This installment arrived at the perfect moment. A very dear friend had just told me how she believes that "listening is the first step to creating", and I was just attending to one of our last prairie storms through my window (soon we'll have snowfall instead). With these thoughts on my mind I left the Shipping Forecast playing in the background while the gentle rain fell down outside. Indeed, many inspiring ideas came to my mind almost immediately. They might become a song or a story very soon! Thank you for the inspiration!
You conjure a lovely scene, Mr. Torres. Please put my name at the top of the list to receive any songs or stories that are forthcoming. "Listening is the first step to creating" is a mantra I'd gladly get behind. Please tell your dear friend, "thank you". 🙏
Hi Gavin, as a fellow photographer (although a much less experienced one than yourself), I can’t tell you how much I’ve been enjoying your newsletter. And not just thanks to the photography-related content, which is outstanding. That documentary about that extraordinary Nepalese Sherpa woman (sorry, I forgot her name) was amazing. And you bringing up the Shipping Forecast is another example. The first time I ever came across this forecast I was utterly mesmerised and hooked on it for inexplicable reasons. I thought this might be because I’m not a native English speaker, but your newsletter today helped me realise even native speakers feel drawn this unique piece of radio broadcasting. And way you put it into words, and the quotes you included made understand what’s so compelling about it.
By the way, thanks for that priceless 5-hour compilation. I expect it will soothe me into sleep on more than one night.
Fred, thank you. I'm extremely grateful for such encouraging feedback.
I'm comfortable judging my photography work, for better or worse, but the newsletter started as a shot in the dark, without any real frame of reference. Knowing that I might be heading in the right direction is very reassuring. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It's greatly appreciated.
"The Sargasso Sea is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Unlike all other regions called seas, it has no land boundaries. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its characteristic brown Sargassum seaweed and often calm blue water."
It is also a 1976 ECM album by John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner, that I once had on vinyl. This observation is from AllMusic.com: "An uneven recording for many listeners and critics, Sargasso Sea deserves a second chance, not as an absolutely flawed, imperfect, or unbalanced effort. Like a tale of two cities, it stands as a unique project, perhaps deserving a more refined approach." (I tried to put the photo from the album cover here, but could not paste it in...)
In the mythology of my mind, the Sargasso Sea was a place where ships became becalmed in the seaweed, never to emerge. In fact, this is not totally mythological:
"In July 1969, British businessman and amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst disappeared after his yacht became mired in the Sargasso Sea. He had been competing in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race when his poorly-prepared boat began to take on water. He abandoned his circumnavigation attempt, but reported false positions by radio in an attempt to give the impression that he was still participating. Eventually, Crowhurst wound up drifting in the Sargasso Sea, where he deteriorated psychologically, filling his logbooks with metaphysical speculation and delusional comments. His last entry was July 1, and his yacht was found unoccupied and drifting on July 10. It is unclear whether his death came as the result of suicide or misadventure."
In 1970, at the ripe old age of 22, I worked my way around the world on a tramp freighter, the Yellowstone, from Houston, to Port of Spain, to Karachi, to Honolulu, and through the Panama Canal back to New Orleans. I always was on lookout for the Sargasso Sea, not knowing, silly boy, that it really was a place...
This post was such a joy to read and I was already forming a comment before I saw the incentive of the draw for The Shipping Forecast. I love the many reference sand links in your post, all of which I am going to luxuriate in at a slow pace.
My late father served in the Merchant Navy and this influenced his later life when he remained a keen sailor. I was brought up on the Shipping Forecast as we had to quieten when it was on, even if there was no imminent sail planned. It was just important to know. In 1977, my father and three friends decided to sail to Rockall, one of the well known shipping areas, a tiny rock in the Atlantic. They sailed there without the benefits of sophisticated tech but with maritime charts and instruments using celestial navigation. It was something he was incredibly proud of. for the rest of his life I wrote the account of his sail in a blog post the year after his death - https://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/celestial-navigation/
And just to say how much this has resonated, I was recently in Stornoway, reading the work of a poet originally from Harris (Maggie Rabatski) and the following lines in her poem "Two Old Sailors" made my heart stop:
... they drowse over day-late newspapers
dream far horizons
until tomorrow's midday
only the Shipping Forecast
to quicken
the blood."
