THE PLUNGE
January 5, 2013

It all started with the few scenes in a movie I must have watched 10 times: White Squall. It is not just a sailing movie but a study in the development of leaders. Aside from that is a remarkable almost subliminal message about the absolute beauty of a boat at sea. In the right circumstances, of which very few of us have the privilege of ever witnessing, one can sense the essence of what calls us to sea. I speak of the scenes of the Brigantine Albatross when, under a full sail set, she is in sea rollers about 15 to 20 feet as she rises on the wave then plunges almost poetically into the trough. The spray off her bow is not that of a race boat or a fast ship but one of a heavy, well found sea boat ready to take whatever Mom has to offer. Even in those seas, where most cruisers would don life jackets and unship the EPIRB, her crew went about normal life. More than that, they gave her leave to run before as a free spirit. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to have experienced lively sea would, I think, admit that the first time is scary and the right swell set is rare. Only those crews that have dealt with high seas truly appreciate the long smooth rollers shown in the movie. The crew of Why Knot is not, by any measure well seasoned but we have been in lively water, not in a heavy sea boat but in a light, lively boat capable of delivering us to a safe port if we can hang on. Once in a while, but only once in a while have we had the chance to ride live water with little concern and enjoy it deeply. I would say it has happened maybe a half dozen times when Why Knot hooked up on the right period sea and had a “bone in her teeth”. She pushed aside the bow wave with the gusto of a like a happy puppy with a bone. On the encounter with the face of the wave, she rose quickly to climb to the top. Coming back from the Abacos during a squall, we saw waves in the high teens. Some were far enough apart to give us the sensation of a slow climb to the top. Most were steep and very uncomfortable but we had a few good one. Perhaps the best example for us was the return from Isla Lobos, Mexico. For two days we ran before a 25 knot wind in what was more like large, lumbering swells. They were far apart and had no steep sides. I found myself looking forward to the climb. Once there, the wave rolled under us and she started down the back side like a kid on a slide. She started her plunge to the trough. The knot meter would spin upward and few times we hit double digit speeds. That plunge, to a hopeless romantic old man, was a trip to the earliest sailing days where I could almost see a long bowsprit about to stab Mother’s new wave. Time and again I thought about the fact that my watch was over yet I could not let go of the wheel. I could not share the wheel with anyone. I was riding a good boat in a rare combinations of wind and sea. I only wish I could have jumped ahead a hundred yards to see the bone in her teeth. I wish I could have captured those moments for others. I wish I could have shared that moment with my Dad. To me, the scenes in the movie, not the knock down and sinking but the earlier scene as she left the islands with the new crew captured the rare experience of what drags my soul time and again back to thoughts of the sea. I am fortunate that my mate shares the same sense of that reward and as long as things are relatively under control, she is right there in the dream.


Ok Bligh, step away from the computer and get back on the home project.