A ship in harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for.
-- John A. Shedd,
Salt from My Attic, 1928
This quote, along with an anchor wrapped in rope is emblazoned on several t-shirts and a jacket at my house. All 3 of us have a shirt, and the jacket belongs to the young man (my son) who discovered the quote, created the design, screened it on all the garments and is currently at sea for 4 weeks as part of the crew on the tall ship Gazela.
(Photo by Brad Kollar)
My son has a love of the sea. An extreme love of the sea. He comes by it honestly, as I am never happier than when I am on the beach with the wind in my face, the sound of the waves and gulls in my ears and the distinct scent of salt water in the air. I, however, become terribly motion sick while boating. He, luckily, has not inherited this condition.
CJ began volunteering on the Gazela in his junior year of high school. He joined the
Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, a non-profit organization who owns the Barkentine
Gazela Premeiro and the lighter barge
Poplar, and operates and maintains the iron tugboat
Jupiter. He spent numerous weekends at the dock, scraping, painting, polishing brass, tying sails and learning the language of sailors. Port and starboard instead of left and right. Bulkhead instead of stairs. Below instead of downstairs. Head instead of bathroom. Deck instead of floor. Aft and Fore instead of back and front. Berth, uprigging, fo’csle, helm.
His first trip was a day sail, simply out into open water and back again. He came home exhilarated, animated, and totally hooked. When the opportunity arose for him to sail with and crew (actually work) on a trip to New York, he jumped at the chance. The ship sailed to Red Hook, docked for a weekend, opening the ship to all who wished to climb aboard and learn about her role in the Great White Fleet, fishing cod off the shores of Canada in the early 1900’s. In the evenings, they hosted performances of a cabaret, for which the deck was transformed into a stage. CJ's job was to take photos that would later be used to promote the cabaret troupe. The whole scene harkened back to the days when the Gazela plied the seas daily, catching and hauling tons of fish for the hungry masses.
This summer, a few days after he graduated from college, he caught a ride to Manhattan and boarded the Gazela as crew for OpSail 2012 and the renowned Fleet Week. He was gone for a week, then home for 2 days, during which he did his laundry and repacked his bag. He then left from Philadelphia for OpSail Virginia, where the ship docked in Portsmouth and was open to the public for almost a week. Next port, Baltimore MD, then home to Philadelphia to be designated the Official Tall Ship of the International Port of Philadelphia.
Back to dry land for my sailing son until July 8, when we drove to Newport, RI to catch the boat at the Ocean State Tall Ship Festival. As I type, (July 11, 2012), they’re on their way to Bath, Maine, with an ultimate end destination of Nova Scotia. They’ll dock in Halifax, Port Hawksbury and Pictou, before sailing back home and docking on August 6.
As a member of the crew, CJ stands 4 hour watches on and off throughout the day, sometimes on deck, sometimes up in the rigging, clipped in like a rock climber, sometimes circling the ship looking for leaks and other non-normal things, sometimes simply helping where needed. He's repaired rope work, he's polished brass, he's stood anchor line at docking...I don't think there's much he hasn't done, except cook, perhaps (and that's not a bad thing). It’s not easy work; intensely physical, and out in the weather, no matter what it’s doing. He’s fed, berthed, unpaid, and completely satisfied and fulfilled. It's wonderful to talk to him about his time on the ship. He's a man transformed; transported by memory back to the place he calls his home at sea.
What an opportunity. What an adventure. What a memory-making, once-in-a-lifetime journey!* There may never be another time in his life when he’ll have the freedom of time to “run off” on a boat. He’s living a dream shared by every young man who’s read about and romanticized travel by sea. Even, more accurately, I suppose, those who’ve watched “Pirates” or “Master and Commander" and thought about jumping a ship to see the world. The Gazela isn't at war. She's not trawling for cod anymore, and in the waters in which she sails, there isn’t much chance of piracy. But being aboard is a totally authentic experience, even as a tourist. There’s a sense of peace and serenity that envelops you when you step on board. I can only imagine what it's like to be a part of her crew, knowing intimately how she works and what she can do. I can’t explain it; I can only tell you I wish I could sail away with him.
Sure, the Gazela has GPS and an elaborate tracking system set up so I can click a link and tell where, in real time, she is when she’s in range. But to look at her docked at a place along a modern harbor, or gliding across the water under sail, you can’t help but be entranced, enchanted, and transported back to a different time. And if you’re my son or any one of the 20+ other crew members, feeling like one of the luckiest humans alive.
Safe sailing, my son…I pray Poseidon brings you home safely.
*After this summer, the Gazela will be placed in dry dock for a year or more to have her hull re-coppered. After this, she’ll never again make a sail the length of the trip to NS. See what I mean by once-in-a-lifetime?
, which is considered the definitive work on the subject.