(From Two Old Sailors by Maggie Rabatski in her collection "Down from the Dance"
Thank you for making my day with your wonderful post.
Dear Philippa, thank you. I'm so pleased that my ramblings about the Shipping Forecast resonated with you. Your comment made my day — so we've both come out ahead.
Thank you also for sharing the story of your father's Rockall adventure. It's a really lovely, tenderly-written article. I was moved by your description of the "precious fragment chipped from Rockall’s granite surface". Here's to your father, to Rockall, and to all adventurous spirits.
Excellent read.thanks. Now I know where to go when I can’t sleep…much better than counting sheep.
When I occasionally listen to this I like bay of biscay as I could understand that place. Most of the others were totally from another world. Your map clarifies them very well.
I can see why the first edition sold out…….I
Great project Mark has made and is inspirational..
I don’t know how you write such creative newsletters. This one must have taken you ages but is so worth it. I love the mix of anecdotes, soundclips, music and of course all the fabulous photos. Mark Power’s journey is inspirational and the results makes me want to strive to find a project that I can throw myself into.
Biscay conjures naval battle scenes and wild weather but I think I’d like to nominate Fair Isle for keeping alive traditional crafts.
Thanks for the newsletter and I’ll try the shipping forecast tonight instead of the radio!
Thank you, Janice. I've really appreciated your encouraging comments in these early days of my newsletter.
Fair Isle is an excellent choice. It sounds like it might be a very pleasant place to live. An island where everything is balanced and equitable at all times. And everybody wears cosy, hand-woven sweaters. II think I could be happy in such a place.
Love the shipping forecast. It is an institution as you mentioned and one I hold dear.
This installment arrived at the perfect moment. A very dear friend had just told me how she believes that "listening is the first step to creating", and I was just attending to one of our last prairie storms through my window (soon we'll have snowfall instead). With these thoughts on my mind I left the Shipping Forecast playing in the background while the gentle rain fell down outside. Indeed, many inspiring ideas came to my mind almost immediately. They might become a song or a story very soon! Thank you for the inspiration!
You conjure a lovely scene, Mr. Torres. Please put my name at the top of the list to receive any songs or stories that are forthcoming. "Listening is the first step to creating" is a mantra I'd gladly get behind. Please tell your dear friend, "thank you". 🙏
Hi Gavin, as a fellow photographer (although a much less experienced one than yourself), I can’t tell you how much I’ve been enjoying your newsletter. And not just thanks to the photography-related content, which is outstanding. That documentary about that extraordinary Nepalese Sherpa woman (sorry, I forgot her name) was amazing. And you bringing up the Shipping Forecast is another example. The first time I ever came across this forecast I was utterly mesmerised and hooked on it for inexplicable reasons. I thought this might be because I’m not a native English speaker, but your newsletter today helped me realise even native speakers feel drawn this unique piece of radio broadcasting. And way you put it into words, and the quotes you included made understand what’s so compelling about it.
By the way, thanks for that priceless 5-hour compilation. I expect it will soothe me into sleep on more than one night.
Fred, thank you. I'm extremely grateful for such encouraging feedback.
I'm comfortable judging my photography work, for better or worse, but the newsletter started as a shot in the dark, without any real frame of reference. Knowing that I might be heading in the right direction is very reassuring. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It's greatly appreciated.
I am in awe of the intersection of sound and sight in your work. I really enjoy your sharingg of your journey.
Jery Carney
Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth - the whole English Channel in four words!
Sounds like a great itinerary for a summer camping trip!
The Sargasso Sea - a reverie...
"The Sargasso Sea is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Unlike all other regions called seas, it has no land boundaries. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its characteristic brown Sargassum seaweed and often calm blue water."
It is also a 1976 ECM album by John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner, that I once had on vinyl. This observation is from AllMusic.com: "An uneven recording for many listeners and critics, Sargasso Sea deserves a second chance, not as an absolutely flawed, imperfect, or unbalanced effort. Like a tale of two cities, it stands as a unique project, perhaps deserving a more refined approach." (I tried to put the photo from the album cover here, but could not paste it in...)
