Corría sin parar hacienda uso de hasta la más última de sus fuerzas. Su corazón latía desesperadamente y su aliento era escaso, pero sabía que no tendría otra oportunidad si dejaba escapar ese barco sin dar el mensaje al cocinero. Trató de hacer sus zancadas más largas y aleteó mucho más con sus brazos, pensando que esto le ayudaría a ganar velocidad; pero solo le fue un estorbo a su visión y no pudo percatarse del fango resbaladizo que dejara la lluvia de la noche anterior…
Ese hombre era el único entre toda aquella tripulación de gañanes que se había ofrecido a ayudarle de una forma desinteresada. Primero lo había intentado con el primer oficial, que era a quien más conocía después de tantos años de amistad, pero por lo visto tanta travesía y alcohol le habían fundido el cerebro y ahora quería cobrarle hasta por hacerle un favor. Después preguntó a varios marineros y le hicieron propuestas similares. Al final dio con aquel maestro de la cocina que se apiadó de él y accedió a hacerle llegar aquella carta a aquella mujer.
Australia estaba a muchísimos kilómetros de allí. Él ya no tenía acceso, pues después de aquel del timonel se había quedado sin libreta marítima. De aquello hace ya 6 años y desde entonces vagabundeaba por el Puerto de Plymouth recordando sus años de gloria. De joven había sido toda una leyenda de los mares, había recorrido más de medio mundo y en uno de esos viajes había conocido a esa mujer a la que él recordaba como su esposa.
Se conocieron en la playa de Palm Cove, Andrea trabajaba como limpiadora en una de las cabañas de alquiler. Desde el primer momento se atrajeron, se quisieron, se casaron y no se separaron hasta el momento en que Peter tuvo que volver a embarcarse. Prometió volver en unos meses, pero durante esa travesía sucedió aquel incidente en el que, por salvar a una prostituta de las manos de su agresor, este terminó muerto en cubierta con la cabeza reventada. El capitán 
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He was running without stopping, using every last ounce of his strength. His heart was pounding desperately and his breath was short, but he knew he would not have another chance if he let that boat escape without giving the message to the cook. He tried to make his strides longer and flapped his arms a lot more, thinking that this would help him to gain speed; but it was only a hindrance to his vision and he could not notice the slippery mud left by the rain of the night before
This man was the only one of the whole crew of scroungers who had offered to help him in a selfless way. First he had tried the first mate, who was the one he knew best after so many years of friendship, but apparently all that sailing and alcohol had fused his brain and now he wanted to charge him even for doing him a favour. Then he asked several sailors and they made similar proposals. In the end he came across the master chef who took pity on him and agreed to send the letter to the woman.
Australia was many, many miles away. He no longer had access to it, because after the helmsman's letter he had lost his seaman's book. That was six years ago and since then he had been wandering around Plymouth Harbour remembering his glory years. As a young man he had been a legend of the seas, he had travelled more than halfway around the world and on one of those voyages he had met the woman he remembered as his wife.
They met on the beach at Palm Cove, Andrea was working as a cleaner in one of the rented cabins. From the first moment they were attracted to each other, they loved each other, they got married and did not separate until Peter had to sail again. He promised to return in a few months, but during that voyage the incident occurred in which, for saving a prostitute from the hands of her assailant, he ended up dead on deck with his head blown off. The captain, the cousin of that helmsman, took his anger out on Peter and punished him for life by preventing him from crossing the ocean again. A few days ago, Peter had learned that there was a ship sailing to the ocean continent and since then he had not stopped trying to send a letter to Andrea explaining the reason for his absence.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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