Working the Waters

Adam Hutchison

Working The Waters

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May 11, 2007

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Water

Water is a fascinating substance. It has some physical properties that very few other substances share. Water is one of the only chemical compounds to become less dense when is in a solid state than when it is in a liquid one. All mammals have had an intimate relationship with water since antiquity. This relationship, for humans in particular, continues to be a very challenging one due to our limitations in the water.

Humans are not particularly good swimmers. Our pace would be a crawl if we traveled on dry land as slow as even the fastest swimmers’ in the water. But we continue to swim. The water provides the perfect environment to challenge the human body to do things it was not created to do.

Life aboard an Alaskan fishing boat is just as awkward. There is nothing natural about working “twenty-four on, one off” (31). This schedule, coupled with backbreaking work, breaks down the body almost as fast as it breaks down the mind. Hallucinations, dizziness, hand tremors and fainting are just a few of the many symptoms that sleep deprivation can cause.

Why put our bodies through this? Humans are inquisitive beings. We are always searching for answers. One way we have found to give us some perspective on our lives and our planet has been to take on austerities. Some religions force them upon their parishioners, while most people challenge themselves athletically. The water, through swimming, sailing or just plain living on a boat, presents humans with their greatest challenge and allows us to see ourselves more completely. Water is such an unnatural environment for humans to endeavor into; one would have to be at least part crazy to do it. This craziness can lead a crew to bond together or tear it apart. The attempted murder of Virginia Adams speaks to the latter (57-8).

The crews that Cook and Kendrick led all around the world had schedules that were just as extreme and were doing work that was just as dangerous. They certainly had people aboard that dealt with their problems with an addiction to alcohol and were irrationally superstitious. They probably had people onboard their vessels that by any landlubber standards would be labeled “insane.” These crews understood, like most crews of commercial fishermen, that without each other, the whole group couldn’t survive. And because of that understanding, very few crewmembers turned on each other, and those who did were treated harshly for good reason.

Water is chemically very unique. This uniqueness carries over to the relationships that humans have with water. While this is true for everyone, it is especially true for those people who choose occupations and lifestyles that are water-centric. For these people, the water is something very special – something that can inspire the best and worst from people. It forces people to embrace their social nature and bond together to deal with the trials that the water forces upon you.