Sad and Dismal is the Story

Greetings,

A very sad day on Monday, October 29th, when the Tall ship Bounty foundered  about ninety miles off of the North Carolina coast while in the clutches of Hurricane Sandy. It is a very great relief that there were fourteen survivors from the crew with one crewman lost, Claudette Christian and Captain Robin Walbridge still missing. There is very little comfort for the Christian and Walbridge families, though, as well as those who live in the Bounty's home port of Greenport, New York.

The worldwide maritime community will morn the loss of the Bounty for many years to come. The sense of shock to me, a folksinger living on the prairies of Illinois, is still profound, three days later. Though I've sailed on many a tall ship over the years, I did not have that opportunity on her. Yet, the feeling I got from many of these vessels while underway, was a sense of them being alive, surging from wave to wave and reveling in a brisk gale of wind. I've heard many a sailor shouting above the wind in the rigging, "She's shaking her tail!" or "She's got a bone in her teeth!" I was stunned when I saw the photo in Wednesday's Chicago Tribune of her last moments, her decks a-wash, her spars splintered, and listing to starboard. A truly profound sadness.


Unfortunately, this is a scene that has been played thousands of times over the thousands of years of commercial shipping. Yet each time, the emptiness is all encompassing. It is not unlike what happened 100 years ago in northern Lake Michigan, when the Rouse Simmons was lost with all hands off of Two Rivers, Wisconsin in a storm that took other vessels that day, November 23rd, 1912. Carrying Christmas trees for the Chicago holiday season from northern Michigan, the "Christmas Tree Schooner" went down and her loss was felt in the city for quite a while. The tradition of going downtown to the dockside to pick out a Christmas tree from Captain Herman Schuneman was gone  in the blink of an eye. And in some households, that year became a bittersweet memory, even while purchasing trees from the Captain's wife, Barbara, and their daughters in succeeding Christmas holidays. 

There were many questions surrounding that sinking so long ago, as there are with this shipwreck. Of course, now is not the time for them to be answered. Now is the time for reflection and memories, for condolences and thanksgiving for all of our blessings. Also, the courage and bravery exhibited by the U.S. Coast Guard in this rescue was a marvel. Those "Storm Warriors" can stand alongside any of the other great "Coasties" throughout history! They are truly the best in their field, and underpaid at that.  And to the crew of the Bounty, whose lives have been changed forever, I hope that you can find solace as you enter into a new chapter in your life's novel, a second chance if you will. May you find peace in your endeavors and may it always be a fair wind that fills your sails, from now on.

Sincerely,

Lee 


Copyright November 1, 2012 by Lee Murdoc