Scratch one tall ship from your list
Several summers ago, as I stood on a pier in Cape Breton, I felt a twinge of envy. Before us, a great masted ship, serving as a school. I would have loved to have been part of such a special classroom. Last summer, in Lunenburg, the same ship and the same sense of “I wish I had done that”. Today, another chapter in their story, and this time I’m glad to have missed the session.
The S.V. Concordia is gone. Scratch another tall ship from the list on your wall.
Details are still unavailable, but all 64 SOB (Souls On Board) are safe. Thanks to the Brazilian SAR (Search And Rescue), and to the crews of the Hokuetsu Delight and the Crystal Pioneer; all did their part to avert a tragedy. Sometime yesterday, the EPIRB signal was picked up and handled with high efficiency. Today, the families and friends can breath the proverbial sigh of relief.
Somewhere off the coast of Brazil, 550 km south east of Rio, the signal was given to abandon ship. Thanks to the drills that are part of shipboard routine (so I’ve been told), all were able to find a place in the various lifeboats. Remember, this is still a high seas event; don’t try to compare your summer afternoon on a small lake in a punt.
There was no SOS from a shaky fist. No “Mayday! Mayday!” has been reported. A simple electronic signal, bounced off a satellite with enough information to direct the authorities into the immediate vicinity, was enough.
I’ll remember a beautiful vessel on a summer evening, and wish that I too had been so fortunate. But the prayer of Psalm 107, “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;” still serves to remind. Not all stories end this well.
