Trying times try mens souls - a parable
Bill Irwin
billi@aloha.net
Thu, 1 Nov 2001 14:26:52 -1000
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Years ago beginning about '76 and extending up to '80 I had a large sail =
boat, a 42' ketch rigged trimaran. Being a big boat it was always best =
to have crew aboard to help out on a long voyage. Generally I would get =
friends and accuantences to go along and sometimes I would just pick up =
strangers off the dock for crew. While it was a big boat it seems that =
after a week or so at sea the boat got smaller and more cramped as you =
were forced to share the space with your crew members. Begining in a =
small space for weeks on end, isolated on the big ocean, sharing duties =
around the clock, and no way to get away for relaxation or even to have =
a moment alone you could really get to know you shipmates, better than =
you maybe wanted to. You got to know all about their character flaws =
and their strengths. Throw in a big storm, or week of really foul and =
shity weather, or even 4 or 5 days of being becalmed with no wind (no =
wind can be very frustrating as the boat just sits there, the empty =
sails noisily flogging back and forth with each roll of the ship - hard =
on the nerves and hard on the rigging) you have the stress that begins =
to try men's nerves and eventually their souls.
Once we had a really big storm. The waves seemed to be 50 or 60 feet as =
they towered over the mast top, looking straight up at these buggers =
from the wave trough can be a little frightening as they keep marching =
on. And every 5 or 10 minutes one would break across the boat and a =
wall of water would sweep down the decks and if you were on watch there =
was no escape from being drenched. I don't know how many of you have =
spent a really dark night with the wind howling in the rigging, no =
visibility, a torrential rain beating down and every few minutes having =
a bathtub full of cold sea water being thrown at you, you duck down and =
hold on to the wheel with all your strength. Eventually you become =
drenched to the bone, the water slowly creeping into the cabin on blown =
spray and the wet fowl weather gear of the crew, your bunk even becoming =
water logged. Finally I began sleeping in my rain slickers as =
protection from the wet mattress. These conditions can try your soul =
and you find out what your crew mates are made of. On an other occasion =
we had about a week of foul weather and we had to beat directly into it =
under reefed sails. A big, choppy sea was running (the worst kind) the =
going was really slow, only about a 100 miles or less a day and the wind =
was cold. It seemed that every wave would slap into the boat with a =
tremendous sound and sometimes the boat would fall off a wave top into =
the trough with a big crashing sound and then the boat would shudder as =
it tried to regain its footing. This went on for days with no end in =
sight, slowly eating away at your nerves. Another opportunity to look =
into the eyes of your crewmates and see what's there.
I have seen every reaction to these stressful conditions. Some become =
moody and withdrawn, some become abusive and sour. I have seen big guys =
turn to jello, I have seen small guys turn into superman. Once a guy =
puked when a piece a gear broke loose at a bad time on a bad day. The =
genial dockside conversationalist becomes the annoying motor mouth. The =
joker becomes sad and morose. The lazy find new energy. The quiet =
become the source of comforting words. The know-it-all, well, there is =
no hope for them. Most do their duty and keep their sea sickness and =
fear to themselves.
Of course sailing is not all toil and trouble and conflict with the =
crew. Sometimes there are moments of great joy and wonderment. I will =
always remember my last night on the boat. I had sold the boat and was =
delivering the boat to the new owner in Valdez, Alaska. We spent about =
3 or 4 days crossing the Gulf of Alaska and by mid day on the 4th day at =
sea we made the entrance to Prince William Sound. The sail up the Sound =
was delightful, off to the left was a huge glacier (the name escapes me) =
stretching as far as the eye could see, bits of ice bergs were floating =
about and the Sound was teaming with wildlife both in the air and in the =
sea. Soon nightfall came upon us, a very dark night, we had reached the =
entrance to Valdez Strait - a long narrow canyon leading to Valdez Bay. =
Because of the geography of the area the wind is channeled and =
accelerated into Valdez Strait, the wind was really blowing down the =
Strait but the sea was flat - ideal conditions for a fast passage. God =
that wind was cold, blowing off the nearby glaciers. We all had every =
piece of clothing we had on and foul weather gear on top of that, we =
had to drink hot rum and lemon toddies just to keep warm. Because the =
wind was coming down the Strait we had to tack back and forth across the =
channel with only the distant blinking beacon on the mid-channel rock =
pile to guide us. The wind was howling and we had full sail up - the =
boat was charging ahead under full power showing us that she was a true =
champ as I knew she was - we were flying along. On each side of the =
channel the shear rock walls rose up and disappeared into the swirling =
mist overhead, an occasional star could be seen through the mist. All =
the crew was up on deck taking in the grand spectacle. Soon we reached =
Valdez Bay and the wind calmed down, it was now a peaceful sail. Across =
the bay the twinkling lights of Valdez town could be seen - only 2 more =
hours till we reached a proper bar. Behind the town the snow covered =
mountains seemed to glow in the dark, overhead a vast canopy of =
twinkling stars shown in the clear night air. The captain ordered up =
another round of hot toddies for the crew.
Now for the parable: The WTC, the anthrax attacks and the war has =
provided the stress and choppy seas. We are the crew. The AGL is our =
small boat. We must press on and do our duty. We must take care of our =
crewmates. If we do not our small craft will founder and we will all be =
lost.
