I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today.
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My name is C.A. Murray
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and allow me to
thank you once again
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for sharing just a
little of your day with us.
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To thank you also for
your prayers, your support,
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the love that you
show to this ministry,
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as we together try
to lift up the mighty
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and matchless name of
Jesus and seek to take
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the good news of the
Gospel around the world.
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Thank you for supporting
us and joining hands with us
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in the greatest work
that I think has ever been
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entrusted to the
frail and feeble hands
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of men and women
and that is sharing
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the good news of
the love of Christ.
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Got a good story today.
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Sometimes we
have, Today programs,
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they are not theological,
they are not someone
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trying to talk about
their new book or their new CD.
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It's not a point of controversy,
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Theological or otherwise
it's just a good old story
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that lets you know,
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that lets us
know that God is still
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in the saving business,
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God is still in
the blessing business.
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We call them
personal testimonies,
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though we don't get enough
of those I think sometimes.
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But they make your heart
glad, they make your heart warm.
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And we've got that
kind of story today.
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This is something
you really want to hear
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because this is
an incredible saga
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of the saving grace of God
and the goodness of the Lord
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and all that rolls together
to bring someone to Christ,
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to save a life
here on this earth
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and to prepare the life for him.
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My guest is Gordon Chapman.
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Gordon, good to have you here.
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Glad to be here.
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Gordon is, we
can say, an old salt.
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Amen.
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Praise the Lord.
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And this story has to do
with water and boats and sailing
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and as we sort of
went over his story.
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Just a really great story
of the goodness of the Lord.
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So you want to
give ear to this one,
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because this will encourage you.
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This will give you hope.
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This will make you feel
good all over and glad all over
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because it has a happy ending.
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The happy ending of
course is that he is here.
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Amen, that's
right. Praise the Lord.
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If it didn't
have a happy ending,
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we wouldn't be
having this conversation.
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So we praise the Lord.
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We got a happy ending,
so now we need to get you
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from there to here
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and that's what
we are going to do.
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Before we sort of
unpackage Gordon story,
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our music is coming
to us from the founder
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of this ministry and
that is Danny Shelton.
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Stopped by a little while
ago and recorded some music
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and one of the many
songs that he recorded
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is one that is called,
"The First Moment of Eternity".
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I believe this is the
song that he wrote himself.
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It could be correct or not
but I believe that is true.
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But just now, Danny Shelton,
"The First Moment of Eternity."
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Well, sometimes I
wonder is it worth it all
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When the road seems rough
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And so long
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Then I look towards heaven
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And think on that day
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When Jesus will call me away
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The first moment of eternity
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Will be worth all
the trials down here
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When I hear the King of all ages
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Say come home, child
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Come home to stay
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For every rough road traveled
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In this world below
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My reward will
be a million years
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For every pain and sorrow
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That ever got me down
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I received a road and the ground
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The first moment of eternity
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Will be worth all the trials
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Down here
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When I hear the King of all ages
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Say come home, child
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Come home to stay
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When I hear the King of all ages
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Say come home, child
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Come home to stay
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Amen and well
done, Danny Shelton.
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"The First Moment of Eternity."
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My guest is Gordon Chapman.
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Gordon, good to have
you here as we said before.
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Good to be here.
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And it is good to be here.
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Could be anywhere.
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After what you
have been through.
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Let's go back to
the very beginning
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because you are
an East Coast guy.
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Connecticut I am told.
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Yeah, I'm from
Connecticut and I was born
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and raised in a little
town of Connecticut called Lyme.
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Lyme, well, that is
kind of a famous town.
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Yeah, it had become that way.
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Yeah, we've
heard of Lyme disease,
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Christian home... growing up?
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Not really, my
parents went to Church
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but they
weren't real Christians.
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It was just... and they--
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of course they took me up
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until I was old
enough to make my choice.
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So I went to Church with
them but I wasn't really,
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you know, following Lord or
it really interested at all.
00:08:05.35\00:08:09.25
And actually in my
earlier life, growing up
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I kind of had
some issues with God.
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At the time,
when I was a teenager
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all you hear about was the--
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I think it was
the greens and oranges
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in Ireland killing
each other for God.
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It just didn't seem right.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, as well, you
know, I just couldn't really
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get into religion, it was--
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It seemed like there if
that's what Christians do,
00:08:40.25\00:08:43.02
you know, I don't
wanted to go through somewhat.
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Yeah, sadly, God
gets a bad rap sometimes
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because of people
who represent Him.
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Brothers and sisters?
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Two sisters. One
younger and one older.
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Oh, so you are in the middle.
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Right, yeah. Middle child.
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There is a lot of literature
written about middle child.
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Right, yeah, one little story
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I'll comment on I don't remember
00:09:02.14\00:09:06.47
just how old I was,
00:09:06.51\00:09:07.84
but I was still
in a grade school.
00:09:07.88\00:09:11.78
My sisters were, they
had two opinions or whatever
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and like I was in the middle.
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And it's like each one
is going to punch me out.
00:09:17.25\00:09:19.39
Yeah.
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If I side with the other one.
So my mom told me about this.
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She overheard this and anyway
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when it come down to the final,
saying I am on God's side.
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That ended the
argument right then.
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That was the end of that fight.
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That's an
excellent little point.
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Now, when we think of
Connecticut as a state,
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a number of things come to mind
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but ship building, boat
building is in the wharf
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of Connecticut,
you've got Mystic,
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you've got Groton where
the submarines come from.
00:09:50.95\00:09:52.62
Right.
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So you got into...
into ship or boat building.
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Talk to me a
little bit about that?
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Well, as a kid I'd
always been around boats,
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you know, with the
family and friends and stuff
00:10:01.86\00:10:03.57
and I just loved wooden boats.
00:10:03.60\00:10:06.33
So I started
tinkering around with them
00:10:06.37\00:10:08.04
and trying to build
them and whatever and...
00:10:08.07\00:10:12.17
then over the
domestic seaport museum,
00:10:12.21\00:10:16.44
they had a recreational
boat building course over there.
00:10:16.48\00:10:20.22
So I took that
and then I ended up
00:10:20.25\00:10:24.22
getting a job for Seth Pearson
in Saybrook, Connecticut,
00:10:24.25\00:10:28.12
and he was a fairly
noted builder in his time.
00:10:28.16\00:10:31.89
Now he built wooden boats.
00:10:31.93\00:10:33.26
Right. Just wooden boats.
00:10:33.29\00:10:34.96
Now wooden boats,
Gordon, is a bit of a...
00:10:35.00\00:10:37.90
I don't want to say dying art
00:10:37.93\00:10:39.27
but they aren't
certainly as many wooden boats,
00:10:39.30\00:10:41.27
because the
maintenance is kind of high.
00:10:41.30\00:10:42.87
And it's really a
highly skilled craft, isn't it?
00:10:42.90\00:10:46.07
It is, yeah.
00:10:46.11\00:10:47.44
Yeah, there's very few
wooden boats build anymore
00:10:47.48\00:10:50.05
because of the cost.
00:10:50.08\00:10:51.41
Yeah.
00:10:51.45\00:10:52.78
Yeah, they can pump
out a fiberglass boat
00:10:52.81\00:10:54.15
in no time for a
fraction of the cost.
