In my latest (publishable) dream I was standing on the quayside waiting for my ship to come in. I had been waiting for this ship for a very long time. As I caught a glimpse of it on the horizon, I received news that the ship had been infiltrated by treacherous rebels, and that we’d […]
Tag: MerchantNavy
Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bids the mighty ocean deep, It’s own appointed limits keep; O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea. The Navy Hymn, William Whitting, 1860. Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants […]
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Patterns of Pride
Part 1 It’s been two weeks since our last correspondence. What have we missed? I got home over a week ago, and despite exhaustion from a four-week trip at sea, I launched into an urgent attempt to pick up some of the load from my wife. I could feel the strain increasing in her voice […]
My first duty this week is to thank my new friend Steven Wilkinson, of the excellent Substack Pitchfork Papers and his company Good and Prosper, for his continued support and encouragement. I’ve been following his work for some time, and his kind words on Friday, when he allowed me to guest post my article ‘Half-Mast’ […]
Monarchy, Mortality, and Morality. I never met The Queen. Neither did most of you. But I’m willing to bet that every single one of you had some sort of emotional reaction to the news of her passing. For my part, I have been reading the book of revelation, and Paul’s address to the Romans, in […]
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The Philosophy of ‘No’
I have returned to the sea, for a three-week trip. On this occasion, I have signed on as Mate. That is second in command on this ship and entails a 12-hour night shift from 7 pm to 7 am. After the manic trip we had last time I was here, nights are a blessed relief. […]
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Red Alert
Threat detection, empiricism, relativism, and authority. It’s been a busy old week! Since joining my ship on Wednesday I’ve had nine arrivals and departures, shifted berth twice, went alongside a ship in harbour for cargo, and pushed on to so many ships and towers offshore that I’ve lost count. And I’ve been training a new […]
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Titanic Omissions
The news of Boris Johnson’s, as yet only promised, resignation has not impacted my mood, or my worldview, nearly as much as you might have thought. The man wore the rank of PM, but was never a leader. Agenda 2030, 2050 and the Great Reset/Build Back Better, Greener, whatever/ Levelling Up, more green blah, blah, […]
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Masculinity
Top Gun, Punch Ups, Management, Ukraine and Christ. It is my birthday today. It is one of many that I have spent at sea, away from my family, friends, wife and children. It is a painful aspect of the job and one that honestly does not bother me as much as I thought it would […]
It was 0630 in the morning, still morning twilight. The glow of the promised sunrise still lesser than the monochromatic red lamps on the ship’s bridge, providing dim silhouettes to work by. The four piercing digital beeping noises, hurriedly pressed into the keypad let me know the captain was coming to the bridge early, and […]