Mayday

by Don Caley

We have been at sea now for fourteen days and the experience has been mostly positive.

There has been excitement, discovery, learning, fun, and camaraderie as we learn more and more about the Rose, the crew, and each other. We had one sobering morning early on, however, that sticks in my mind. It happened on May 1, Mayday.

Weather was blustery and cloudy with the sun occasionally breaking through the clouds, and now and then a sprinkle as we sailed east just south of Newfoundland. Captain Bailey called all hands to a meeting on the waist at 1300. For the benefit of those of us who did not know her, he told us a little about Darcie, the program coordinator for the H.M.S. Rose Foundation, and her sister Danielle. The crew all know Darcie well since she is in charge of all foundation activity on land. I had met her only briefly when I delivered some paperwork to her prior to our voyage in Boston; her sister I knew not at all.

Captain Bailey told us he interviewed Darcie's sister for a crew position on the Rose, but was currently working aboard a similar, smaller ship on the west coast, the Californian. At some time in the previous 24 hours, she had been swept overboard and was lost at sea. He had no other details.

Captain Bailey's short talk was memorable on several counts. It was important to him that we hear the sad news first-hand from him, without distortion. He asked each of us, without a lot of religious pontificating, to contemplate the meaning of the tragedy in our own way. He asked us to be more thoughtful of our own safety, and to be on the lookout for the safety of others at all times.

His brevity and simplicity were the essence of eloquence, and served to underscore the importance of safety, teamwork, and interdependence.