00:10:54.18\00:10:56.75
Yes, yes.
00:10:56.79\00:10:58.12
You know, labor and
material save them some.
00:10:58.15\00:11:00.89
But fortunately I was
working for a builder down
00:11:00.92\00:11:04.83
in Welaka, Florida.
00:11:04.86\00:11:06.73
And he's building wooden boats.
00:11:06.76\00:11:09.43
He specializes in
repairs and building new boats.
00:11:09.46\00:11:15.14
We are working
on a 40 footer now.
00:11:15.17\00:11:17.04
Okay.
00:11:17.07\00:11:18.41
So there still are,
00:11:18.44\00:11:20.08
people who customize
or build wooden boats.
00:11:20.11\00:11:23.04
Yeah, but it's few.
00:11:23.08\00:11:25.45
It is not a lot anymore.
00:11:25.48\00:11:27.05
How many years in Connecticut
00:11:27.08\00:11:28.42
were you
involved in boat building?
00:11:28.45\00:11:29.78
Oh, I'll say probably maybe ten.
00:11:29.82\00:11:37.43
Yeah, between
working for myself and yards.
00:11:37.46\00:11:41.46
I worked in boat
yards a lot as a carpenter.
00:11:41.50\00:11:45.17
A boat carpenter.
00:11:45.20\00:11:46.53
So you were just
around boats all the time.
00:11:46.57\00:11:47.90
That's kind of
your thing. Yeah, yeah.
00:11:47.94\00:11:49.27
Right, yeah, it's
like me you too, like,
00:11:49.30\00:11:51.31
I got a boat on every yard.
00:11:51.34\00:11:54.34
And obviously you liked it.
00:11:54.38\00:11:55.71
Yeah, I did, it was
just, you know, what I enjoyed.
00:11:55.74\00:12:00.08
I enjoyed doing it.
00:12:00.12\00:12:03.05
And one thing,
00:12:03.08\00:12:04.45
even if I didn't
know God at the time,
00:12:04.49\00:12:07.86
when I was out
offshore by myself it was--
00:12:07.89\00:12:12.49
I felt a real
closeness to nature and God.
00:12:12.53\00:12:17.20
Like I said I didn't know Him
00:12:17.23\00:12:18.83
but it was just so
peaceful out there.
00:12:18.87\00:12:21.10
Yeah.
00:12:21.14\00:12:22.47
Yeah, no worldly cares, nothing.
00:12:22.50\00:12:24.61
Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:24.64\00:12:25.97
The heavens do
declare the glory of God
00:12:26.01\00:12:27.34
and earth shows
forth His handy work.
00:12:27.38\00:12:29.84
If you can get out
in nature and get away,
00:12:29.88\00:12:31.78
I've always lived
near large bodies of water.
00:12:31.81\00:12:35.48
When I was
pastoring in New York City,
00:12:35.52\00:12:36.85
lived on Long Island
and for a while lived
00:12:36.89\00:12:38.95
right on Great South Bay.
00:12:38.99\00:12:41.62
And right at the end
of my block was the ocean
00:12:41.66\00:12:43.96
and there is
something very grand and very--
00:12:43.99\00:12:47.50
I wrote a couple of
books just sitting on the ocean
00:12:47.53\00:12:49.96
with my typewriter
and just or on my computer
00:12:50.00\00:12:52.10
and just writing.
00:12:52.13\00:12:53.47
So there is something
very, very serene and pristine
00:12:53.50\00:12:57.74
and just very godly
about being out in nature.
00:12:57.77\00:13:00.81
Particularly for me and
for you also on the water.
00:13:00.84\00:13:03.28
Right. Yeah.
00:13:03.31\00:13:04.65
Yeah, it could be,
you know, for some people
00:13:04.68\00:13:06.01
it's up in the mountains,
some people's whatever on lake
00:13:06.05\00:13:08.68
or me it just happened
to be out on the ocean.
00:13:08.72\00:13:10.99
Yeah.
00:13:11.02\00:13:13.02
'Cause I never
went out in wooden boat.
00:13:13.05\00:13:16.12
But that's...
00:13:16.16\00:13:18.59
You know, there is
something about that.
00:13:18.63\00:13:20.46
So you spend a lot
of time at Connecticut.
00:13:20.50\00:13:22.53
Eventually you
got your own boat.
00:13:22.56\00:13:24.17
Yeah, finally I sold my place
00:13:24.20\00:13:26.80
where I was
living in Connecticut,
00:13:26.84\00:13:28.17
I wanted to buy a
boat and so I did.
00:13:28.20\00:13:32.17
I bought an old schooner
00:13:32.21\00:13:34.08
out of up in
Gloucester, Massachusetts.
00:13:34.11\00:13:37.81
Now, let's give the folk,
00:13:37.85\00:13:39.18
let me stop, let
me stop you a second.
00:13:39.21\00:13:40.55
Let's give the
folk a boat lesson,
00:13:40.58\00:13:41.92
because there is a
ketch, a yawl, a schooner
00:13:41.95\00:13:43.92
and they have to do with
a mast, a number of masts,
00:13:43.95\00:13:45.95
and the sizes of the mast.
00:13:45.99\00:13:48.92
You have a schooner,
that's a two masted boat?
00:13:48.96\00:13:50.83
Yeah.
00:13:50.86\00:13:52.19
That's a good, a
decent sized boat.
00:13:52.23\00:13:55.40
Yeah, schooner
rig does normally work
00:13:55.43\00:13:57.73
to well below about 30
foot, but this one was 36 foot.
00:13:57.77\00:14:03.57
And our schooner,
the after mast is taller.
00:14:03.61\00:14:06.27
It's taller.
00:14:06.31\00:14:07.64
And on a ketch rig its--
the after mast is shorter
00:14:07.68\00:14:12.31
and yawl the
after mast is shorter.
00:14:12.35\00:14:15.98
But on the yawl, it
is after the rudder post.
00:14:16.02\00:14:19.22
That makes it yawl.
00:14:19.25\00:14:20.59
Yeah, now you said a
lot for you non boat people.
00:14:20.62\00:14:25.16
You got two masts,
you got two sticks.
00:14:25.19\00:14:27.30
On a schooner
the back stick is...
00:14:27.33\00:14:30.27
The large one.
00:14:30.30\00:14:31.63
Is the taller of the two.
00:14:31.67\00:14:33.00
So it goes tall, tall to taller.
00:14:33.03\00:14:35.44
On a ketch it's tall down. Yeah.
00:14:35.47\00:14:39.24
Okay, so on your boat
00:14:39.27\00:14:40.84
the first one
is a little shorter
00:14:40.88\00:14:42.41
and the second one is taller.
00:14:42.44\00:14:43.81
What is the advantage of having
00:14:43.85\00:14:45.18
that kind of configuration?
00:14:45.21\00:14:47.78
It's kind of hard to say.
00:14:47.82\00:14:52.09
You can get a lot of different
sail configurations with it.
00:14:52.12\00:14:56.09
Now on the schooner.
That's not the one I lost.
00:14:56.12\00:15:01.26
I bought that and
I was working on it
00:15:01.30\00:15:03.77
doing restoration on it,
00:15:03.80\00:15:06.43
in a boat yard
where I was working.
