29 Comments
User's avatar
Ruv Draba's avatar

How many offspring from that incident, how many Nobel prizes? Were you even -trying- to make it matter?

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

Alas, I am no Howland. I work in the toy deparment of life.

Expand full comment
Ginger Clark's avatar

Great Story--But where's your list of potentially illustrious offspring? Oh, I see a reply that you work in the toy-department of life. All the more reason to have offspring.

Seriously, why are people so crabby about this story? I think it's great! Had some of those passengers as my ancestors, too and have to say for all the time we've been in one country none of the family has ever amounted to anything. Probably were setting our family example by sitting in the hold, making messes. Thanks for another highly readable post.

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

The guy asking about offspring was only kidding. The religion guy was not.

Expand full comment
Lebo Von Lo-Debar's avatar

Happy Thanksgiving Day my American People, and I am so grateful to be alive today to enjoy giving thanks. Give all the Glory to God, Amen!

Lebo Von Lo~Debar

Former/Always 82nd Airborne Infantryman, Disabled Veteran for Life, & Author of the book, "The Separation of Corporation and State" subtitled "Common Sense and the Two-Party Crisis" Available on Amazon.

https://a.co/d/fy5rSdW

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

The real question is this, guys: If the ship lay a'hull why was there so much of the topsail halyard loose in the water to begin with?

Expand full comment
JPowell's avatar

Thanks for sharing

Expand full comment
Charles Devarennes's avatar

Give thanks for trailing lines.

Expand full comment
Gary Seven in Space's avatar

Trailing a line when solo sailing is always a good idea…

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

I always did thereafter.

Expand full comment
Roberto Gringo's avatar

I’ve always heard it’s impossible to pull oneself up by a line but I guess that most absolutes it’s not absolute.

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

In my case, there was only 20 inches of freeboard. That makes the difference.

Expand full comment
Roberto Gringo's avatar

Gotcha. I know from learning how to water ski ya can’t stay on long but of course ones not fighting for their life in that situation. We have a swim ladder so I suppose the hardest part is pulling oneself up, so in that case easier. Did you have a life jacket on?

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

Not in those days. We had a bad attitude.

Expand full comment
Mark's avatar

Is it? Have you ever tried to hold onto a trailing line behind a moving boat, let alone trying to haul yourself against the flow back to the boat? All this is doing is prolonging the inevitable.

A much better practice is to clip on with a harness and not go overboard to being with.

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

I was back on that boat in seconds, and the thing was thundering along at hull speed. You just can't be an old f@@k.

Expand full comment
Mark's avatar

Water temperature also plays a big part.

Expand full comment
Gary Seven in Space's avatar

That is a given -/ but accidents happen and a slim chance is better than none.

Expand full comment
Mark's avatar

Accidental overboards don't happen if a person is harnessed and tethered.

In my 15 years of ocean sailing all around the globe, never has anyone gone on deck without a harness when being alone up top. It's not rocket science.

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

We were young, invincible and broke. Every nickel went into planks and fastenings to make sure she didn't sink, and beer. Did I mention beer?

Expand full comment
Gary Seven in Space's avatar

Yes and sailors are best at telling everyone else what to do… belts and suspenders- just don’t foul your prop.

Expand full comment
Steve D'Antonio's avatar

It can't be a coincidence that (so many) actors and politicians share the same DNA.

Expand full comment
Michael Fossler's avatar

Always nice to mix in some religious hatred into your sailing articles.

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

What's to hate? My view is that they were a buffoonish lot for the most part. And I have some perspective, having grown up in a town adjacent to Plymouth. For my perspective on the Puritans, a somewhat different animal of the same period, check out this:

https://open.substack.com/pub/loosecannon/p/megayachts-are-for-show-offs-the?r=nzq2r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Expand full comment
Winston Fowler's avatar

Peter, there was a fellow who worked at 3M that I knew casually, (no names to protect "ME"), who while sailing solo in his beautiful Bristol, fell overboard, and altho0ugh some fisherman saw him they finished fishing and picked him up several hours later. Had to buy his boat back from salvage company. As the "legend" has it some rum may have been involved prior to the rescue.

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

Haha. There was beer involved in my escapade.

Expand full comment
Winston Fowler's avatar

I had to re-read your reply. Momentarily I thought you said, "a beer" LOL

Expand full comment
Eric Russell's avatar

Gorgeous boat. Who designed her?

Expand full comment
Peter Swanson's avatar

Never found out who designer or where she built. Supposedly somewhere in Maine, supposedly in the late 1940s. She had a Gray Marine gas engine.

Expand full comment