Beyond National Duty, Surviving in an Unnatural Environment: A Sailor’s Tale
At a glance, the water looks like it’s all about relaxation. But on a closer look and after a few voyages, you begin to truly appreciate the men and women who brave the seas, surviving in an environment never meant for man, but for aquatic life.
The maritime space is indeed a unique one, one that only the strongest, mentally and physically, can truly endure.
Casting off from harbour is sometimes the easiest part of the journey.
To the uninitiated, it looks exciting, even glamorous until the realities of life at sea set in. For those who have never put out to sea, it’s an experience they dream about. But for the core seaman, he knows better. He understands that beyond the calm horizon lies a completely different lifestyle.
Out here, you experience what I can only describe as “symptoms of pregnancy”, it sounds ridiculous until you live it. The nausea, the dizziness, the unsteady and the staggering legs. Your body must adjust, whether it wants to or not.
It is a place where man constantly battles nature, using machines, skill, and discipline to either survive or perish. The smallest mistake from one man can trigger catastrophe.
At sea, there is no room for complacency.
The sea humbles even the strongest of men. It shows no respect for rank, status, or ego. It strips you down to your most basic self.
It teaches survival, not through resistance, but through acceptance. You first accept your reality, then you adjust.
It teaches communality. Out here, you depend on each other in ways people on land may never fully understand.
It teaches contentment, taking only what you need, never more than you can handle. Ignore this, and the sea will humble you quickly. Your body will try to give up everything it has, yet , you won’t feel okay.
And perhaps one of the most critical lessons is your attention to details. At sea, assumptions are dangerous as clearly embedded in Rule 7(c) of the COLREGs, nothing must be left to guesswork.
Beyond national duty and the protection of territorial waters, these are the real lessons of a sailor.
And yes, like the running Yakubu, the sea will daze you properly and you will feel it maximumly but manage, you won’t die🤣🤣
UCHE MONYE
( A properly dazed Sailor 🤣🤣🤣🤣)
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