For perspective, here is a last extract -- from the suite of talent and time we shared last night:
07:24, Raising anchor in sight of Rockland, ME
I must go down to the seas again, where the billows romp and reel,
So all I ask is a large ship that rides on an even keel,
And a mild breeze and a broad deck with a slight list to leeward,
And a clean chair in a snug nook and a nice, kind steward.
I must go down to the seas again, the sport of wind and tide,
As the gray wave and the green wave play leapfrog over the side.
And all I want is a glassy calm with a bone-dry scupper,
And a good book and a warm rug and a light, plain supper.
I must go down to the seas again, though there I'm a total loss,
And can't say which is worst, the pitch, the plunge, the roll, the toss.
But all I ask is a safe retreat in a bar well tended,
And a soft berth and a smooth course till the long trip's ended.
Arthur Guiterman, in Moods of the Sea (Solley/Steinbaugh, Naval Institute Press)