for just a moment he thought that this was what the first boarders of the mary celeste must have felt like , coming upon a totally abandoned ship where all the sail was neatly laid on , where the captain 's table had been set for dinner , where all ropes were neatly coiled and some sailor 's pipe was still smouldering away the last of its tobacco on the foredeck ... brian shook these paralyzing thoughts off with a tremendous effort and went to the door between the service area and the cockpit .