Bill "Ewie" Irwin
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<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Years ago beginning about '76 and extending up to =
'80 I had a=20
large sail boat, a 42' ketch rigged trimaran. Being a big boat it =
was=20
always best to have crew aboard to help out on a long voyage. =
Generally I=20
would get friends and accuantences to go along and sometimes I would =
just pick=20
up strangers off the dock for crew. While it was a big boat it =
seems that=20
after a week or so at sea the boat got smaller and more cramped as =
you=20
were forced to share the space with your crew members. Begining in =
a small=20
space for weeks on end, isolated on the big ocean, sharing duties around =
the=20
clock, and no way to get away for relaxation or even to have a moment =
alone you=20
could really get to know you shipmates, better than you maybe wanted =
to. =20
You got to know all about their character flaws and their strengths. =
Throw in a=20
big storm, or week of really foul and shity weather, or even 4 or 5 days =
of=20
being becalmed with no wind (no wind can be very frustrating as the boat =
just=20
sits there, the empty sails noisily flogging back and forth with each =
roll of=20
the ship - hard on the nerves and hard on the rigging) you have the =
stress that=20
begins to try men's nerves and eventually their souls.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Once we had a really big storm. The waves =
seemed to be=20
50 or 60 feet as they towered over the mast top, looking straight up at =
these=20
buggers from the wave trough can be a little frightening as they keep =
marching=20
on. And every 5 or 10 minutes one would break across the boat and =
a wall=20
of water would sweep down the decks and if you were on watch there was =
no escape=20
from being drenched. I don't know how many of you have spent a =
really dark=20
night with the wind howling in the rigging, no visibility, a torrential =
rain=20
beating down and every few minutes having a bathtub full of cold sea =
water being=20
thrown at you, you duck down and hold on to the wheel with all your=20
strength. Eventually you become drenched to the bone, the water =
slowly=20
creeping into the cabin on blown spray and the wet fowl weather gear of =
the=20
crew, your bunk even becoming water logged. Finally I began =
sleeping in my=20
rain slickers as protection from the wet mattress. These =
conditions can=20
try your soul and you find out what your crew mates are made of. =
On an=20
other occasion we had about a week of foul weather and we had to beat =
directly=20
into it under reefed sails. A big, choppy sea was running (the =
worst kind)=20
the going was really slow, only about a 100 miles or less a day and the =
wind was=20
cold. It seemed that every wave would slap into the boat with a =
tremendous=20
sound and sometimes the boat would fall off a wave top into the trough =
with a=20
big crashing sound and then the boat would shudder as it tried to regain =
its=20
footing. This went on for days with no end in sight, slowly eating =
away at=20
your nerves. Another opportunity to look into the eyes of your =
crewmates=20
and see what's there.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>I have seen every reaction to these stressful =
conditions. Some=20
become moody and withdrawn, some become abusive and sour. I have seen =
big guys=20
turn to jello, I have seen small guys turn into superman. Once a =
guy puked=20
when a piece a gear broke loose at a bad time on a bad day. The genial =
dockside=20
conversationalist becomes the annoying motor mouth. The joker =
becomes sad=20
and morose. The lazy find new energy. The quiet become the =
source of=20
comforting words. The know-it-all, well, there is no hope for =
them. =20
Most do their duty and keep their sea sickness and fear to=20
themselves.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Of course sailing is not all toil and trouble and =
conflict=20
with the crew. Sometimes there are moments of great joy and=20
wonderment. I will always remember my last night on the =
boat. I had=20
sold the boat and was delivering the boat to the new owner in Valdez,=20
Alaska. We spent about 3 or 4 days crossing the Gulf of Alaska and =
by mid=20
day on the 4th day at sea we made the entrance to Prince William =
Sound. =20
The sail up the Sound was delightful, off to the left was a huge glacier =
(the=20
name escapes me) stretching as far as the eye could see, bits of ice =
bergs were=20
floating about and the Sound was teaming with wildlife both in the air =
and in=20
the sea. Soon nightfall came upon us, a very dark night, we had =
reached=20
the entrance to Valdez Strait - a long narrow canyon leading to Valdez=20
Bay. Because of the geography of the area the wind is channeled =
and=20
accelerated into Valdez Strait, the wind was really blowing down the =
Strait but=20
the sea was flat - ideal conditions for a fast passage. God that wind =
was cold,=20
blowing off the nearby glaciers. We all had every piece of clothing we =
had on=20
and foul weather gear on top of that, we had to drink hot rum and =
lemon=20
toddies just to keep warm. Because the wind was coming down the =
Strait we=20
had to tack back and forth across the channel with only the distant =
blinking=20
beacon on the mid-channel rock pile to guide us. The wind was =
howling and=20
we had full sail up - the boat was charging ahead under full power =
showing us=20
that she was a true champ as I knew she was - we were flying =
along. On=20
each side of the channel the shear rock walls rose up and disappeared =
into the=20
swirling mist overhead, an occasional star could be seen through the =
mist. =20
All the crew was up on deck taking in the grand spectacle. Soon we =
reached=20
Valdez Bay and the wind calmed down, it was now a peaceful sail. =
Across=20
the bay the twinkling lights of Valdez town could be seen - only 2 more =
hours=20
till we reached a proper bar. Behind the town the snow covered =
mountains=20
seemed to glow in the dark, overhead a vast canopy of twinkling stars =
shown in=20
the clear night air. The captain ordered up another round of hot =
toddies=20
for the crew.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Now for the parable: The WTC, the anthrax attacks =
and the war=20
has provided the stress and choppy seas. We are the crew. The AGL =
is our=20
small boat. We must press on and do our duty. We must take =
care of=20
our crewmates. If we do not our small craft will founder and we =
will all=20
be lost.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Bill "Ewie" Irwin</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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