voyage of the flying dutchman

according to folklore, the flying dutchman is a ghost ship that can never go home, and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. the flying dutchman is usually spotted from afar, sometimes seen to be glowing with ghostly light. it is said that if she is hailed by another ship, her crew will often try to send messages to land or to people long since dead. in ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship is reckoned by seafarers to be a portent of doom. — from wickipedia

but my ghost ship above was inspired by the poem "voyage"

my galley cargoed with oblivion
dares bitter seas in winter's midnight dark
past schylla and charybdis. in the bark
my lord who is my enemy steers on.
each rebel hand at ready oars defies
death and a risen tempest, till the sail
is shredded by a great, eternal gale
of mad desire, of hope, of heavy sighs.
a rain of tears, a fog thick with disdain
soak and slow down the old and weary rope
twisted with ignorance, by folly frayed.
i seek my double star of love in vain.
dead in the deep, both art and reason fade
and a safe harbor lies beyond my hope.

— translated from the italian "passa la nave mia colma d'oblio" by alexander foreman.

if you're inspired by the thought of ghostly old ships, you might want to look at this beautiful "shipwrecked" necklace by the lola collection on etsy.com.