After weks of floating adrift in a tiny boat, two men are forlornly watching the sea for signs of a ship. All of a sudden, a huge hand- at least 10 metres across- emerges from the water near the boat. It leans all the way over to the left, then all the way over to the right, before slipping silently back beneath the surface. The men look at each other. ''Blimey!'' says one. ''Did you see the size of that wave?''