I have been following all the coverage of Artemis 2 and I think that it has been extraordinary. I watched the launch and I watched the landing and I heard about their toilet problems, and I thought that it was a lot like sailing offshore.
Let’s first acknowledge the astronauts by name. Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. It takes a lot of courage to stick that much rocket fuel up your ass and blast off into outer space. I think that I could have done it once, but I’m not so sure these days. I’m thinking that the local Hooters would be a better idea.
This thought struck me when I heard them talking about being out of contact on the dark side of the moon (cue Pink Floyd), for 40 minutes. They were out of touch with Mission Control and I know when you are on a rocket ship, that a bit scary.
When I first went sailing offshore we were out of contact for six weeks. Well that’s really not true. We did have to call into Race HQ once a week on a Single Sideband radio. We had to get patched through London and all they needed to know was our position. Where in hell in the world we were. They had a vague idea. For the rest of the time we were on our own far side of our own moon. We were pummeling across the Southern Ocean dodging icebergs and hoping that we didn’t capsize.
We did capsize, once, at Cape Horn.
Full disclosure. We were young and dumb, and we may or may not have had a few drinks. Okay, coming clean, we were all drunk but that was the fun in those days. I just hope that the astronauts weren’t drinking.
We were all clipped on and some of us were underwater for a while before the boat came upright and lurched closer to that famous rock, but in the end the mainsail ripped to shreds (Sails by Watts) and we were okay. All we needed was a new mainsail. And I have so much respect for Keith Lorence and sails do rip apart despite a sailmakers best efforts…
I point this out now, again inspired by the four brave astronauts, but the early offshore sailors just got the job done. There was no appearance on Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel and no visit to the White House. They, and we, were out of communications, in some cases for months.
The open ocean is a lot like outer space, at least it was back then. It was undiscovered territory and that was why we went there. There was no hoopla. We just packed a bag, threw it on board, and took off. To me all I could see was the the open horizon looking like outstretched arms just waiting for me.
How much fun it was to be young and dumb; and just looking to get paid and laid. And you think that I haven’t had a charmed life? – Brian Hancock. Click here to check out his books!
Title inspiration thanks to Third Eye Blind.
