Seafarers, Seas Faring, See Yourself Faring: Staying Afloat ?

How Ya Doin'? How are you faring these days, the waning days of February, 25 days following the snowy day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where Phil emerged from his burrow and, seeing his shadow, proved his perennial prescience once again in declaring there would be six more weeks of winter? Are you better, worse than yesterday, than last week, than last year at this time? You know, about the time that we started hearing about this new virus that eventually held the world hostage? And put Wuhan, China on the map as as one of the least likely ports of call we would endorse? Speaking of ports of call, for anyone who is the least bit nautically inclined, the parallels of our individual and collective experiences throughout 2020 and into 2021 now, associated with COVID-19, with those encountered at sea are compelling. And inescapable if you watch/listen to any newscast at length...

Sailing Along: That we were, as our most previous president reminded us almost nightly early in the pandemic. That is, our economy was sailing along, enjoying calm waters and warm breezes, a swimmingly state of affairs, until gale force winds of change arrived, in the form of a resident of the state of Washington being diagnosed with this new virus, shortly after returning from Wuhan. After which we have all experienced turbulent times, rough seas we have had to navigate. Speaking of rough seas...

Cruisin': Imagine you're on a cruise ship (this used to be a common visual accompanying relaxation strategies in my office, not so much recently), perhaps for the very first time or maybe you're an expert cruiser and on your centennial cruise, enjoying the gentle rocking of these huge vessels, these floating cities, and you're anticipating with great fervor your first port of call, only to be told "get lost!", "we don't want any!" (COVID, that is), among other less welcoming messages, and you are now an orphan on the ocean, for an undetermined amount of time, and an undetermined destination for debarkation as well. What started off as a dream vacation, where time was zooming by, becomes a COVID cluster of circumstances where you can only see your loved ones through Zoom (if your ship is in a location allowing a decent signal, that is). You think you've got it bad...

Seafarers Stranded: Stranded at sea? January 28, 2021--article detailing how hundreds of thousands of seafarers, those working aboard your cruise ship, cargo ships, oil tankers, and a plethora of other sea going vessels, had their contracts extended way beyond what they signed up for. This, due to not being able to release them due to fear of spreading infection; they couldn't mutiny if they wanted, as any given port would not receive them. Did ya know: that at any given moment there are more than 1.4 million seafarers traveling the world's waterways? Perhaps a slight reduction in the near future, once they set foot on land and rethink their contracts...

At a Distance: While we have all been distancing ourselves, far out in space, satellites circling our globe show us as looking 'blue' amidst the infinite darkness of outer space, this due primarily to the fact that the oceans and seas cover about 70% of the earth's surface. Closer to home, in our "Great Lake State" of Michigan, the Great Lakes contain more than 20% of the world's fresh water. Many Detroiters continue to claim Lake St. Clair as the 6th Great Lake, not yet endorsed by those in D.C., whereas for a brief period in 1998 Lake Champlain was recognized as the '6th' by the U.S. government (who then taketh away, to the chagrin of those in Vermont and New York, but largely ignored by our genial neighbors to the north also bordering this lake, eh?). In any case, an even more distant glance, "Envision 2050: The Future of Oceans" is calling on all of us to be aware of the oceans and seas as being critical for the health of our earth, for many future generations who hopefully won't even hear "COVID" in a whisper...

Cut to the Chase, Row, Row, Row Your Boat: Capitalizing on rowing as a 'brand', college football coach P.J. Fleck, shortly after arriving at Kalamazoo, Michigan, implored his Western Michigan University players to "Row the boat"! A quote, he explains to the 'unwashed' among us, reflects the interdependence of the players and coaching staff, the student body, the faculty, the whole community for the football program to prosper...geez, I think you're gonna need a bigger boat P.J.! An approach that brought the program into national prominence, that brought ESPN's "College Gameday" to town in November, 2016. Shortly after coach Fleck decided to abandon ship for another port of call, namely Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he took over yet another football program. I'm still trying to figure out his rowing route from WMU, situated 99.98 nautical miles from Lake Michigan--somehow he must have accessed the Mississippi. (can you hear "Proud Mary", a song recorded by CCR in 1968, released in 1969, and again by Ike and Tina Turner in 1970, whose version became a frenzied classic?) 

Seafaring Solo, Powered by Bolo: "Bolo chocolate", that is. Just in case it escaped your attention, Jasmine Harrison, age 21, departed from the Canary Islands on December 12th and rowed, rowed, rowed her boat solo for 70 days, three hours, and 48 minutes, arriving at Antigua in the Caribbean. Thereby setting a world record as the youngest woman to having done so solo. As part of the 2020 "Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge", while not disclosing how many casks of Talisker she consumed to sustain bodily warmth, Jasmine did estimate she consumed more than 40 kg of chocolate ("what happens in the Atlantic stays in the Atlantic" or "chocolate, the best of company", or ?)...

Closer to Home: Rowing machines, while not a perfect facsimile of Ms. Harrison's vessel, have become popular as a home remedy for shuttered gyms, and offer the benefit of engaging every major muscle group, as burning more calories in studies comparing them with other cardio contraptions. All the while covering 0 nautical miles (in my mind, I have gone 360 around the globe ending up at home again!). Just in case you have managed to consume 40 kg of chocolate...

Port in a Storm: Until the storm of COVID eases, we can encourage each other, partly through words we exchange: 

"Fair Winds and Following Seas"...a gesture of good luck to those we will miss and sailors who have showed honor and courage...frequently used at a beginning of a career, a commission, as well as at retirement, a change of command, or farewell ceremony...

"Steady as she goes"...an order for the helmsman to keep a ship's present course...an order that may have been issued from Kate McCue, the first woman who had been named captain of a "mega" cruise ship...

"Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"

And, of course, through song: 

"Beyond the Sea", recorded by many artists, but Bobby Darin's version released in 1959, remains the best known:

"Somewhere beyond the sea

Somewhere waiting for me

My lover stands on golden sands

And watches ships that go sailing...

Happy we'll be beyond the sea..."