00:15:06.47\00:15:08.57
And I had an
accident in the boat yard
00:15:08.60\00:15:10.97
I fell out of the loft
and it got torn up pretty good
00:15:11.01\00:15:15.24
so I was kind of
out of commission
00:15:15.28\00:15:17.25
but just having
the salt in my blood.
00:15:17.31\00:15:21.85
I just wanted to
get back on the water.
00:15:21.88\00:15:24.02
So I was with a friend of mine.
00:15:24.05\00:15:27.26
One day he had to
go and look at a job up
00:15:27.29\00:15:30.89
the river a little ways.
00:15:30.93\00:15:32.26
So he said you can
take a ride with me,
00:15:32.29\00:15:33.83
so I went up there
and he had this little
00:15:33.86\00:15:37.00
Dickerson Ketch in the shed.
00:15:37.03\00:15:39.57
And, I was
right next to the boat
00:15:39.60\00:15:41.60
we were looking at,
so I checked on that
00:15:41.64\00:15:45.14
and found out
that I could buy it,
00:15:45.17\00:15:46.71
So I bought out that,
that little Dickerson Ketch
00:15:46.74\00:15:50.51
and we took that
down to Saybrook,
00:15:50.55\00:15:53.05
where I was working
and I moved on board
00:15:53.08\00:15:55.65
and while I was living on boat,
00:15:55.68\00:15:57.19
I started fixing that one up.
00:15:57.22\00:15:58.72
So there was enough cabin space,
00:15:58.75\00:16:00.39
enough for you
to actually live in
00:16:00.42\00:16:02.09
and work on that boat.
00:16:02.12\00:16:04.69
Yeah. Yeah.
00:16:04.73\00:16:06.06
It was all cramped
but you get used to it.
00:16:06.09\00:16:10.20
You get used to it.
00:16:10.23\00:16:11.63
Now, under the bottom
of the boat is the keel
00:16:11.67\00:16:13.67
because we're
talking about sailboats.
00:16:13.70\00:16:15.04
Right.
00:16:15.07\00:16:16.40
On that boat how long
was the keel under the boat?
00:16:16.44\00:16:19.11
She is about 5 foot draft.
00:16:19.14\00:16:20.48
Okay. Okay.
00:16:20.51\00:16:22.24
And it wasn't...
00:16:22.28\00:16:23.95
Some boats have
like a full length keel.
00:16:23.98\00:16:26.51
This one had what
they call like a fin keel.
00:16:26.55\00:16:29.38
It just kind of stuck down
00:16:29.42\00:16:30.75
and it would
balance on the bottom.
00:16:30.79\00:16:34.06
But on the schooner I
had, that was full length keel
00:16:34.09\00:16:37.26
that come right
down from the stem,
00:16:37.29\00:16:38.96
right down the whole thing.
00:16:38.99\00:16:40.73
Okay, yeah, all right.
00:16:40.76\00:16:42.26
So. But, yeah, it was...
00:16:42.30\00:16:47.60
And the rudder
was actually connected
00:16:47.64\00:16:50.41
connected to the
back end of the fin.
00:16:50.44\00:16:52.27
The fin where it was angled...
and the rudder was angled.
00:16:52.31\00:16:54.61
Yeah, yeah.
00:16:54.64\00:16:55.98
They met down at
the bottom under water.
00:16:56.01\00:16:57.55
Now this new
boat, the second boat
00:16:57.58\00:16:58.98
you bought is,
was how long, how big?
00:16:59.01\00:17:01.28
32 foot.
00:17:01.32\00:17:02.65
Okay, just look
slightly smaller.
00:17:02.68\00:17:04.09
Okay, now this one is a ketch.
00:17:04.12\00:17:06.09
Yeah. So it's tall, taller.
00:17:06.12\00:17:09.62
Now, how tall are
the masts? Tall shorter.
00:17:09.66\00:17:11.69
Tall shorter. Okay, yeah.
00:17:11.73\00:17:13.06
On a ketch. Yeah, the mast.
00:17:13.09\00:17:16.00
She was Marconi rig
which is like a triangular sail
00:17:16.03\00:17:19.90
not a gaff so her mast was--
00:17:19.93\00:17:23.57
She is probably about
30 foot above the deck.
00:17:23.61\00:17:26.81
Okay.
00:17:26.84\00:17:28.24
I am sort of picking you on this
00:17:28.28\00:17:30.55
because if anybody
goes into my office,
00:17:30.58\00:17:32.35
you know, I am a sailboat guy.
00:17:32.38\00:17:33.72
I got sailboats lined up on my--
00:17:33.75\00:17:35.08
I'm just
fascinated always by sailboats
00:17:35.12\00:17:38.42
which is why I'm glad I
was assigned this interview
00:17:38.45\00:17:40.69
because anything with boats.
00:17:40.72\00:17:42.12
I'm not-- don't
swim, it's a shame
00:17:42.16\00:17:43.83
'cause I love being
on water and don't swim.
00:17:43.86\00:17:45.63
But I do love sailboats. Good.
00:17:45.66\00:17:47.66
And have never owned
one, have never even been
00:17:47.70\00:17:51.10
on one out on the water.
00:17:51.13\00:17:53.13
Had been on
powerboats but not sailboats.
00:17:53.17\00:17:55.60
Well, sailboats
always fascinate me.
00:17:55.64\00:17:57.54
So now you got this
slightly smaller boat
00:17:57.57\00:18:00.24
but a 32 footer
is not a tiny boat.
00:18:00.28\00:18:01.64
No, not really.
00:18:01.68\00:18:03.01
It's a boat you can use
00:18:03.04\00:18:05.65
more than one
person to manage that,
00:18:05.68\00:18:08.45
but you can do
it with one person.
00:18:08.48\00:18:09.88
Right. Yeah.
00:18:09.92\00:18:11.32
It was small enough
that I could single-hand it.
00:18:11.35\00:18:13.72
And you have no problems.
00:18:13.76\00:18:15.32
The sails, being a ketch.
00:18:15.36\00:18:17.16
Yeah, the sails
weren't that big.
00:18:17.19\00:18:18.93
Say like had one
humongous sail it had,
00:18:18.96\00:18:20.76
you know, they have broken down.
00:18:20.80\00:18:22.63
Yeah, you might sail and
your mizzen and your jib,
00:18:22.66\00:18:25.10
and you had sails and stuff.
00:18:25.13\00:18:27.34
Yeah, they're broken
down into smaller pieces.
00:18:27.37\00:18:30.07
We are throwing
out a lot of terms
00:18:30.11\00:18:31.44
which you may not know verbally.
00:18:31.47\00:18:32.81
He is talking about sails.
00:18:32.84\00:18:34.18
So, don't worry about it,
00:18:34.21\00:18:35.54
It's not important to the story.
00:18:35.58\00:18:36.91
At least not yet. It's coming.
00:18:36.95\00:18:40.12
So you were living on this
boat and working on this boat.
00:18:40.15\00:18:42.58
And you're
anchored to move it where?
00:18:42.62\00:18:45.65
In Saybrook and
mostly in Connecticut River.
00:18:45.69\00:18:48.96
Little marina down there.
00:18:48.99\00:18:50.33
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:18:50.36\00:18:51.69
And...
