I MUST down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a gray dawn breaking.
I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.
- John Masefield, “Sea Fever”
These photos were taken at the Sail Tampa Bay, Parade of Sail event. July 10, 2010. The ships are the Columbian ARC Gloria, and the USCGC Barque Eagle.
There was yet another ship, the Uruguayan Capitan Miranda; it didn’t arrive as scheduled and I missed the photo opportunity. But I sure enjoyed the chance to photograph these two magnificent ships!
Many thanks to Michael White for scouting out the ships’ timetables and routes, and for baking in the hot sun next to me to get these images!
Your Wife!
16 Jul 2010Hi, honey; this is your wife! I just love this post! Especially the first picture. It could have been taken centuries ago, and goes so well with the lovely poem that accompanies the photos.
My question is this: Did you have a memory of some part of that poem, having heard or read it long ago, and managed to find it in order to include it, OR, Did the man who can’t remember to buy gas actually remember that entire poem (which I’m inclined to believe, having borne witness to your random recitation of {what seems like} thousands of passages of novels and poems)? And if the latter is the case, honey, what do you suppose fell out of your brain in order to make room for the poem? Perhaps the ability to tie your shoes? Or how to use a fork? You’re currently in Malaysia; I’m in Florida… If you need any more information or anything that’s too sensitive to discuss here, please call me during the approximately two hour window of time zone magic when we’re both awake at the same time. (They had an Amber alert here this week for a gentleman with Alzheimer’s who drove off from his local home to go to the drug store and ended up in Georgia!)
I love you, sweetheart. Please remember to come home. 😉
admin
17 Jul 2010What a pleasant surprise to get a comment from you here 🙂 The quote “All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by,” is one I remember from my youth, can’t recall where I first heard it. Most likely in school. However, I certainly never memorized this particular poem in its entirety! The quote came to my head the morning I was taking these photos, and that led to the idea of including some context for this post. After that, a little google research, and I found the poem in its entirety and included it here. It seemed a fitting match for the subject matter 🙂
mh++