tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post5861303986358591466..comments2024-03-28T16:10:45.421+00:00Comments on Going Gently: For all those in peril on the seaJohn Going Gentlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14958171262765033946noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-86050239685248608572011-11-28T14:57:42.777+00:002011-11-28T14:57:42.777+00:00John,
I'm glad you're all right and were a...John,<br />I'm glad you're all right and were able to put things to right in your 'Ukranian Village'.<br /><br />I live on the coast and was sailing in one storm that made me glad we were very near home. Went 10 knots with just one small sail up, and zipped home before the worst of the weather came. I was grateful to be on board with such a knowledgable captain (i was crew), and a sweet old boat.<br /><br />I added my prayers to the countless others that were no doubt uttered when i heard about those still missing.<br /><br />meganSisters of the Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870466996161217926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-90719557301939171952011-11-28T13:37:45.272+00:002011-11-28T13:37:45.272+00:00The sea never ceases to remind us of who is in cha...The sea never ceases to remind us of who is in charge...<br /><br />Glad the geese knew what to do!Nota Benehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00969705852180234416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-79343370191453538812011-11-28T08:56:46.901+00:002011-11-28T08:56:46.901+00:00poor buggers!poor buggers!Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625543235578144620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-62879016383336637172011-11-28T05:01:29.714+00:002011-11-28T05:01:29.714+00:00My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who...My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who are waiting for news and the men who are hopefully still alive. I understand they've found one body and five are still missing? What an uneasy time.<br />Are you by the North Sea over there?<br />We once met an old sailor walking along a beach over on the Oregon Coast. He was collecting petrified wood and we stopped to talk with him for a while. When he said he'd been a sailor for 25 years I said he must have a lot of great stories to tell. He looked sad and tired, said almost everyone he knew back then wound up dying in maritime accidents...that all the stories he'd have to tell would be about being scared shitless. Cal looked at him and answered "No story worth listening to is about anything else." He finally smiled and relaxed a little at that.<br />The sea is an extraordinary force whether in calm or storm. I love her but she scares me, too.<br />I've huddled in storms before. I'm totally with the birds on this one.<br />DxxxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-5920392317190840962011-11-28T04:38:58.696+00:002011-11-28T04:38:58.696+00:00Golly, this post really puts my little dramas into...Golly, this post really puts my little dramas into perspective. I've thought of you John and your sagas this last week as my own misadventures accumulate towards take-off... broken lawn mowers, and last night the toilet cistern giving up in a great flood. Having to deal with that late at night is chicken feed compared to you seeing to your flock's comfort on a stormy night or indeed sailors fighting for their lives. That seems the stuff of folklore but how tragically real. How moving to have the hymns and prayers from Hippo and JohnD.Lady Mondegreen's Secret Gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07638813551209321151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-32514485519568220452011-11-27T20:43:57.672+00:002011-11-27T20:43:57.672+00:00Good one, John D
and a moral to all. If life is ...Good one, John D<br /><br />and a moral to all. If life is treating you like shit, don't give up. Just kick it in the teeth and soldier on (or sail on).<br /><br />I am sure that Rod MacDonald would not like my Précis of the fruit of his poetic skill but I am sure you know what I mean.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-67567506495349015312011-11-27T20:08:32.466+00:002011-11-27T20:08:32.466+00:00The Sailor's Prayer
(Rod MacDonald)
Though my...The Sailor's Prayer<br />(Rod MacDonald)<br /><br />Though my sails be torn and ragged and my mast be turned about<br />Though the night wind chill me to my very soul<br />Though the salt spray sting my eye and the stars no sight provide<br />Give me just enough morning light to hold<br /><br /> (Chorus) I will not lie me down, this rain a-raging<br /> I will not lie me down in such a storm<br /> And if this night be unblessed, I shall not take my rest<br /> Until we reach another shore<br /><br />If the only water's salt and I cannot quench my thirst<br />I will drink the rain that falls so steady down<br />If night's blindness be my gift, if there be thieves upon my drift<br />I will praise the dark that shelters me from them<br /><br />If my friends be drained and weary and it seems their hopes are<br />lost<br />There's no need for their bones on this blackened bottom<br />And if death wait just off the bow, we need not answer to him now<br />We'll stand on and face the morning light without him<br /><br /><br />(Repeat chorus)JohnDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00608216150220329902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-58178035761380102082011-11-27T19:30:30.196+00:002011-11-27T19:30:30.196+00:00By the way, John, there is an adapted verse of thi...By the way, John, there is an adapted verse of this hymn especially for health carers.