Sabra Crossing
The world is not what it used to be, especially not for sailors. Some thirty years ago the three of us — my brother, my son, and I — crossed the North Atlantic Ocean in a 32-foot junk rigged sailboat. I should not forget the help our non-animated crew members played, Pierre the French wind vane and Mark Spitz the American swimmer and towed water generator played.
In those days you just hopped in a boat and sailed away following the sun and moon with a sextant. Not to minimize all the careful year-long planning and preparations that went into such a trip. Nowadays you have to take into considerations which countries will let you into their territorial waters.
A recent article in the NY Times spelled that out clearly when Juan Manuel Ballestero wanted to go visit his father in Argentina on his 90th birthday. Ballestero and his 29-foot boat were in Porto Santo, in the Madera Islands, which is owned by Portugal. As he approached the Cape Verde Islands, which were discovered by the Portuguese in 1456, he was denied entry to stock up on food, water, and fuel due to the Coronavirus restrictions. An unheard of situation in the maritime world. The Cape Verde Islands have been an independent country since 1990. I remember ordering a courtesy flag for the new country, off the coast of Africa, to hoist up on the burgee halyard when entering a country. Just in case things went terrible awry on the return trip.
Being a resourceful sailor, he headed across the Southern Atlantic ocean for Argentina singlehanded. He missed his father’s 90th birthday but made land fall in 85 days to celebrate Father’s Day. The world is not what it use to be!
That brings me back to dispiriting headlines and the need to keep memories alive through old fashioned B&W photography, sketches, and ship’s logs. The newer technologies of YouTube also help. I only wish we three could perform a dance routine on TikTok to keep up with modernity before it gets “thrown under the bus.”
You can see a seven minute video of “Sabra Crossing” on YouTube by clicking on the underlined link.
