At sea en route to the Falkland Islands
Against the wind, we sail west toward the Falklands, making good speed, followed by petrels and albatrosses, sunlight dancing off quicksilver waves on the South Scotia Sea. The National Geographic Endeavour cuts a handsome wake as we, her salty guests and crew, find our sea legs and smiles. Against the wind. Sounds familiar. Bob Seeger had a song by that name, didn’t he? “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then, against the wind.” Sang it in that raspy voice, strumming his guitar. What did he mean: I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then? Perhaps this: In the urbanized, mechanized world we’ve made for ourselves, some things are best left unlearned, unknown. Out here, however, where the world is fresh and new and free of concrete and contrivance, we thrive on the simple magic of a bird winging over the water. There is so much we have seen and heard and learned; so much we know now that we didn’t know then: the calls of penguins, the acrobatics of fur seals, the humor at recap, the beauty of ice, the clarity of water, the intrigue of maps, the agility of Zodiacs, the curiosity of leopard seals, the chemistry of ozone, the history of whaling, the rhythm of our rocking ship, the dreams of childhood and self discovery. We share this time knowing it will never come again, this mix of guests and team of crewmen, officers and staff, this time in our lives when we had the good fortune and great gratitude to come together and celebrate the richness of what remains.
Against the wind, we sail west toward the Falklands, making good speed, followed by petrels and albatrosses, sunlight dancing off quicksilver waves on the South Scotia Sea. The National Geographic Endeavour cuts a handsome wake as we, her salty guests and crew, find our sea legs and smiles. Against the wind. Sounds familiar. Bob Seeger had a song by that name, didn’t he? “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then, against the wind.” Sang it in that raspy voice, strumming his guitar. What did he mean: I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then? Perhaps this: In the urbanized, mechanized world we’ve made for ourselves, some things are best left unlearned, unknown. Out here, however, where the world is fresh and new and free of concrete and contrivance, we thrive on the simple magic of a bird winging over the water. There is so much we have seen and heard and learned; so much we know now that we didn’t know then: the calls of penguins, the acrobatics of fur seals, the humor at recap, the beauty of ice, the clarity of water, the intrigue of maps, the agility of Zodiacs, the curiosity of leopard seals, the chemistry of ozone, the history of whaling, the rhythm of our rocking ship, the dreams of childhood and self discovery. We share this time knowing it will never come again, this mix of guests and team of crewmen, officers and staff, this time in our lives when we had the good fortune and great gratitude to come together and celebrate the richness of what remains.