In the mythology of my mind, the Sargasso Sea was a place where ships became becalmed in the seaweed, never to emerge. In fact, this is not totally mythological:
"In July 1969, British businessman and amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst disappeared after his yacht became mired in the Sargasso Sea. He had been competing in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed, round-the-world yacht race when his poorly-prepared boat began to take on water. He abandoned his circumnavigation attempt, but reported false positions by radio in an attempt to give the impression that he was still participating. Eventually, Crowhurst wound up drifting in the Sargasso Sea, where he deteriorated psychologically, filling his logbooks with metaphysical speculation and delusional comments. His last entry was July 1, and his yacht was found unoccupied and drifting on July 10. It is unclear whether his death came as the result of suicide or misadventure."
In 1970, at the ripe old age of 22, I worked my way around the world on a tramp freighter, the Yellowstone, from Houston, to Port of Spain, to Karachi, to Honolulu, and through the Panama Canal back to New Orleans. I always was on lookout for the Sargasso Sea, not knowing, silly boy, that it really was a place...
That's a splendid reverie, Sandy. Thank you.
I wish it was possible to include images with comments. I wonder if a link to the Abercrombie and Towner album will work?
https://www.allmusic.com/album/sargasso-sea-mw0000198776
https://open.spotify.com/album/0rnYRFyQsZL2S2yt8ue9yb?si=7DeXQi9pTgSA2tRxQQ_eaw
Brings to mind “Sea of Cortez” by Steinbeck.
I'm not familiar with that book, Michael. I'm about to check it out though. Thank you.
Cromarty is my favorite…chewy!
I like Cromarty too. And I shall now always associate it with "chewy". Chewy Cromarty! Nice!
This post was such a joy to read and I was already forming a comment before I saw the incentive of the draw for The Shipping Forecast. I love the many reference sand links in your post, all of which I am going to luxuriate in at a slow pace.
My late father served in the Merchant Navy and this influenced his later life when he remained a keen sailor. I was brought up on the Shipping Forecast as we had to quieten when it was on, even if there was no imminent sail planned. It was just important to know. In 1977, my father and three friends decided to sail to Rockall, one of the well known shipping areas, a tiny rock in the Atlantic. They sailed there without the benefits of sophisticated tech but with maritime charts and instruments using celestial navigation. It was something he was incredibly proud of. for the rest of his life I wrote the account of his sail in a blog post the year after his death - https://feistybluegeckofightsback.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/celestial-navigation/
And just to say how much this has resonated, I was recently in Stornoway, reading the work of a poet originally from Harris (Maggie Rabatski) and the following lines in her poem "Two Old Sailors" made my heart stop:
... they drowse over day-late newspapers
dream far horizons
until tomorrow's midday
only the Shipping Forecast
to quicken
the blood."
(From Two Old Sailors by Maggie Rabatski in her collection "Down from the Dance"
Thank you for making my day with your wonderful post.
Dear Philippa, thank you. I'm so pleased that my ramblings about the Shipping Forecast resonated with you. Your comment made my day — so we've both come out ahead.
Thank you also for sharing the story of your father's Rockall adventure. It's a really lovely, tenderly-written article. I was moved by your description of the "precious fragment chipped from Rockall’s granite surface". Here's to your father, to Rockall, and to all adventurous spirits.
🙏
A morning accompaniment on my drive to work. Always soothing, even when forecasting gales!
Excellent read.thanks. Now I know where to go when I can’t sleep…much better than counting sheep.
When I occasionally listen to this I like bay of biscay as I could understand that place. Most of the others were totally from another world. Your map clarifies them very well.
I can see why the first edition sold out…….I
Great project Mark has made and is inspirational..
I don’t know how you write such creative newsletters. This one must have taken you ages but is so worth it. I love the mix of anecdotes, soundclips, music and of course all the fabulous photos. Mark Power’s journey is inspirational and the results makes me want to strive to find a project that I can throw myself into.
Biscay conjures naval battle scenes and wild weather but I think I’d like to nominate Fair Isle for keeping alive traditional crafts.
Thanks for the newsletter and I’ll try the shipping forecast tonight instead of the radio!
Thank you, Janice. I've really appreciated your encouraging comments in these early days of my newsletter.
Fair Isle is an excellent choice. It sounds like it might be a very pleasant place to live. An island where everything is balanced and equitable at all times. And everybody wears cosy, hand-woven sweaters. II think I could be happy in such a place.
Now I know what to listen to when I found myself awake at 2 a.m.!