A Rare Old Craft

We sailed aboard the Pequod today, the Miami skyline as our backdrop and the spray of Biscayne Bay to keep our eyes open against bright sun. I don't have much in the way of seafaring experience, but boats are not foreign vessels to me. Growing up, I got good at planting two feet atop any bow or stear and used balance to keep me upright against winds or waves. Keep in mind that these were freshwater conditions. The wind occasionally blew tidy whitecaps and ski boats sent miniature waves to the shore, but mostly water lay like green glass. Today, my brother-in-law, a former merchant marine, Mass Maritime graduate, Naval officer, and now Coast Guard lawyer, was captain to steer us on course and navigate rough winds. Our youngest sailors provided the most help and everyone got lessons in harbor courtesy, tacking strategies, and how to look at the horizon to combat green-faced sickness.

Note even close were we to the whaling expeditions of one famous Pequod--neither geographically or conceptually--but considering my few and far between ventures on the open water, this was a speed I could handle..