Re: [Paddlewise] Boat Graveyard at Staten Island

From: James <jimtibensky_at_fastmail.fm>
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:03:20 -0600
There is a visceral reaction in me when I see a shipwreck.  These
pictures really brought it out.

I would guess that for most of us who float above the waves in our
boats, some sort of relationship with our vessel develops.  And I
imagine that it is the same for other mariners.  So seeing a wreck
brings a sadness of nostalgia for the good service the boat performed,
the good times or even the scary times had by the people who used the
boat, the adventures, the work accomplished, the getting safely to home
no matter what happened out there.

Several years ago I saw a wreck in Greenland whose home port was
Thorhaven, the capital of the Faroe Islands.  It brought to mind what
that boat had been through to end up there.

Much like an old, abandoned house or even a cemetery, a wrecked boat is
a reminder of the end that everything faces, no matter how vital or
steadfast it was in its prime.

It's fun to imagine what the people who were on those really old boats
looked like.  What they wore, what language they spoke, what their
purpose was in getting on board.

Thanks for bringing to mind such interesting thoughts and memories
Craig!



Jim Tibensky
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Received on Wed Nov 19 2008 - 07:21:04 PST

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