The other day I was wondering about the words "list" & "heel." I am not a sailor, so I asked Captain Rob of the schooner windfall. I learned that a boat lists, or leans to one side, when cargo or passengers are unevenly distributed on the vessel. If the boat leans to one side because of the action of wind or waves, the vessel is said to heel.
I explained this to Lou Ann as she was reading her latest book, Simple Courage, A True Story of Peril on the Sea, by Frank Delaney, described by Booklist é as "one of the great sea stories of the twentieth century." Moments later she read me passages from the book that discussed listing in great detail. According to Delaney, list comes from the same root as lust, and describes an inclination towards something.
Lou Ann insists that I would love the book (she couldn't put it down). Since my brother brought it to us as one of his favorites also I'll be sure to add it to my queue of books I must read. You might enjoy it also.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the second half of my father's short journal. I call it Remembering Growing up on Ocracoke. You can read it here.
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on the topic of sailing, the late Walter Cronkite loved to sail his yacht the Wyntje. He would often dock it at a marina in Wilminington N. C.
ReplyDeleteDid residents of Ocracoke Island have television sets in the 50s or 60s ? and did young'uns grow up watching any particular news cast due to limited television reception-- if that was the case.
Thought I needed to tip the hat and offer a small homage to a man that brought the news of the world to many in this country.
Philip you are carrying on the news tradition and with the excellent spot news coverage of the July 4th tragedy on Ocracoke island I nominate you for the green eye shade award.