00:18:51.73\00:18:53.40
So I was starting to heal
from the accident by then,
00:18:53.43\00:18:57.93
and it's like, well, I
need to do some sailing.
00:18:57.97\00:19:00.74
So I moved my boat over
to Mystic for the summer.
00:19:00.77\00:19:04.67
I had always loved Mystic,
00:19:04.71\00:19:06.04
It's a real quaint little town.
00:19:06.07\00:19:07.48
It is.
00:19:07.51\00:19:08.84
It's a beautiful
little town. Yeah.
00:19:08.88\00:19:10.21
So, I just liked that as well.
00:19:10.25\00:19:12.51
I went over there and
got to sleep through summer
00:19:12.55\00:19:15.02
and then I decided, well,
I can go south, I got a boat.
00:19:15.05\00:19:18.92
I am living, I am free.
00:19:18.95\00:19:20.82
I can go. Yeah.
00:19:20.86\00:19:22.69
So I loaded up my
stuff and figured to takeoff.
00:19:22.72\00:19:28.13
Yeah, now here is the thing.
00:19:28.16\00:19:29.50
When you say go south,
you are not talking about
00:19:29.53\00:19:30.87
let's go South of New
York City or South of Carolina.
00:19:30.90\00:19:32.63
You are talking about
00:19:32.67\00:19:34.00
going all over
south to the Caribbean.
00:19:34.04\00:19:35.37
Right. To the Caribbean.
00:19:35.40\00:19:36.74
Yeah.
00:19:36.77\00:19:38.11
To any Island in particular?
00:19:38.14\00:19:40.28
Probably at that time
00:19:40.31\00:19:42.24
it probably would
have been Jamaica.
00:19:42.28\00:19:44.25
'Cause I was really
heavy in reggae at that time.
00:19:44.28\00:19:47.52
And in Jamaica, I knew,
I knew a lot of Jamaicans
00:19:47.55\00:19:50.72
from when I was in the
hospital up in Hartford.
00:19:50.75\00:19:53.52
And I just took
a liking to them,
00:19:53.56\00:19:56.19
They're really good
people, they're into the music
00:19:56.22\00:19:58.43
and so I probably
would have ended up there
00:19:58.46\00:20:01.23
eventually, you
know, to make a boat.
00:20:01.26\00:20:03.23
And can you make
a living in Jamaica?
00:20:03.26\00:20:04.73
Are there enough
wooden boats there that
00:20:04.77\00:20:06.63
you could earn some money
while you were down there.
00:20:06.67\00:20:08.17
Probably,
probably not in Jamaica
00:20:08.20\00:20:10.31
but in the
neighboring islands there are.
00:20:10.34\00:20:11.97
Okay.
00:20:12.01\00:20:13.34
'Cause a lot of
people take their yachts
00:20:13.38\00:20:15.98
to the Caribbean for the winter.
00:20:16.01\00:20:17.38
True, yeah.
00:20:17.41\00:20:18.75
So if you're
shipwright, there is work.
00:20:18.78\00:20:21.85
So you knew
enough about boats that
00:20:21.88\00:20:23.79
you could work on other boats,
00:20:23.82\00:20:26.15
besides wooden
boats if you had to.
00:20:26.19\00:20:27.86
Right. So you can make a living.
00:20:27.89\00:20:29.22
Yeah. Yeah.
00:20:29.26\00:20:30.59
Yeah. Yeah.
00:20:30.63\00:20:31.96
So I loaded my
boat up with tools
00:20:31.99\00:20:33.66
and everything and that was a...
00:20:33.70\00:20:38.50
A fateful trip.
00:20:38.53\00:20:40.07
Yeah. Now let me ask you this.
00:20:40.10\00:20:41.57
From Mystic, Connecticut
00:20:41.60\00:20:43.20
all the way down
the Atlantic to Jamaica.
00:20:43.24\00:20:45.97
We are talking a
journey of how long?
00:20:46.01\00:20:47.74
To Jamaica probably
two-and-a half, three weeks.
00:20:47.78\00:20:52.38
Yeah, you are not
talking couple of days.
00:20:52.41\00:20:53.75
That's a long
time out on the water.
00:20:53.78\00:20:55.12
Yeah. It's a long trip.
00:20:55.15\00:20:56.48
Yeah, yeah, since
you are going to be
00:20:56.52\00:20:57.85
on the water that length of time
00:20:57.89\00:20:59.72
and you can see
where I am heading here.
00:20:59.75\00:21:02.49
Would you not check to see
what the conditions would be
00:21:02.52\00:21:06.46
that two to three
weeks you gonna be out there
00:21:06.49\00:21:08.83
to see what you are facing.
00:21:08.86\00:21:11.07
Just kind of plan your trip
00:21:11.10\00:21:12.43
so nothing kind
of sneaks up on you.
00:21:12.47\00:21:14.07
Yeah.
00:21:14.10\00:21:15.44
Well yeah...
00:21:15.47\00:21:16.81
Basically before you go on
any extended trip like that
00:21:16.84\00:21:20.38
you check the
weather the best you can,
00:21:20.41\00:21:22.48
'cause back then we didn't have
the technology we have today.
00:21:22.51\00:21:25.78
But I set out,
one, I was running late
00:21:25.81\00:21:30.49
in the season 'cause
we had a late hurricane
00:21:30.52\00:21:33.39
and I think it
was around in mid,
00:21:33.42\00:21:36.69
October and so
I waited that out.
00:21:36.73\00:21:40.50
I stayed in a
marina until that was over.
00:21:40.53\00:21:43.63
And so it was
getting late in October
00:21:43.67\00:21:46.47
when I finally left
but I checked the weather
00:21:46.50\00:21:49.77
forecast everything I could get,
00:21:49.80\00:21:51.77
you know, know weather
in local and everything.
00:21:51.81\00:21:54.24
And everything
seemed to be good.
00:21:54.28\00:21:56.64
Yeah, now, this is,
00:21:56.68\00:21:58.01
you should be in
post hurricane season.
00:21:58.05\00:22:00.25
The summer hurricane
season should be gone
00:22:00.28\00:22:02.22
so we ought to be
able to make our trip
00:22:02.25\00:22:03.59
from Mystic,
Connecticut to Kingston, Jamaica
00:22:03.62\00:22:06.49
or wherever you're going to
Sabbath tomorrow or wherever
00:22:06.52\00:22:10.99
or Montego Bay,
in relative peace.
00:22:11.03\00:22:15.23
Right,
apparent. One would think.
00:22:15.26\00:22:18.10
Right. Yeah.
00:22:18.13\00:22:19.47
So you take off,
when do you leave?
00:22:19.50\00:22:21.57
I left couple days
before the end of the month.
00:22:21.60\00:22:24.61
Yeah.
00:22:24.64\00:22:25.97
It would have been,
I think 29th I guess.
00:22:26.01\00:22:28.61
I left Mystic, Connecticut
00:22:28.64\00:22:31.21
and I sailed
over to Block Island
00:22:31.25\00:22:34.02
and I laid over
there for the night
00:22:34.05\00:22:35.75
and restored everything
00:22:35.78\00:22:37.19
and trying to get ready for sea.
