Semi-Serene Suez Scenes: All Jammed Up...Moored and Bored...Under Way...

Nautical Memes from the Scene: The optics of the moment, of the past week, from the traffic jam at the southern end of the Suez canal, offer so many opportunities for application to our recent/current circumstances, they were....well, 'too big for me to pass up' (dad joke!). I offer you just a few and hope they will prompt you to come up with you own, perhaps from the 'depths of your imaginations'...ugh! I can hardly 'contain' myself ...double ugh! This is gonna' be fun, because we can all relate to being:

Forced to Moor: Early in the pandemic, when we were told to "stay in place", many took it as an opportunity to get extra rest and others to clean out 'clogged' spaces of our own, which gave way to boredom and restlessness...to blame casting and accusations as to whose fault it is for us having to be in such a congested condition (even though most of us were in the comfort of our own homes)...

A Safe Distance: Six feet or more, the original calculus of which still eludes me (did they round up or down...certainly didn't come out six feet exactly...)...even when we were mooring at home early on, there were some germaphobe scientists telling us we should give a wide berth to others in the home and even wear a mask with our family members. But did ya' know that the distance between a moored tanker and a passing ship, as well as between two moored tankers may be from 50-150m...how would you feel trying to squeeze by in a dingy? Sometimes size (and distance) does matter...And then there's the length of ropes (correctly referred to as 'lines' while employed) recommended and/or required for proper mooring of these vast vessels--the numbers, varying lengths, and gauges are of such a dizzying array to try and cover here. Suffice it to say that we can all relate to feeling tied down ourselves or otherwise, 'fit-to-be-tied' lately... 

Clogged, Jammed: We've all had clogged drains and/or toilets, of course, perhaps more often since so many have been home together and using the 'facilities'. And, we've all been 'victims' of ill-timed traffic jams, when we seem (at least to ourselves) to be the only one out of the thousands around us, who are in a time sensitive situation...haven't you wondered, when viewing the photos of the "Ever Given" as well as the hundreds of ships in waiting, how much of your 'stuff' you ordered for somebody's birthday or another such event might be at the bottom of one of those colossal container carriers? Might want to purchase an extra, just in case...

Shortcuts, Long Hauls, Hang-ups--Getting Siri-US: We all, on a daily basis look for opportunities to get more done faster, for a quicker way (perhaps with the help of Siri) to get from A to Z, to save time, money, and energy...to get our stuff to our doorstep even the same day. Which was the reason the Suez was dug in the first place, the reason that more highway lanes are laid down (which initially gives us fits for a while while we are inconvenienced, only to then take the wider, easier traveled road for granted--how many have ever put signs out thanking the road pavers?) and, of course, why many bridges are built. Around these parts, depending on your age, you'll recall HUGE backups on the main north-south freeway when traveling 'up north' for a vacation, caused by a much smaller boat whose mast nonetheless caused the drawbridge in question to go up...at a time way before GPS and/or Siri could warn us and offer an alternate route...eventually a HUGE expanse over this rather small but strategically (i.e., inconveniently) placed body of water was built--which we now take for granted, unless it's closed for repairs...speaking of which...

Blame Casting: In addition to finally casting lines, casting off, getting under way again, attention and resources will turn to apportioning blame for the clogged canal...for the HUGE costs incurred for the delays. Yep, it will predictably be multidirectional, all inclusive, and even creative, ranging from  blaming the captain himself, to the crew member(s) in charge of various lines, to the dispatcher in charge of directing Suez traffic, to the engineers who last dredged the part of the canal in which the "Ever Given" became lodged, to (what else?) the weather! (i.e., sandstorm obscuring the captain's vision). BTW, when the foregoing bridge was built, just when we all thought we would travel unencumbered, we found out the bridge was not all it was 'cracked up to be'...that is, it was discovered to have a crack in such a strategic place that precluded its maiden crossing. What followed was the kind of blame casting we can expect in the coming weeks. And, what finally followed was the governor of the state stepping out (actually driving) on the bridge first, as a demonstration of both safety and leadership. Wonder if the captain will step out on the water (or sand) in a demonstration of...Who's to blame for our current circumstances and who's in charge around here?!

"Smooth sailing, calm seas...🙏"