Eleven Hours' Confinement

　　I'm not accustomed to staying in a boat on furious waves. I've gotton on board only in calm waters like the Seto Inland Sea. What dramatically increased my fear was the length of the voyage to Tokyo. It was 11 hours! An announcement piled on my fear after that, which told me that the voyage was conditional. It meant that the ship might stop its service on the way in case of the weather worsening. We were supposed to drop in at two islands, Mikurajima and Miyakejima, on the way. It meant the wave height would get higher.
　　We decided to use the higher class cabin, which is shown below. I thought I would throw up due to sea sickness and cause trouble to other passengers if in a big cabin. I also wanted to be lying near the toilet.
　　I had nothing to do but lie on the bed with eyes closed. A Japanese word "shimanuke" suddenly came to mind. During the 270 years of the Edo period, "shimanuke" was attempted 18 times and only once was successfully done. "Shimanuke" corresponds to "escape" in English. The escape from Hachijojima island by a small boat without engines, GPS system and enough preserved food and water must have been harsh work, even more from Alcatraz Island.
　　I'll show you the pictures of two islands, Mikurajima and Miyakejima. Only when the ship entered inside the breakwater, could I stand and take these pictures.

(Vocabulary)
come/spring/leap to mind (突然) 頭［心］に浮かぶ, 思い出される
call/bring sth to mind ＜…＞を思い出させる
The taste of cold beer calls to mind a hot summer's day. 冷たいビールの味は暑い夏の日を思い出させる．