00:22:37.22\00:22:38.85
And I left Block
Island and from there
00:22:38.89\00:22:41.82
it's almost to south 600
and some miles to Bermuda,
00:22:41.86\00:22:46.39
which would have
been my first stop.
00:22:46.43\00:22:48.33
Okay, so you are not
hugging the coastline,
00:22:48.36\00:22:50.20
you are out in the Atlantic.
00:22:50.23\00:22:51.57
Right. Yeah.
00:22:51.60\00:22:52.93
If you are far enough
to be to go to Bermuda
00:22:52.97\00:22:55.14
you are 2-300 miles
out into the Atlantic.
00:22:55.17\00:22:57.94
So it's just you, your
boat and the Lord basically.
00:22:57.97\00:23:00.41
That's it, that's it.
00:23:00.44\00:23:03.18
Yeah. That's about it.
00:23:03.21\00:23:04.81
So on the way to
Bermuda what happened?
00:23:04.85\00:23:08.08
Well, I got out,
the first day was good,
00:23:08.12\00:23:11.22
great sailing,
just perfect weather.
00:23:11.25\00:23:14.12
And so that night my
autopilot quit on me.
00:23:14.16\00:23:20.40
So I kind of sailed pretty much
00:23:20.43\00:23:23.53
by the seat of my
pants for the night.
00:23:23.57\00:23:26.70
Yeah, I wake up
00:23:26.74\00:23:28.07
and check the compass
course and everything.
00:23:28.10\00:23:30.54
So now you said wake up,
00:23:30.57\00:23:31.91
so your boat is
sailing and you are sleeping.
00:23:31.94\00:23:33.98
Right. Yeah.
00:23:34.01\00:23:36.81
There are no telephone
poles. Nothing out there.
00:23:36.85\00:23:41.75
You got to trust the Lord
'cause there is no highway.
00:23:41.78\00:23:44.59
You are sleeping and
the boat is kind of...
00:23:44.62\00:23:46.15
How do you know
where you are going.
00:23:46.19\00:23:48.66
Well, by your compass.
00:23:48.69\00:23:50.79
Yeah, you see just
your compass course.
00:23:50.83\00:23:52.56
Okay. And...
00:23:52.59\00:23:53.93
Do you lock the rudder
00:23:53.96\00:23:55.30
so that you are going
in the same direction or?
00:23:55.33\00:23:57.10
Yeah, you can trim your
sails and that will pretty much
00:23:57.13\00:24:02.50
unless you get a wind shift,
00:24:02.54\00:24:04.27
you can set your
sails and you are going
00:24:04.31\00:24:06.11
in the same
course for ever and ever.
00:24:06.14\00:24:08.74
But if you do get a wind shift
that's why you want to check.
00:24:08.78\00:24:12.95
Yeah, so you wake
up every couple hours
00:24:12.98\00:24:15.18
check the compass course
00:24:15.22\00:24:16.79
and make sure you
are not off course
00:24:16.82\00:24:19.89
and stand at horizon for
any shipping or whatever.
00:24:19.92\00:24:23.56
And it's kind of...
00:24:23.59\00:24:26.56
It can be kind of, you
know, iffy in some areas
00:24:26.59\00:24:29.53
but when you're
that far offshore.
00:24:29.56\00:24:31.70
There is not, not a
lot of traffic out there.
00:24:31.73\00:24:35.50
You do a lot in that boat
man. That's pretty much it.
00:24:35.54\00:24:39.51
So you are out several days,
00:24:39.61\00:24:41.01
walk me through
the next little bit
00:24:41.04\00:24:43.35
because this where it
gets kind of interesting.
00:24:43.38\00:24:44.71
Yeah.
00:24:44.75\00:24:46.08
Well, yeah, the
first day was great.
00:24:46.11\00:24:48.25
It was just perfect out there,
00:24:48.28\00:24:51.95
so then like I said
the auto-pilot didn't work
00:24:51.99\00:24:55.96
so I was up, part of the night.
00:24:56.39\00:24:59.79
You know, Several
times a night tracking
00:24:59.83\00:25:02.30
and the next day
we got be calmed.
00:25:02.33\00:25:05.73
And there was something,
a phenomena that happens,
00:25:05.77\00:25:09.74
I don't know how often
00:25:10.37\00:25:11.71
but very, very few
sailors have actually seen it
00:25:11.74\00:25:15.41
and that's, they call
a lull before the storm.
00:25:15.61\00:25:18.81
The sea was just
like a sheet of glass,
00:25:18.85\00:25:21.88
like a piece of
slate, an oily slate.
00:25:21.92\00:25:25.89
As far as you could see
00:25:26.05\00:25:27.86
which from my
eye height on a boat
00:25:27.89\00:25:29.62
was about 15 mile radius.
00:25:29.66\00:25:31.43
Wow.
00:25:31.46\00:25:32.79
So that's like 30
mile circle, nothing.
00:25:32.83\00:25:36.23
The horizon, nothing moved.
00:25:36.26\00:25:38.73
Nothing, just perfectly fine...
00:25:38.77\00:25:40.60
A totally calm sea.
00:25:40.64\00:25:41.97
Yeah. Totally flat.
00:25:42.00\00:25:43.34
No wind? No wind, nothing.
00:25:43.37\00:25:44.71
Yeah. Nothing at all.
00:25:44.74\00:25:46.78
Now, did that say to you
00:25:46.81\00:25:48.14
'cause you are not
a novice out there?
00:25:48.18\00:25:50.51
Did that say something
is up, something is coming?
00:25:50.55\00:25:53.21
Yeah, but... the big but.
00:25:53.25\00:25:56.38
You are over
300 miles from land.
00:25:56.42\00:25:59.15
Right.
00:25:59.19\00:26:00.52
So that like
you can turn into it
00:26:00.56\00:26:01.89
and still at
hold you're out there.
00:26:01.92\00:26:03.29
Yeah.
00:26:03.32\00:26:04.89
No warning, nothing
in the weather charts.
00:26:04.93\00:26:07.00
Nothing in the weather reports.
00:26:07.03\00:26:08.36
This kind of snuck upon you
00:26:08.40\00:26:09.73
and it seems
like everybody else.
00:26:09.76\00:26:11.10
Yeah, it did.
00:26:11.13\00:26:12.53
It caught the
weather service off guard.
00:26:12.57\00:26:15.27
There was a
Nor'easter heading down,
00:26:15.30\00:26:17.71
coming from up
from northeast coast.
00:26:17.74\00:26:20.41
And there was an
unnamed hurricane heading north.
00:26:20.44\00:26:24.61
Wow.
00:26:24.65\00:26:25.98
And they collided
just north of where I was
00:26:26.01\00:26:28.88
and but during
the day of the calm.
00:26:28.92\00:26:32.55
I listened NOAA weather
00:26:32.59\00:26:34.09
and they're again
perfect sailing conditions.
00:26:34.12\00:26:36.56
Yeah.
00:26:36.59\00:26:37.93
Yeah, no forecast
of storm or anything
00:26:37.96\00:26:40.93
but I knew
something was up from the sea.
00:26:40.96\00:26:42.86
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:42.90\00:26:44.23
It doesn't get calm like that,
you know, for no reason at all.
00:26:44.27\00:26:47.60
But, of course you
had no idea of knowing
00:26:47.64\00:26:49.27
how ferocious,
how strong, how big?
