Black ink sailing ship tattoo on the upper back of a woman with her hair pinned up, in a traditional style.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Sailing ship tattoo on upper back

Traditional · Back · Black and grey · Photo

A small sailing ship with three masts and filled sails sits on the upper back, just below the nape of the neck. The ship is drawn in bold black outlines with solid black shading on the sails and hull, set against a wave line beneath it. The photograph is taken from behind, showing the top of a striped top and the wearer's hair pulled up.

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Mam, the ferry from Dover was late again, so I've been sitting on a crate at the Calais terminal for four hours watching the gulls fight over a dropped sandwich. I want you to know I haven't lost the ring you pressed on me, though I did nearly lose my passport to a man in a yellow waistcoat who thought it was funny to hold it up to the light.

Keep reading

The ship in the harbour office window is the same one Grandad had painted on the side of his lorry, three masts, every sail full, though this one is only a sketch on a poster for the Saturday sailing club. The clerk saw me looking at it and said the boat was called the Patience, which made me laugh out loud, and he asked what was so funny. I told him my family has been waiting for things to come right since 1962, and he stamped my form without another question.

I think Grandad would have approved of the crossing. The sea was grey and flat as a plate and the waves kept folding back under the hull like they were tired of arguing. I stood at the rail with the wind pulling my hair loose and I thought of him saying a ship is only ever half a promise until it reaches the far shore.

So I'm writing from the other side now, in a café with bad coffee and a view of the cranes. The stamp says I'm in. I'll post this tomorrow, and when you read it, try not to worry. Tell Dad the sails are still full. Love, Nell.

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