Monday, February 14, 2011

This Shipwreck Called Love

It was a dark and stormy Valentine’s Night exactly 103 years ago when the sailing ship, the Emily G. Reed, came aground at Rockaway in a rather spectacular fashion. As the tale goes, the ship broke apart and the captain and his wife survived by clinging to the poop deck until low-tide. Because the couple had been at sea for over 100 days, I would guess the holiday had not been celebrated with chocolates or flowers.

The captain’s wife may also have been a bit cranky because her beloved’s navigational skills were lacking that fateful night. As it turned out, the ship was much closer to shore and farther from the entrance to the port than he calculated. Although it must be noted he later blamed the chronometer for giving him faulting readings.

Imagine for a moment, their Valentine’s conversation as this married couple clung to the splintering timbers for dear life. Do you imagine it was the, "We might not live so I want vow my undying love for eternity" speech?

Or was it more like this, "John, you fool, I can't believe you got the directions wrong again...did you stop to ask the first mate?"

May you sail smoothly on the sea of love this Valentine's Day!

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