00:26:49.30\00:26:52.14
You just know
something is coming.
00:26:52.17\00:26:53.78
Yeah, I knew
something was out there
00:26:53.81\00:26:55.88
but it was kind
of in God's doing.
00:26:55.91\00:26:59.88
Because the dolphins,
normally they will sail along
00:27:02.48\00:27:06.12
or swim along in your boat wave.
00:27:06.15\00:27:08.59
They like people
and they love people
00:27:08.62\00:27:11.19
and they just kind
of-- they swim along.
00:27:11.23\00:27:13.03
To them it's a sport
00:27:13.06\00:27:14.76
but because there was
no boat wave, nothing,
00:27:14.80\00:27:17.40
would just
sitting there and be calm.
00:27:17.43\00:27:19.77
And what they were
doing is they were coming up,
00:27:19.80\00:27:22.50
straight up side it,
just missing the boat up,
00:27:22.54\00:27:26.01
I don't know
6-10 foot in the air
00:27:26.04\00:27:27.91
and just doing a belly
flap right next to the boat.
00:27:27.94\00:27:30.08
Wow.
00:27:30.11\00:27:31.45
And splashing me
with water and everything.
00:27:31.48\00:27:33.78
But they are actually smarter
than we are in some ways.
00:27:33.82\00:27:37.79
They knew that
storm was out there
00:27:39.85\00:27:41.92
and they were trying to warn me.
00:27:41.96\00:27:43.29
Now is that a
characteristic behavior
00:27:43.32\00:27:44.86
of dolphins in that situation
00:27:44.89\00:27:46.33
where they know
something is coming?
00:27:46.36\00:27:47.70
Just breaching the water
00:27:47.73\00:27:49.06
and then kind of
belly flapping back down.
00:27:49.10\00:27:50.67
Yeah, it's like the way they--
their form of warning people.
00:27:50.70\00:27:54.67
Yeah, they have
been doing that for,
00:27:55.77\00:27:57.54
you know, since
recorded history.
00:27:57.57\00:27:59.37
Incredible.
00:27:59.41\00:28:00.74
So you're--
basically it has been calm,
00:28:00.78\00:28:02.11
there is no wind so
you are just sitting there.
00:28:02.14\00:28:03.48
Right, just sitting.
00:28:03.51\00:28:04.85
Did you have a back up engine
00:28:04.88\00:28:06.68
on the boat
just for emergencies?
00:28:06.72\00:28:08.05
Yeah. I did have.
00:28:08.08\00:28:09.42
So, you had some
power, that you needed it.
00:28:09.45\00:28:11.19
Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:11.22\00:28:12.59
I had small diesel and...
00:28:12.62\00:28:15.56
But it was so nice
out there at the time
00:28:15.59\00:28:18.43
that I didn't
really have anywhere to go.
00:28:18.46\00:28:21.06
So I had plenty of
food, plenty of water,
00:28:21.10\00:28:23.16
everything and so on.
00:28:23.20\00:28:24.53
Yeah, you had your
provisions so you were stocked.
00:28:24.57\00:28:26.03
Yeah, I was ready.
00:28:26.07\00:28:27.40
At this point, you
weren't distressed particularly.
00:28:27.44\00:28:28.77
No.
00:28:28.80\00:28:30.14
But the
dolphins were telling you
00:28:30.17\00:28:31.51
something is coming.
00:28:31.54\00:28:32.87
Yeah, I kind of knew it
00:28:32.91\00:28:34.24
but, when you are
that far from shore,
00:28:34.28\00:28:37.01
there is nothing
you can do except,
00:28:37.05\00:28:38.65
you know, going
down and wait for it.
00:28:38.68\00:28:40.92
Now let me ask you this
00:28:40.95\00:28:42.28
because you
still had your radio.
00:28:42.32\00:28:43.72
Were you getting any reports
00:28:43.75\00:28:45.12
of storm
coming, anything at all?
00:28:45.15\00:28:46.49
Nothing? Not yet.
00:28:46.52\00:28:47.86
Nothing. Nothing.
00:28:47.89\00:28:49.22
Nothing. Wow.
00:28:49.26\00:28:50.59
But then about mid afternoon,
the wind started picking up
00:28:50.63\00:28:52.09
and the sea started
picking up real hard
00:28:52.13\00:28:54.93
and it wasn't just like
a general breeze coming up.
00:28:54.96\00:28:57.20
It was like all the sudden
you know, you got a storm.
00:28:57.23\00:29:00.10
I mean you're
going from flat calm
00:29:00.14\00:29:01.90
to almost storm
condition till like in an hour.
00:29:01.94\00:29:04.97
Oh wow.
00:29:05.01\00:29:06.34
I mean that was just real fast.
00:29:06.37\00:29:07.71
Did the skies
blackened and you lost sun?
00:29:07.74\00:29:09.18
Yeah, and it
just got really bad.
00:29:09.21\00:29:12.81
At first I thought,
00:29:12.85\00:29:14.18
well, I'm getting
close to the Gulf Stream
00:29:14.22\00:29:15.85
which is noted for
being rough anyway,
00:29:15.88\00:29:18.95
and but when the
wind kept getting
00:29:18.99\00:29:22.16
bigger and bigger way
too bigger and bigger.
00:29:22.19\00:29:25.59
And I just noticed,
00:29:25.63\00:29:27.46
there is a little
more to Gulf Stream.
00:29:27.50\00:29:29.03
And especially
from the calm before,
00:29:29.06\00:29:32.00
so I was trying to restore stuff
00:29:32.03\00:29:36.00
and I took in
boats, took in sails
00:29:38.04\00:29:41.08
and tied down
everything I could.
00:29:41.11\00:29:43.08
Tried to secure everything
00:29:43.11\00:29:45.05
and it just kept
blowing and blowing
00:29:45.08\00:29:47.58
so I spent most of
the night restoring stuff.
00:29:47.62\00:29:51.15
Because now with the two systems
00:29:51.19\00:29:53.25
the waves are like square top.
00:29:53.29\00:29:55.79
You got two systems so
the waves can't just roll.
00:29:55.82\00:29:58.69
You got like--
you got the brakes on.
00:29:58.73\00:30:01.53
Yeah, they're
kind of slamming it.
00:30:01.56\00:30:02.90
They're
slamming into each other.
00:30:02.93\00:30:04.27
Into each other.
00:30:04.30\00:30:05.63
Yeah, they make
like square top waves
00:30:05.67\00:30:07.00
and when you're
down in a trough,
00:30:07.04\00:30:08.70
when you come up on a wave,
00:30:08.74\00:30:10.07
the boat rolls almost on a side.
00:30:10.11\00:30:12.07
I mean it's still in the water
00:30:12.11\00:30:14.54
but on the wave it's almost
like the Empire State building.
00:30:14.58\00:30:17.71
Wow.
00:30:17.75\00:30:19.08
Yeah, you're just
like riding up the side
00:30:19.11\00:30:20.45
of the Empire State building.
00:30:20.48\00:30:21.82
That must be
incredibly frightening.
00:30:21.85\00:30:23.18
And I guess the only
thing that's keeping you
00:30:23.22\00:30:24.55
from flipping over is the keel.
