Spending two weeks at the family cabin on Lake Miltona in Minnesota in the summer used to be a fixture on my calendar. Carefree days filled with fun and games, interrupted only by delicious meals. It was a time to relax, rejuvenate and reconnect with those who are near and dear to me. Never missed it, ever. Up until this last July. That’s because I was on assignment, spending 20 days at sea on board the VOR 70 Maserati, delivering the boat from Honolulu, Hawaii to Subic Bay, Philippines. During this 5500 mile trip, I sometimes thought about the cabin and my family and the joyous times there and the kids’ license to play. All our energy went into using our imagination, spending countless hours building forts, making sand castles, going on grand adventures and, of course, swimming all day. Our minds were busy and our world was full of excitement, wonder and mystery. As distracting as nostalgia can be at times, it had the exact opposite effect on me as I became aware of the changes in my fellow crewmembers, guys all, who transformed into children before my camera. In a sense Maserati became the cabin and the ocean became the lake. And like us kids, these professional sailors were putting the same energy and focus into creating fun and excitement where there was none. Among the things I learned on this trip, is that life on a VOR 70 is not necessarily all about bashing through waves, nearly falling overboard, or water spraying all over the deck like it’s spewing from a fire hose. I might be giving the game away a little bit here, but actually, there were quite a few days when the boat was moving along nicely, the conditions were pretty consistent and a sail change actually was a newsworthy event. When we left the dock in Honolulu, I knew where most of my energy and focus would be invested: I was going to have to learn what my job would be as crew, and get used to boat and people. Next, I had to find the best way to move around while documenting the trip with my cameras, managing media and trying to pick up at least one of the other four languages that were spoken on that boat. But as we approached the halfway mark of this delivery, the days began to melt into each other, with only a few breaks in the routine: a new cloud formation here, a wind shift there, and little else to distinguish one day from the next. And more importantly, they weren’t in a competition, so they were not under intense pressure. Without the adrenaline rush of racing day in and day out, pushing the boat as hard as it can go, the guys often had to find something to do when they were off watch. Movies, books or sleep only go so far. As we entered the second half of the trip the days were getting warmer and the wind was getting lighter. Down below it was so hot that finding sleep was a struggle by night and practically impossible by day. We affectionately called this our “ carbon fiber sauna”. The promise of a cold beer, air conditioning and a sit-down meal that required more than one pot to prepare began to loom large for everybody. To find some relief from the heat and to spice up the routine, the Seven Samurai summoned their childhood memories and their imagination to make a pool on the stern out of a spare jib, to string up an awning on the boom for some shade or to rig up a hose as a shower and pretending to be in extreme conditions in the Southern Ocean. In no time flat they turned the good ship Maserati into their jungle gym as they took turns swinging off the halyard, then dragging along in the water, or jumping off the bow to swim to the stern. As I sat and watched and worked the shutter of my camera, I had to smile at these grown men getting in touch with their inner child, using ingenuity and imagination to find a little bit of diversion and entertainment when their job permitted. And inevitably, they included the ocean in their games. It’s the place they came from and the one that keeps calling them time after time. edneyap/blog/
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 15:11:44 +0000
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