Galadriel’s mirror

[juhsstin]

hello all,

I read The Mirror of Galadriel last night and was wondering about what Frodo sees in it. Namely, what is he actually seeing? (duh). He sees the white figure, presumably Gandalf, who veers off the path to the side. But afterwards he sees things he "knew to be parts of a great history in which he had become involved." The paragrah then continues with a sequence of images:

The mist cleared and he saw a sight which he had never seen before but knew at once: the Sea. Darkness fell. The sea rose and raged in a great storm. Then he saw against the Sun, sinking blood-red into a wrack of clouds, the black outline of a tall ship with torn sails riding up out of the West. Then a wide river flowing through a populous city. Then a white fortress with seven towers. And then again a ship with black sails, but now it was morning again, and the water rippled with light, and a banner bearing the emblem of a white tree shone in the sun. A smoke as of fire and a battle arose, and again the sun went down in a burning red that faded into a grey mist; and into the mist a small ship passed away, twinkling with lights. It vanished, and Frodo sighed and prepared to draw away.

I'm guessing most of the latter half pertains to the Battle at Pelennor and the departure at the Grey Havens... but what is the first "tall ship with torn sails riding up out of the West"?