RADIO NETHERLANDS WERELDOMROEP
“Bark EUROPA; In the Wake of the Ancients”
Part Two: At Sea
By: Todd Jarrell
SUGGESTED INTRO: The tall ship EUROPA returns soon to her homeport in The Hague from a forty thousand-mile, two-year grand tour. The three masted bark will have twice crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to participate in tall ship events in Europe, Asia and North America.
Returning from Pacific waters, EUROPA chose to undertake a rare tall ship “doubling” of stormy Cape Horn and journalist Todd Jarrell joined the ship in California to serve as part of EUROPA’s crew. He sends this second of five weekly reports chronicling EUROPA’s adventure.
SFX – MAST CREAKS – Waves/wind/voices. Begin with start of piece and continue on through first through first four para’s and fade after, ”We tend to…”
JARRELL- Life aboard EUROPA has settled in nicely in the weeks since leaving San Diego—a steady Pacific southing en route to Cape Horn. Mornings start cool, warming to sunshine afternoons; the temperature climbs a bit each day. Languorous swells roll the ship and cumulus clouds heave up on the horizon, welcome indicators of the trade winds we seek.
Like sprays of sterling tracer-fire flying fish carom off the wavelets, heralding our arrival in tropical climes. During lulls, there is a sense that we are in the midst of something enormous making up its mind—which, of course, is true. We inch along in the calm palm of an open ocean.
Our lives revolve around the Swedish watch system, with two groups of twelve people—the port and starboard watches—alternating five daily work periods, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This accounts for an eighty to ninety hour workweek… minimum. We sleep in snatches of three and four hours—five is bliss.
This brings a subtle elasticity to time; one begins the day multiple times—renewing it or reviving it, depending on one’s view. Time here simply rolls by the rail, incrementally carried away with each passing wave, dissolving into the fluid blue. Upon remembering to ask what day it is, one often thinks better of it.
We tend to the mundane duties of any ship—chipping rust, varnishing and painting. But the arcane arts of the sea are practiced here as well; the work of the square rig seaman has changed precious little over the centuries. EUROPA’s strength is our safety and we make her sturdy for the coming passages in the weather-heavy waters of the South.
But a ship’s condition is never static, it is more an evolving process: The water maker quits, the skysail mast collapses, the flying jib and main staysails blow out, ad infinitum. But we are capable of fixing these things; we must be independent. The fact that we are very much on our own is evident in that we have seen no ships, or lights, or even the vapor trail of an airplane for a month.
SFX – BIRTHDAY — “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday, Dear Klaas, Happy Birthday to you…” Hip Hip Hurray… Hip Hip Hurray… Hip Hip Hurray…” Begin in the next para approximately at, “…offering a dirge…” and ending with the three cheers placed after, “…simply pathetic.”
We do try to keep abreast of social life, with more success some times than others.
On the captain’s birthday we meet as the midnight watch changes to mark the occasion. Half of us are just off watch and mentally are in bed already. The rest have been wakened only moments before, and so two dozen bleary people stand numbly in the dark offering a birthday dirge to Klaas, complete with eye-rubbing and the scratching of bums. It is, bar none, the most morose celebration. And the cheer is simply pathetic…(Hip Hip Huray… Hip Hip Hurray… Hip Hip Hurray…”)
One afternoon we heave to, sideslipping on the rolling sea.
SFX – SPLASH –“Ah!” Splash. Marianne in Dutch- “Is it too strong to go in Harko?” Klaas?” “There’s a rope there.” “Whoa! Fantastic!” Whoooa” “Collin there’s a rope here.” “ Whoa”
Lookouts are posted for Jaws, Giant Squids and…well… Whatever. There is something giddy about diving into a sapphire pool with virtually no sides or bottom—legs dangling through the clear blue roof of a callous realm. We are not at the top the food chain here.
At six degrees North latitude, EUROPA enters the Doldrums. But as much as we dread the searing heat and windless boredom of these legendary latitudes, the worst is not to be. The calms pass in one day and we have the cool southeasterly trades, lifting the sails, pulling us south. Soon the pre-dawn skies will render up the Southern Cross.
As the latitudes tick down tensions increase for the “Pollywogs”, those never having sailed across the equator. All are aware of the traditional stuff of line-crossing ceremonies – shaved heads and blue-painted backsides. These initiations come at the hands of the Shellbacks, their shipmates who have crossed the line before them, and who have gathered the necessary blind folds, scissors, razors, black tar, fish heads, glue, and buckets of nostril-boggling galley slops.
MANTA —“Oh, yea. Oh yea. Oh yea. All assembled be silent and pay attention and respect to King Neptune’s court. You know me as Geoffrey, but in King Neptune’s realm I am called Manta Ray—the Chief prosecutor, and my duty is to enforce the laws, ordinances and rules of King Neptune’s kingdom…” Fade from here under next para.
One at a time, the abominable Pollywogs are brought on deck to be scrutinized by King Neptune’s court. Their heinous crimes begin with simply “showing up”; added are the more serious charges of being a nice person, disliking “squishy things”, losing laundry, and so on.
SFX – DIANE “Okay next person… Miss Diane!” Crowd—“Oooohh.” G—“My Lord Neptune, this apparently innocent young girl is, in reality a brazen young hussy.” “Damn right she is…” Fade from here under next para.
Their simple presence is their condemnation and King Neptune wastes no time in meting out justice. But all good things must pass and in end the initiates are washed down with fire hoses, which are barely adequate for the job—they still look like the same old Pollywogs. But we have thousands of miles yet to sail toward the Horn and it will take all of our efforts. After all, they are Shellbacks now and so we must welcome them… If we have to… I guess. ”
© Todd Jarrell – 2002
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NARRATIVE – Tracks Combined #3 & 4; and #5
ACTUALITIES:
MAST CREAKS – #21
BIRTHDAY – #22
SPLASH – #23
MANTA – #24
DIANE – #25
