Katrina

It’s necessary to take a moment away from regular content to acknowledge the unfolding disaster on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. and to extend thoughts and prayers south to the people suffering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. I believe what makes sailing so unique as a sport and pastime is its dependence upon, and interplay with, one of the most powerful forces on the planet – the ocean and all she brings with her; wind, waves, beauty and destruction.

As oceangoing sailors recognize intimately - and the rest of us who dabble along the coast or inland on lakes also may also understand – when we expose ourselves by harnessing nature, we peel away the thin layer of civilization and comfort that shield us from our extreme insignificance and vulnerability. This awareness is what makes people who confront nature – mountain climbers, desert crossers, wilderness tamers…and sailors – very much brethren in the face of a modern culture that numbs us to the natural world.

It is in the spirit of this understanding that I would humbly ask every reader of this to click on the Red Cross web site (if you haven’t already done so) and donate whatever you can afford to the relief effort. As people who go to sea, we recognize how illusory and tenuous our comfort and safety is. The people on the Gulf Coast are now learning this difficult lesson. We owe them our compassion and support.