Tags
"4 Mêng", adventure, Departures, Growing-up, I Ching "Youthful folly", journey, Nature, sailing, the Pacific, tropics
by Whitt Birnie
Going to sea
The sea hit me like a wave breaking on the shore. It drew me in. The attraction was irresistible, almost like falling deeply in love for the first time. The feel of spray on the skin, the wind whistling around the ears and tickling the hair, the aroma and novelty of smells, the music of rhythms and sea sounds, the warmth and excitement of the natural world, all combined to drive me insane with desire.
Admittedly, all the pre-conditions were right. Young, I’d lost my first love to her own spirit of adventure. Idealistic, a well-paying job in NYC had lost its appeal when I realized my salary was produced by viciously exploiting workers, especially women. I couldn’t stand it; I needed change, a better world, and new passion to consume me.
I’d acquired a foreign flag vessel in a steamy South American port, and started learning the ropes for my first ocean passage. For crew, I’d met a sweet French gal who’d studied in the islands and I knew would make good company, but the authorities, the Port Captain, wasn’t impressed. “You need a professional crew,” he would say, meaning a navigator, helmsman and cook, “but you’re not going to sea with your girlfriend.” My Spanish improved considerably as I worked on the grammar and vocabulary needed to sway him, but my persuasive attempts only half-succeeded. “No girlfriend,” he finally said, citing my sea inexperience, “but it’s your vessel, so you could go alone.” That thunder echoed so loudly in my ears that I dropped companionship plans and immediately changed tack; I could hopefully find another gal, but I could never find another opportunity like this. I’d gone totally loony.
Within a few short months of preparation, I’d mastered the relatively simple calculations of sight reductions, that is, using a sextant and chronometer to determine latitude at sea. Longitude and celestial navigation were coming along well. Instead of just looking up at the stars at night, I was methodically learning their names, so I could measure their heights over the horizon, time their passage, and then plot them on a chart.
I became single-minded. Companionship hardly mattered. My mind became consumed with planning ahead; where I’d go, what I’d need, how to confront the worst dangers. Suddenly I was deep-down happy inside; excited, full of anticipation, laughing at my past errors, caught up in the joy of discovery and adventure.
In time, having learned the techniques, numerous barriers fell by the wayside, were bypassed, overcome or ignored. I awoke one fine morning far from land, realizing I’d become a different person. Two weeks at sea, land a few thousand miles astern, more and more of the same ahead, my first sea voyage was to last more than a month, with many more to follow. The wind and sea had embraced me and gently taught me where to look and what to do. The sailboat had kindly tamed me, showing me how to treat her, soothing the motions when I acted wisely, slapping me down when I wasn’t concentrating or didn’t remember a vital lesson, but always responsive, always showing me the right way. I became entranced.
Departures for high adventure are like that: last-minute surprises, wise advice taken, lessons learned and applied, high risks evaluated, adapting to change, impulsive decisions. I fell in love with the sea because society had disappointed me. I wasn’t running from anything, I was looking for something to fill a void in my mind and my heart, and I found it in ships, islands and the sea.
Another “home from the sea.”
Malou said:
Beautiful post and pictures! Somehow you reminded me of the movie I’ve seen long time ago, “Salt on our skin”. 😉
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
Hi Malou. I missed the movie, but liked reading the summary review. Very amusing comment; thanks for reminding us of that taste from summers on the beach. You might like this: http://deoxy.org/iching/4
LikeLike
shrewdbanana said:
Stunning pictures, thank you for sharing 🙂
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
And thank you for bringing your poetry to our attention. Your writing, combined with images, is very moving, especially when associated with water. Love the effect!
LikeLike
shrewdbanana said:
I seem to write about the sea/water a lot – I was born and brought up next to the coast, and my grandfather was a shipwright many years ago, so I guess it’s in the blood. It’s perhaps why your beautiful pictures appealed so much too. Thank you again.
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
Please do write about water, it’s so much a part of our lives on this small blue planet. Thanks to your grandfather’s skill, men and women went to sea for their callings, and returned to tell the tale. Yes, you have it in your blood, and now it’s time to pass it on. Most of humanity has since become urbanized, so you owe it to them, and to your grandfather’s memory. Also, you’re very welcome.
LikeLike
elizabeth2560 said:
This post is great because it is throwing us a glimpse of another world – in both your words and pictures – and a reminder that life only comes by once, so we must live it to the full. You write so well. And your photos are stunning. I would love to know how long you have been on your sailing adventure and how long you intend to keep at it before you return to the other life you have somewhere…. or maybe you intend to continue sailing forever ….?
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
Top-notch question. I’d have to refer to Luc Besson’s “Le Grand Bleu” (European version) or “The Blue One” for hints and advice. Let me try this. If you truly want to be happy and fulfilled in a short lifetime, you have to pursue your dreams relentlessly. And if you drift off-course, it’s best to return to your objectives, or you’ll miss out on what really matters. Just a few years ago, money and material counted less, and we were encouraged to be fulfilled, rather than rich. So when I discovered a well-found wooden vessel in South America, I made it into a home and a vehicle for exploring, and so on
Ten years the infatuation lasted, until I questioned my intentions, finally giving in to realizing I hadn’t done much for improving the world. The obvious consequence was that falling out of love with my vessel brought her to disaster, shipwreck. Washed up, I tried a normal life, found a terrific job teaching, built a home ashore on a distant island, and tried to forget. But the sea refuses to release you. Like a jealous mistress seeking revenge, she’s always there calling. So eventually I recognized my nature and returned to sea.
Sailing, well that’s part of it, because the wind is a free energy source and mobility is part of life, but the sea is the primary element. Open, alive, outdoors, the sea offers constantly changing moods, presents challenges and reveals secrets — it’s like life on land multiplied by two or more. I’m happily and totally addicted. I’ll try to live out the rest of my life on the sea, and then, when it’s over, let her take me away. What more could I say?
LikeLike
elizabeth2560 said:
Top-notch answer. You should put that down in one of your posts one day. You are a very good writer.
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
You are very kind, Elizabeth. Perhaps I should paste it into my ‘about’ page.
LikeLike
elizabeth2560 said:
PS. How long have you been writing your blog?
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
This spring. I’m trying to grow into it.
LikeLike
Bob Martin said:
Hi Whitt, how wonderful to read your blog and your insights. The post “Going to Sea” reminded me of so many events! I look forward to reading all your posts.
Bob Martin
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
Hi Bob, thank you for dropping by and leaving such an intriguing comment.
LikeLike
campanulladellaanna said:
Your photo has an excellent effect … stunning. I enjoy it. Thank you very much for your visiting in my blog. I appreciate it 😛
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
You offer such a wide variety of interests on your blog’s menu, it’s tempting to taste everything. I appreciate yours too. 🙂
LikeLike
Madhu said:
What a fascinating story Whitt! And how fortunate you are to have found just the thing to fill that void! Thank you for sharing a bit of your life and some of the breathtaking beauty around you.
LikeLike
whitt88 said:
You are very welcome, Madhu. I am a steadfast admirer of your work, so your compliment will motivate me to share more. Some things in life we have no control over, and my falling for this was certainly one.
LikeLike