Daniel, this is brilliant. I was absolutely riveted the whole way through. And it's even more compelling to know that it's inspired by true events experienced by a relative of yours. Tight quarters on a crowded ship is bad enough, but when you factor in all the things that can go wrong, esp. in a storm, it's a nightmare. I grew up by the sea, but I took the ferry across the English Channel and it was very rough, to the point they told everyone to stay in their cabins to avoid getting hurt. The ferries are big enough to move cars, trucks, and buses, etc., but this ship was being thrown around on the waves like it was a raft. And that wasn't even a serious storm, so I can't even imagine what it's like to really be at the sea's mercy. Respect to anyone who makes their living that way.
That vivid memory you shared of crossing the channel reminds me of a Sylvia Plath poem she wrote about her and Ted crossing it. But my recollection of that poem is that their crossing was not nearly as jarring as yours. I came so close to enlisting in the navy, because I loved the cut of the uniform. 😂
But it was that relative’s story, combined with my own boyhood obsession with Joseph Conrad, that convinced me not to go that route. There’s Samuel Johnson’s quote that sums the matter up nicely: “No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail, since being in a ship is being in a jail, with the added chance of being drowned.”
That's a great quote! And they do have very snappy uniforms :-) My mother had an uncle named Ulysses who spent his life in the navy, which seemed odd to me as a child, but now seems a missed opportunity for some epic stories ;-)
Great atmospherics here, Daniel. Yes, some storms definitely shouldn’t be faced head on! And Job always good for a little mystery menace. The sound of the sirens. 👌🏻
Really appreciate the comment. I’ve written my own variation of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” called “The Sound of Sirens” with such lines as—“And the Argives were delayed in a Phaeacian glade…” 😊
Daniel, this is brilliant. I was absolutely riveted the whole way through. And it's even more compelling to know that it's inspired by true events experienced by a relative of yours. Tight quarters on a crowded ship is bad enough, but when you factor in all the things that can go wrong, esp. in a storm, it's a nightmare. I grew up by the sea, but I took the ferry across the English Channel and it was very rough, to the point they told everyone to stay in their cabins to avoid getting hurt. The ferries are big enough to move cars, trucks, and buses, etc., but this ship was being thrown around on the waves like it was a raft. And that wasn't even a serious storm, so I can't even imagine what it's like to really be at the sea's mercy. Respect to anyone who makes their living that way.
That vivid memory you shared of crossing the channel reminds me of a Sylvia Plath poem she wrote about her and Ted crossing it. But my recollection of that poem is that their crossing was not nearly as jarring as yours. I came so close to enlisting in the navy, because I loved the cut of the uniform. 😂
But it was that relative’s story, combined with my own boyhood obsession with Joseph Conrad, that convinced me not to go that route. There’s Samuel Johnson’s quote that sums the matter up nicely: “No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail, since being in a ship is being in a jail, with the added chance of being drowned.”
That's a great quote! And they do have very snappy uniforms :-) My mother had an uncle named Ulysses who spent his life in the navy, which seemed odd to me as a child, but now seems a missed opportunity for some epic stories ;-)
Great atmospherics here, Daniel. Yes, some storms definitely shouldn’t be faced head on! And Job always good for a little mystery menace. The sound of the sirens. 👌🏻
Really appreciate the comment. I’ve written my own variation of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” called “The Sound of Sirens” with such lines as—“And the Argives were delayed in a Phaeacian glade…” 😊
That’s a great line. It’s been a life mission to find that glade and get delayed.
What a wild ride! Great storytelling all around. Everything about this was unique and compelling, and the banter was so believable. Bravo!
Thank you so much for the kind comment and restack, Winston. 🙏