Nautical Poetry

[MicHughV]

Thought it was time to bring some poetry to this thread.

I've know many a sailor to wax romantically about their boats and sailing life.

Here is my stab at it, let's read yours.

ODE TO THE SAILOR

What is this lure
For which there is no cure
It draws the strong and demure
These floating craft that are so pure

They are big and small and glistening in the morning dew
They are lined up side by side, the old alongside the new
You can jump on one if you'd like to be the crew
The bug has bitten you, this will be true

You'll wonder in amazement at my silly grin
To be so happy is not a sin

To gaze out over these craft
Much like being in a beautiful photograph

That gleaming chrome that looks so fine
All those lines to the mast, all in a line

It's the touch, the feel, the whole damn thing
It makes you pulse and pound like a boxer in a ring
It just bloody well makes you feel like a king
Each breath from your lungs on high you fling

This incredible piece of floating form
This unique piece of nautical norm

As you touch that hull, you feel it's might
It's an uncanny music that feels just right
And from your heart the sound is in flight
As you hoist those sails, it's quite a sight.

They come from here and there, always causing a stir
But the line between them is just a blur

There's a lot of us out there like me and you
From old to young, we all stay true
We are doing the things we like to do
Each day we sail, is a day anew

So just give me some wind, and some cloud cover too
For a landlubber, you'll never understand, your mind I blew
At my boat addiction, I'm one of the few
Gazing at perfection, so simple and new

You'll see us out there raising cash
We'll open our wallets in a flash
And give the last dime from our stash
Just for a touch of that resin and fiberglass mash

Yes, me and my boats, it's a thing to see
It makes me feel so wild and free
I can tell you this with a lot of glee
Just leave me alone and let me be me.

[carstenb]

Not to forget:


Sea-Fever
BY JOHN MASEFIELD
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.