area. He stared intently at the screen.
After it got dark, he felt that the distance should be enough to make contact, and the target light was already displayed on the AIS.
He called out via the ship's VHF radio, "Hello, this is Ye Yaodong, calling Dong Sheng Fisheries' fishing boat, please respond if you hear me."
"Received, received, ship number 3 has arrived. It's arrived so quickly, only two and a half days have passed."
"We've received ship number 5. I heard your super-large fresh seafood collection ship has set sail, it's incredibly fast, it's arriving so quickly?"
“We’ve also received the No. 2 ship. You’ve come at just the right time. If you hadn’t come, all our cargo would have been overloaded and had to be returned. That small cargo ship can’t carry much cargo; it can only carry the cargo of two ships at a time before it has to return.”
Ye Yaodong replied, "Okay, you guys continue with your work. I'll be there soon, it should only take about the time it takes to drag the net around."
"receive."
"By the way, inform the other fishing boats to prepare in advance. We expect to arrive in about 5 hours."
"receive."
"You guys can figure out the docking order yourselves. Whoever goes first, it's not a big deal if it's not a coincidence. I'll wait a bit."
"receive"
After disconnecting the communication, he picked up the microphone again and broadcast to all personnel, "We expect to arrive in 5 hours. On-duty personnel, please prepare for the handover. Everyone else should take a break and take turns according to the duty roster."
There was a commotion on deck, and someone shouted, "Received!"
Ye Yaodong took a sip of tea from his thermos to refresh himself, then kept his eyes glued to the screen.
Finally, the target light on the AIS got closer and closer, the fishing boat could be seen in the telescope's field of view, and the walkie-talkie was able to pick up a signal.
Ye Yaodong picked up the VHF walkie-talkie directly: "Number 3, this is Ye Yaodong. I see you. Is the network up and running? Is it convenient to connect?"
"It's ready and waiting to dock. Holy crap, this new ship is even more awesome."
"Approach from your port side and prepare for docking!"
"Roger that!"