I was on vacation, suspended in the supportive water of the ocean, and thinking of what it means to float—or to displace a volume of fluid with my own volume and to be able to relax, think, feel, even move myself gently from one place to another with little or no purpose.
My thoughts turned to whatever ele can float. There are the obviously small craft, boats, ferries, and ships that ply the ocean in pursuit of transport or trade or recreation. These were all around me. They were amended by other functional manifestations – like the floats for gear and bait that serve the lobstermen and women on the Bay. The lobsterboats come and go, tying up momentarily to off-load catch, on-load bait. The lobsters are stored in blue plastic crates, often floating within the physical confines of the dock as if the entire enterprise were supported by the fecundity of the local harvest. Which, of course, it is.
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William Boulden says:
It’s all about displacement. There is a work of fiction by Stephen R. Donaldson where giants travel the sea in stone ships as part of the main character’s adventures. Then I read later of concrete ships that used to ply the waters. Either way, the sea still calls to men no matter the materials they fashion. Wood has soul and like the sea I believe that is half the draw.
Mary Barnes & Peter Neill says:
Floating dreams