To Viareggio

Every ocean voyage has its challenges and for each one there are usually one or two moments that stand out. On board Rosehearty, on her passage from Nuuk, Greenland to Viareggio, Italy, we seemed to have an abundance of these moments. At the time, as we persevered along our route, the challenges felt onerous. There were no freebies on the trip; every mile had to be earned. But in the end, both boat and crew succeeded, not without a few nicks and dings, but with an abundance of pride for having been handed a tough stack of cards and doing with them what needed to be done.

The following poem is dedicated to the Mighty Rosehearty, her passionate Owner Joey, Her stalwart crew and to Captain Markus, who when leaving Nuuk, drew coins from his pocket and offered them to Neptune

RoseMightyHearty

He paid his dues to Neptune,

Just as we left the dock.

The coins flew high in icy air,

And sank as quick as rocks.

“That's it,” we thought, “our tolls all done.”

We headed out to sea,

We didn't hear that tiny hiss:

"I have more plans for thee."

Perhaps it was the currency

Or other unknown slight,

But Nuuk to Europe will go down

As Neptune's trip of spite.

Each gate we passed, we paid our fee,

And hoped we would be done.

But Neptune rubbed his hands and said,

"I'm having too much fun."

In waves and wind we travelled south

Escaping hurricanes;

And then were handed fog and ice,

To ratchet up our pain.

We forked our payments over,

No sleep and pounds of stress;

The fines were taken willingly;

Neptune un-impressed.

Next came the big sou'wester

The bottom of a deepening low;

We slunghsot out into the high,

And my did that ridge blow.

Near Spain we got our fifty knots;

The sea grew large and wild.

The big one came just after dawn

And laid us on our side.

The rail went under water

As did the aft deck too;

But back she came to fight again

Rosemightyhearty true.

The Straits of Gib collected,

With 40 knots and traffic;

“We must be finished paying!”

But Neptune would not have it.

He'd other trials in store for us,

A little further on:

Square seas and lots more headwinds

Cabo de Gata -- for an eon.

The last wave was the biggest.

We dropped from a velvet sky;

Cement trough there to greet us,

Green water rushing by.

It buried all the foredeck,

The mast and hatch for crew

It smashed into the wheelhouse,

And flybridge windscreens too.

The tolls were getting pricey,

The crew was out of cash;

Would Lyon make us take a loan

And really kick our ass?

At first we did not think so,

The day dawned clear and bright

But soon enough the swells rose up

And rolled us through the night.

"Surely, sir, you must be done,

And happy with your purse."

The wind went aft, we breathed our gas,

It couldn't get much worse!

We all felt green and nauseous,

We gasped and spat and swooned.

Neptune curled with laughter,

And cackled like a loon.

“That must be it, no more pray tell,

Our credit's all used up.”

"Find a way, you have to pay

I'm holding out my cup."

Sand bar in Viareggio,

Would be our final gate

The swells they broke across it

And made us sit and wait

But patience is a crucial skill,

True sailors understand;

Use what nature gives you,

And then she'll lend a hand.

So pay we did along our route

With dollars, yen and kroner

The more we gave, the more he took:

How did we earn this honor?

The sea's a jealous mistress;

She seeks your whole devotion,

And often will remind you

With indifference or commotion.

We passed our test;

We paid in full --

No wining or complaining.

Neptune grinned a cheeky smile:

"I'm happy with your training"

And so to you, my fellow crew

On board Rosemightyhearty:

Let's toast the boat that kept afloat

And get on with our PARTY.

--Jonathan

10 Sept 2019