00:30:24.59\00:30:25.92
In the fact you got
something in the water.
00:30:25.95\00:30:27.86
From the top to the
crest to the valley,
00:30:27.89\00:30:30.79
how far are we
talking up to down?
00:30:30.83\00:30:32.86
Some of them were 50 footers.
00:30:32.89\00:30:34.60
Wow. Yeah, 50 foot.
00:30:34.63\00:30:36.60
And the wind, the
wind-- by mid-morning,
00:30:36.63\00:30:40.34
the wind was blowing so hard,
00:30:40.37\00:30:41.70
they couldn't get any bigger,
00:30:41.74\00:30:43.44
it was blowing the
top side off the waves.
00:30:43.47\00:30:45.74
It looked like a sea of
grey cotton candy out there
00:30:45.77\00:30:49.14
just that spume.
00:30:49.18\00:30:50.91
Yeah, just tumbling everywhere
on the tops of the waves.
00:30:50.95\00:30:54.72
And of course
when you are in trough,
00:30:54.75\00:30:56.15
you couldn't see anything.
00:30:56.18\00:30:57.65
You are protected from the wind.
00:30:57.69\00:30:59.32
Yeah, then you got to go back up
00:30:59.35\00:31:01.59
and you got to come back down.
00:31:01.62\00:31:03.12
I got to ask you, Gordon,
00:31:03.16\00:31:04.49
because, okay, you said
you are not a Christian guy.
00:31:04.53\00:31:06.66
You got this
little issue with God.
00:31:06.70\00:31:09.03
You're out there 50 foot waves.
00:31:09.06\00:31:11.30
The boat is sideways sometimes
00:31:11.33\00:31:13.17
and then coming back
down and then sideways again.
00:31:13.20\00:31:15.47
What's going through
your head at this point?
00:31:15.50\00:31:18.07
Are you just in survival mode?
00:31:18.11\00:31:19.61
Are you thinking let me pray?
00:31:19.64\00:31:21.14
Or if there is a God out
there, let me talk to him,
00:31:21.18\00:31:22.81
what, you know, how
you cross that things.
00:31:22.84\00:31:24.95
Not yet, because at this time
we weren't taken on any water.
00:31:24.98\00:31:28.95
Okay.
00:31:29.75\00:31:31.09
Everything, I mean the
boat was going to trash out,
00:31:31.12\00:31:33.82
you know, from
stuff flying around,
00:31:33.86\00:31:35.32
but now I didn't
feel I was in any danger
00:31:35.36\00:31:38.49
which I wasn't at that time.
00:31:38.53\00:31:40.13
Yeah.
00:31:40.16\00:31:41.50
At that time.
00:31:41.53\00:31:42.96
So you know any way,
because of the storm,
00:31:43.00\00:31:46.94
by the time the
coast guard realized that
00:31:46.97\00:31:48.87
there is a hurricane
out there and the Nor'easter
00:31:48.90\00:31:52.87
and the storm conditions,
00:31:54.44\00:31:56.28
you know 'cause they got
buoys and I'd think offshore it,
00:31:56.31\00:31:58.85
you know, I'll record all that.
00:31:58.88\00:32:00.22
Right.
00:32:00.25\00:32:01.58
So they were doing
routine patrols already.
00:32:01.62\00:32:04.79
You know, and so they
come by just about after dark
00:32:04.82\00:32:08.79
and because of the conditions
00:32:09.46\00:32:10.99
they wanted to
take me off at the boat
00:32:11.03\00:32:13.26
and at that time still I
wasn't you know in any danger.
00:32:13.29\00:32:17.27
So I said no,
no get out of here.
00:32:18.13\00:32:20.30
Go on, no I am not
leaving perfectly good boat
00:32:20.34\00:32:24.04
to jump in the water
00:32:24.07\00:32:25.41
and have you pick
me up in a basket.
00:32:25.44\00:32:27.94
I don't think so. So anyways.
00:32:27.98\00:32:30.95
So you were
thinking I can ride this out
00:32:30.98\00:32:32.61
from what you are dealing.
00:32:32.65\00:32:34.15
Have you been in a storm
even close to that before?
00:32:34.18\00:32:36.55
No, not like that. Okay.
00:32:36.58\00:32:38.12
That was like a
hundred year storm.
00:32:38.15\00:32:40.62
Oh, okay. Yeah.
00:32:40.66\00:32:43.32
Once it's pretty
much, once a century
00:32:43.36\00:32:45.39
they can have a storm like that.
00:32:45.43\00:32:48.06
But, so they...
00:32:48.10\00:32:49.76
finally they left when I said
00:32:49.80\00:32:51.13
I wasn't you know,
getting on their chopper.
00:32:51.17\00:32:53.64
You know, so they left
and I was already tired
00:32:53.67\00:32:57.64
'cause I had been up pretty much
00:32:57.84\00:32:59.21
the night
before re-stall and so.
00:32:59.24\00:33:02.78
I went up in the forepeak
00:33:02.81\00:33:04.15
and wade some
sails bags and stuff in
00:33:04.18\00:33:05.91
and I was probably
like I will talk a nap.
00:33:05.95\00:33:08.42
So I just about dozed off
00:33:08.45\00:33:11.09
and I don't know
how long I was asleep,
00:33:11.12\00:33:13.09
not very long.
00:33:13.12\00:33:14.62
But, I woke up
and the whole ocean
00:33:14.66\00:33:17.13
was like trembling and vibrating
00:33:17.16\00:33:20.16
and I heard this
awful roar coming
00:33:20.20\00:33:23.37
and all I
remember when I woke up
00:33:23.40\00:33:26.63
I heard that and felt the ocean.
00:33:26.67\00:33:29.00
I was like this
is it. This is it.
00:33:29.04\00:33:30.81
I knew there is a roar coming
00:33:30.84\00:33:33.51
and so there was
nothing I can do and about more
00:33:33.54\00:33:37.51
and a few seconds
later it hit the boat
00:33:38.38\00:33:40.72
and it was like
being inside a football
00:33:40.75\00:33:42.35
when somebody kicked it.
00:33:42.38\00:33:43.72
Yeah.
00:33:43.75\00:33:45.09
I just went over
and stayed upside down
00:33:45.12\00:33:48.39
for I don't know.
00:33:48.72\00:33:50.06
It seemed like a lifetime.
00:33:50.09\00:33:51.43
Now, is your
boat lying on its side
00:33:51.46\00:33:52.79
or was it flipped
up mast in the water?
00:33:52.83\00:33:55.23
Yeah. Totally upside down.
00:33:55.26\00:33:56.60
Totally upside down.
00:33:56.63\00:33:57.97
Yeah. Wow.
00:33:58.00\00:33:59.33
And then short while
later it ride it itself
00:33:59.37\00:34:02.34
because what happens
when a roll goes through,
00:34:03.47\00:34:05.84
it's like a bulldozer, it
ploughs all the waves off,
00:34:05.87\00:34:08.41
everything in the way
so it took a little time
00:34:08.44\00:34:10.95
for another wave to hit the boat
00:34:10.98\00:34:13.08
and when it did
it tripped enough
00:34:13.11\00:34:14.48
and then it straightened up.
00:34:14.52\00:34:16.15
And straightened back up.
