I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking.
the SSV WestwardSo wrote John Masefield around the turn of the
19th 20th century. And to me (and countless others I am sure) it still rings true to this day.
It's hard to put into words, but the ocean has a power over me. I've always enjoyed the ocean in all its mystery and power and wondrous life. I grew up spending summers exploring the beaches and jetties of Cape Cod, collecting "mermaid's purses", whelk egg cases, scallop shells, and sea glass, searching for hermit and sand crabs, picking helpless periwinkles and dog whelks off the rocks, and shining flashlights into the night waters looking for blue crab and comb jellies and pipefish. I tried fishing for blues and stripers, but was never very good at that (apparently my brother, Carl, got all the fish-catching genes). Though I did catch my fair share of spider crabs.
For all that though, most of my connection to the sea was shore-based. Sure, I went out on my uncle's Boston Whaler on occasion (the best was going out to
Monomoy), but really never spent that much time on the water and never more than a few miles from shore. All that changed however in my junior year at Bowdoin when I had the opportunity to take part in
Sea Education Association's SEA Semester. It was during that experience that I contracted Masefield's sea fever.
Instead of going into all the salty details here, I'll send you over to
the website I designed to celebrate my and my shipmates' experience. (don't laugh when you click over there - it was the first website I ever put together - 10 or so years ago - no digital cameras, no CSS, no Photoshop - and though I keep saying I am going to redo or delete it, I can't bring myself to do it).
On top of the science of the ocean and of sailing, SEA Semester teaches you more about teamwork, leadership, and your strengths and weaknesses than any other experience I've encountered - you deal with real problems in real weather in real seas. Torn mains'l in the middle of a squall in the middle of the night? Work together and deal with it. Seasick in twenty-foot seas? Help each other out and deal with it. One of your watch members not pulling their weight? Figure out how to motivate them, teach them, encourage them or deal with the fact that you're just going to have to move forward without their help.
Ever since my SEA experience, I've jumped at any feasible opportunity to get back on a sailing ship - afternoon sails at SEA alumni events, my wife's and my honeymoon on the
Grace Bailey, our Galapagos adventure on the
Sea Cloud. Why am I posting about all this now? Because in a couple of weeks, I'll be rejoining SEA for a 4-day cruise on the
SSV Corwith Cramer and that sea fever is flaring up again.
I imagine it won't be nearly the experience my original trip was - it's only a four day "Colleagues Cruise" - but I'm counting the days till I climb aboard (even if it's not on the
Westward, which was retired a few years back). I plan on bringing my camera (digital now!) and will share my photos when I get back.
Yes, I am a pirate. Born 200 years too late.
51. You think that Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon are more evil than Whitey Bulger
52. You know who Whitey Bulger is
53. You went to the Swan Boats,House of Seven Gables, or Plymouth Plantation on a field trip in elementary school
54. Bobby Orr is loved as much as Larry Bird, Tom Brady and Ted Williams
55. You remember Major Mudd
56. You know what candlepin bowling is
And enjoy it!
57. You can drive from the mountains to the ocean all in one day
58. You know Scollay Square once stood where Government Center is
59. When you were a kid, Rex Trailer was the coolest guy around
60. Speaking of which…You can still hum the song from the end of Boom Town
61. Calling Carrabba's an 'Italian' restaurant is sacrilege
62. You still have your old Flexible Flyer somewhere in your parents' attic
63. You know that the Mass Pike is some sort of strange weather dividing line
64. The only time you've been on the Freedom Trail is when relatives are in town
65. The Big Dig tunnel disaster wasn't a surprise
66. You call guys you've just met 'Chief' or 'Boss'
67. 4:15pm and pitch black out means only 3 more shopping days until Christmas
68. You know more than one person with the last name Murphy
69. You refer to Savin Hill as 'Stab 'n Kill'
70. You've never eaten at Durgin Park, but recommend it to tourists
71. You can't look at the zip code 02134 without singing it
72. You voted for a Republican Mormon as Governor just to screw with the rest of the country
73. 11 pm? Drunk? It means one thing: Kowloons!
74. 2 am? Drunk? It means one thing: Kelly's Roast Beef! The one on Revere Beach not the one on Route 1
75. 5 am? Drunk? It means one thing: You wish you had a blanket in your back seat
76. You know that P-Town isn't the name of a new rap group
77. People you don't like are all 'Bastids
78. You took off school or work for the Patriots first Super Bowl Win Parade
79. You've called something 'wicked pissa'
80. You'll always get razzed for Dukakis
81. Saturday afternoons meant Creature Double Feature with Dale Dorman
82. Sunday mornings meant the Three Stooges on Channel 38
83. You've slammed on your brakes to deter a tailgater
Absolutely
84. No, you don't trust the Gorton's Fisherman
85. You know that Papa Gino's usually has a jukebox
86. You think Aerosmith is the greatest rock band of all time
Not so much
87. Your town has at least 6 pizza and roast beef shops
88. You know at least three Tony's, one Vinnie and a Frankie
89. 20 degrees is downright balmy as long as there's no wind- then it gets wicked cold
90. You were very sad when saying goodbye to the Boston Garden
True
91. Thanksgiving means family, turkey, High School football, and the long version of Alice’s Restaurant
92. You know the guy who founded the Boston Pops was named Athah Feedlah
93. You know what the Combat Zone is
94. You actually drive 45 minutes to New Hampshire to save $5 in sales tax
95. You've pulled out of a side street and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you can make a left
96. You've bragged about the money you've saved at The Christmas Tree Shop
97. You've been to Hampton Beach on a Saturday night
98. Playing street hockey was a daily after school ritual
99. Hearing an old lady shout 'Numbah 96 for Sioux City!' means it's time for steak
100. You remember Jordan Marsh, Filene's, Grants, Bradlees, Caldor, Zayres, or Ann & Hope