Sunday, November 9

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle

There are few reminders of vintage transportation in the jet age. Oh, you can still ride a horse or drive an old tractor in the Pioneer Day Parade, but how many would like to sail across the ocean in a 2-masted ketch? This ship is so small you can spit from stem to stern - against the wind! A rich mixture of courage and faith would have been necessary to embark in this bark and the thousands who have been lost at sea will attest to it if they could.

The replica ship, The Hawaiian Chieftain, sails the eastern Pacific to raise funds so it can sail the eastern Pacific. Maybe it goes elsewhere, but I doubt it. Even with all of the new-fangled navigational additions, trying to negotiate a storm would be the height of heroism - or worse. It looks seaworthy while in port, moored to a solid dock, on a river or in a still harbor. But out in the open mouth of the high seas, get out your prayer book.

I'm only kidding, really. The young people who man and woman this finely crafted showpiece, love the adventure and opportunity to do something few of their friends will. They'll be able to share some great stories about how bad the food was, the whales they saw and storms they've survived.