Tales of the Sea

Today I want to talk about a discovery humans have taken for granted for thousands of years — something woven into every great voyage in history.
Every age of discovery, every battle at sea, every whaling hunt, every shipwreck — held together, quite literally, by miles and miles of it. And yet, almost no one ever thinks about it.
My guest today however does. Tim Queeney is the author of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization, and he’s joining me to talk about the maritime thread of that story — the ropewalks, the rigging, the disasters, the whalers, and the salty language we still use today without realizing where it came from.

Today we’re going to be talking about what I consider to be one of the most mysterious and fascinating subjects when it comes to the sea. Shipwrecks.
What is it about a shipwreck that gets into our blood? Is it the mystery? The tragedy? The loss of life and the grief of those who lost loved ones. Or is it the feeling that somewhere beneath those waves, history is still waiting to be discovered? My guest today has made it his life's work to find out.
James Delgado is a maritime archaeologist, National Geographic explorer and host of the television series, The Sea Hunters as well as the author of 33 books including The Great Museum of the Sea. James has dived on the Titanic the USS Arizona and more than 100 other sites.

Many of you, I’m guessing, are familiar with the novel Treasure Island – the classic adventure of young Jim Hawkins who finds a map to a pirate’s buried treasure and embarks on a perilous voyage with a colorful crew including the infamous Long John Silver.
You may also be familiar with another work, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – the story of a respected London doctor who discovers a powerful potion that enables him to separate his good and evil natures. Good ultimately triumphs over evil – but not without some dastardly doings along the way.
Both of these classic works are by the same author, the Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson.
An only child, Robert was burdened with a lifetime of chronic illness – primarily respiratory in nature – and only lived to experience his 44th birthday.
He is also the author of one of my favorite Holiday Poems. It is titled, Christmas at Sea.
The poem describes how a square-rigged sailing ship has become caught between two headlands. The ship unable to make her escape because of the winds, tide and current. You sailors out there will relate to this situation when forces of nature prevent a sailboat from making progress to her desired destination.
Enjoy.

Today I want to take a look at those strange-looking, gelatinous, floating blobs in the sea that often look like deflated balloons with long strings attached. In fact, this summer, beachgoers along the coast of Maine where I live, have observed some of these creatures as large as five feet in diameter, trailing tentacles as long as 100 feet.

These sea creatures are collectively known as JELLYFISH (which seems like a cute enough name) but those who are in-the-know AVOID them like the plague - because some varieties can use their tentacles to STING you with needle-sharp, mini-harpoons called nematocysts - capable of injecting a toxic venom – causing pain, often a lot of pain – that can affect your respiratory system which can be extremely dangerous – and in severe cases even cause paralysis and death in as little as 20 minutes.

After 30 years on board a wide range of ships, my guest today, Capt. Elliot Rappaport has shared his knowledge of the weather in a fascinating and engaging narrative published in 2023, it’s titled, Reading the Glass, a book that in my humble opinion (one shared by many reviewers as well) should be essential reading for every sailor – no matter their experience or background. Enjoy.