<br /><br />So this one is for you and all your profession:<br /><br />Creator, Father, who first breathed<br />In us the life that we received,<br />By power of Thy breath restore<br />The ill, and men with wounds of war.<br />Bless those who give their healing care,<br />That life and laughter all may share.<br /><br />I did say I wasn't going to do an exhaustive list of those who give selflessly for others but your profession would be on such a list.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-14958585637023759302011-11-27T19:29:44.588+00:002011-11-27T19:29:44.588+00:00I am truly terrified of water and would never trav...I am truly terrified of water and would never travel anywhere in the very mildest of weather let alone a force 9 gale off the welsh coast....<br /><br />makes all our lttle lives rather safe does it not?John Going Gentlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14958171262765033946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-72729966742573147742011-11-27T19:07:59.210+00:002011-11-27T19:07:59.210+00:00...huddle together, put their heads down across th......huddle together, put their heads down across their wings and close their eyes...<br /><br />Or, in the case of those poor sailors, struggle in an unforgiving sea, their strength sapped by the cold with only God witness to their last terrified thoughts and choking gasps.<br /><br />I am glad that so many of those posting comments recognise the dangers that so many ordinary people face in order to make our lives better. I shan't list them all but would give special mention to the 4,500 volounteers around our coast who have saved 139,000 lives, their members accumulating 2509 gallantry awards and losing 176 colleagues during the relatively brief lifetime of an organisation that receives no government funding and depends solely on donations or legacies to raise the £147.7 million it needs per year (that's over £400,000 per day).<br /><br />I am, of course, referring to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.<br /><br />And our Government wants to cut the Coastguard, about the only bit of our maritime rescue service they pay for.<br /><br />Bastards<br /><br />I dug out my old Army Prayer book, turned to the hymns, and read William Whiting's 'Eternal Father, Strong to Save' which most of us know as one of the most emotive communal prayers, not just for those in peril on the sea, but for all those who through selfless acts of courage, place their own lives in peril.<br /><br />I could think of no finer eulogy for the poor souls recently lost off the otherwise benign Welsh coast.<br /><br />Although I pray for a miracle, these souls may already be at rest. May God grant peace and protection to their families.<br /><br />Thus evermore shall rise to Thee<br />Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-31274897248397827582011-11-27T18:22:32.212+00:002011-11-27T18:22:32.212+00:00When I read about the gale and the ship going down...When I read about the gale and the ship going down I thought of your village in the storm. But I didn't think of the roofs flying off and you out in the storm nailing them back on... hope the weather has eased up. And I hope the missing men are rescued.Callie Bradyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16379683295150396693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-76534712988899352392011-11-27T17:42:39.361+00:002011-11-27T17:42:39.361+00:00That's really tragic John. Puts minor inconven...That's really tragic John. Puts minor inconveniences like coop roofs flying away into sharp perspective when people die due to bad weather.<br /><br />I'm considering getting some guy ropes rigged up to keep my coops from 'doing a Dorothy'...Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11487456386841182116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-87181823054701433612011-11-27T17:34:02.527+00:002011-11-27T17:34:02.527+00:00John, as I read your blog, I could picture each an...John, as I read your blog, I could picture each and every sentence of your story. You have such a gift and talent as a writer. <br /><br />So sad about the Swanland. Being at sea is still one of the most hazardous of professions.Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06032033918798053005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-51857963716493307572011-11-27T17:24:50.093+00:002011-11-27T17:24:50.093+00:00My Dad (RIP) was a naval man in his younger years ...My Dad (RIP) was a naval man in his younger years and up till his death last year continued to support the RNLI - they risk their lives selflessly xChicken loverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14118591817977010811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-35729518121010453332011-11-27T15:35:00.503+00:002011-11-27T15:35:00.503+00:00I think you have to live near to the sea John to r...I think you have to live near to the sea John to really appreciate its dangers. I have always found it quite terrifying and awe inspiring. Also I have great admiration for those lifeboatmen. There was a huge gale here but now it has completely died down and little or no damage. I am sure your girls/boys knew that you would be along shortly (in your thermals) to rescue them.The Weaver of Grasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13947971556343746883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-12438009662362134872011-11-27T14:35:49.981+00:002011-11-27T14:35:49.981+00:00Condolences and prayers to the families of the los...Condolences and prayers to the families of the lost crew.<br />Hope today is calmer for you, John.LindaGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12203719919661519350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-35820786904001113842011-11-27T14:24:19.233+00:002011-11-27T14:24:19.233+00:00What awful new, the poor men. I sometimes wonder ...What awful new, the poor men. I sometimes wonder how much we need all the stuff that is brought to us by sea and if it's worth it. Definitley not in this case.<br />I do the same thing as your geese much more these days .... sometimes the news of all the world's troubles is too much to bear and I'd selfishly rather not know. I gave up thinking I could save the world all by myself just by worrying about it years ago.Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726164724131916224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-38901783339991437002011-11-27T14:17:40.295+00:002011-11-27T14:17:40.295+00:00I just heard about this ship on the radio, I gathe...I just heard about this ship on the radio, I gather price William was the co-pilot in the helicopter rescue.<br /><br />Glad none of the animals were hurt.Kathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04003521059890699861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-36792929688653842382011-11-27T14:15:00.847+00:002011-11-27T14:15:00.847+00:00We had wind and rain last night, I could barely ge...We had wind and rain last night, I could barely get the dogs out. They though someone was coming, as the screen door kept banging - put me on edge. I'll bet the poor geese thought the jig was up!<br /><br />I feel bad for the crew on that ship, some jobs are just dangerous.Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02743921972328074980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-65655925228511921332011-11-27T13:50:38.638+00:002011-11-27T13:50:38.638+00:00That's terrible. I hadn't heard about The ...That's terrible. I hadn't heard about The Swanland, nor of your bad weather. Keep your heads down!Cro Magnonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06840670227576695352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-48062911925833325992011-11-27T13:30:28.498+00:002011-11-27T13:30:28.498+00:00Hubby was a sailor, I tried not to think of him ou...Hubby was a sailor, I tried not to think of him out at sea in stormy weather, I would have been a nervous wreck.<br />Jane xJane and Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08102086552682194819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-50983221238546915352011-11-27T13:29:34.181+00:002011-11-27T13:29:34.181+00:00Thoughts and prayers for the six men of the sea wh...Thoughts and prayers for the six men of the sea who perished...and for their families and friends.<br /><br />I hope there were no serious injuries amongst your menagerie and that no one comes down with a cold, especially you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-14837787866645950022011-11-27T13:15:10.902+00:002011-11-27T13:15:10.902+00:00My late Father was a radio-operator on deep-sea tr...My late Father was a radio-operator on deep-sea trawlers out of Grimsby for eighteen years and survived a number of near-misses.<br /><br />I really dislike the look of the "modern" cargo vessels - they always look unhappy and unbalanced to me, designed to be all profit-margin and seaworthy only by virtue of their size, not by any grace.<br /><br />Poor guys.The Owl Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11484484539144369129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-62403434879194256742011-11-27T12:33:06.863+00:002011-11-27T12:33:06.863+00:00While we all slept safe and warm those six men wer...While we all slept safe and warm those six men were fighting for their lives. Imagine the thoughts going through their minds as they struggled. They will be in my thoughts all day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20303812.post-31724105672329289872011-11-27T12:30:47.151+00:002011-11-27T12:30:47.151+00:00Hoping that you and the Villagers are warm, dry an...Hoping that you and the Villagers are warm, dry and safe.<br />I don't need zombies for excitement - I just have to read here.LinRNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09088139659551029424noreply@blogger.com