00:34:16.18\00:34:17.52
But I was...
00:34:17.55\00:34:19.62
Now, where are you physically?
00:34:19.65\00:34:21.16
I am still up in the forepeak,
00:34:21.19\00:34:23.79
which is up in
the front of the boat.
00:34:23.83\00:34:25.16
Right.
00:34:25.19\00:34:26.53
And little cabin up
there, little berths in there.
00:34:26.56\00:34:28.96
But when it was upside down,
00:34:29.00\00:34:31.43
I come out of the
berth and ended up.
00:34:31.47\00:34:33.30
When the boat ride it itself,
00:34:33.34\00:34:34.67
I ended up in the
squatting position down
00:34:34.70\00:34:36.84
between the in the V berth
between them and I was trapped.
00:34:36.87\00:34:40.84
Now, is there an
air pocket in there
00:34:41.21\00:34:42.91
so that you are getting air
or you are holding your breath
00:34:42.94\00:34:45.35
and just waiting, you know?
00:34:45.38\00:34:46.72
There's still air. Okay.
00:34:46.75\00:34:49.72
'Cause it filled about
half way up with water.
00:34:49.75\00:34:52.25
All right.
00:34:52.29\00:34:53.62
So by the time it
rolled over right side up again
00:34:53.66\00:34:55.56
it was about half
filled with water.
00:34:55.59\00:34:57.26
But I was still
trapped and it was pitch black
00:34:57.29\00:35:01.26
but I can feel water
creeping up on my chest.
00:35:02.76\00:35:05.93
It got up to my mouth
00:35:05.97\00:35:08.50
and it got up
just about to my nose
00:35:08.54\00:35:10.14
and I am trying to get loose
00:35:10.17\00:35:11.91
and finally, it
is just, I am up.
00:35:11.94\00:35:14.24
You know, I had my
neck stretched and I just--
00:35:14.28\00:35:16.88
I got loose and got
out of the forepeak.
00:35:16.91\00:35:20.15
And of course of the rest
of the boat was in shamble too.
00:35:20.18\00:35:22.78
So no light or anything
but I grabbed a rubber made
00:35:22.82\00:35:26.79
waste basket and
I started bail in.
00:35:27.22\00:35:29.46
Nothing else was working.
00:35:29.49\00:35:32.09
when it flipped over I guess
most of your provisions made
00:35:32.13\00:35:35.10
their way to the
bottom of the ocean.
00:35:35.13\00:35:36.90
No, the stuff on the deck did.
00:35:36.93\00:35:39.93
Yeah, your life
raft, --, spare jerry jugs,
00:35:39.97\00:35:43.91
fuel and water and everything,
00:35:44.31\00:35:46.27
yeah that was on deck.
00:35:46.31\00:35:47.64
But you still have some,
00:35:47.68\00:35:49.01
have something of
a pillow that was...
00:35:49.04\00:35:50.38
Yeah, I still had all
the food and everything.
00:35:50.41\00:35:52.38
Yeah, food and water
below and so they didn't get out
00:35:52.41\00:35:56.38
but they were just
thrown all over the boat.
00:35:57.85\00:36:00.26
I'm sure. It
was a disaster area.
00:36:00.29\00:36:04.09
So I bailed, yeah that happened
00:36:04.13\00:36:06.43
probably I am
guessing maybe 8-8:30 at night.
00:36:06.46\00:36:10.43
So I bailed all
night and in the morning
00:36:10.87\00:36:14.47
when I got light,
we were not on deck
00:36:14.50\00:36:17.77
and there was basically
nothing left out there.
00:36:17.81\00:36:20.81
So I went back down
and bailed some more
00:36:20.84\00:36:24.45
and I knew by afternoon
I was just totally fatigued
00:36:24.48\00:36:28.45
and I knew I could not
make it through another night.
00:36:31.05\00:36:35.12
I was already...
00:36:35.16\00:36:36.49
I was having trouble
staying awake bailing.
00:36:36.52\00:36:38.03
Right.
00:36:38.06\00:36:39.39
Yeah, you were
physically doing things
00:36:39.43\00:36:40.76
as you can't keep awake,
00:36:40.80\00:36:42.13
because from the
time the storm hit,
00:36:42.16\00:36:43.50
you have been up
all evening, all night,
00:36:43.53\00:36:46.03
you're into the next
morning heading towards noon
00:36:46.07\00:36:48.44
and you haven't gotten any sleep
00:36:48.47\00:36:49.80
and you have been
exerting yourself.
00:36:49.84\00:36:51.47
I would rather imagine
having a lot of time to eat--
00:36:51.51\00:36:53.88
No, no I didn't.
00:36:53.91\00:36:55.91
As I was bailing a
can of soda come up.
00:36:55.94\00:36:59.91
Yeah, that was it you know.
00:37:01.78\00:37:04.19
That was about it.
So I bailed and bailed.
00:37:04.22\00:37:08.19
And like I said there
was nothing I could do.
00:37:10.26\00:37:13.09
It was-- when it rolled over
00:37:13.13\00:37:15.33
it loosened the
guard or the keel,
00:37:15.36\00:37:17.67
it did something
below the waterline
00:37:17.70\00:37:19.27
so it was leaking.
00:37:19.30\00:37:22.37
So I had to keep
bailing or it would have sunk.
00:37:22.40\00:37:24.54
It would have sunk, yeah.
00:37:24.57\00:37:25.91
But I bailed through up through
00:37:25.94\00:37:28.34
I don't know maybe two or three
something in the afternoon.
00:37:28.38\00:37:31.68
And at that point
I knew I couldn't do,
00:37:31.71\00:37:35.62
I couldn't get through tonight.
00:37:35.65\00:37:37.35
If I didn't bail it would
sink and if I didn't bail...
00:37:37.39\00:37:41.06
Yeah. Yeah.
00:37:41.09\00:37:42.42
If I did bail, you know.
00:37:42.46\00:37:44.29
You were flat
running out of gas,
00:37:44.33\00:37:46.33
I mean you're just...
00:37:46.36\00:37:49.36
At this point, are
you starting to think
00:37:49.40\00:37:51.67
about your own mortality.
00:37:51.70\00:37:54.17
Has it entered your mind that
00:37:54.20\00:37:55.54
you may not
make it through this?
00:37:55.57\00:37:56.91
Yeah.
00:37:56.94\00:37:58.27
Yeah, that's when
things got real for me.
00:37:58.31\00:38:00.04
Yeah.
00:38:00.08\00:38:01.41
I bailed, I bailed and bailed
and got it down fairly low
00:38:01.44\00:38:05.21
and so I just
got down on my knees
00:38:05.45\00:38:08.28
and like I said,
I didn't know Lord.
00:38:08.32\00:38:10.12
I didn't know him or about him
00:38:10.15\00:38:12.32
or anything about salvation.
00:38:12.35\00:38:15.12
I just knew that
there was physically
00:38:15.16\00:38:17.16
there was nothing I could do.
00:38:17.19\00:38:18.53
Yeah. In my flesh I was dead.
00:38:18.56\00:38:21.33
Yeah, right.
00:38:21.36\00:38:22.70
So I got down, I said Lord,
if you get my out of this one.
00:38:22.73\00:38:25.43
I will serve you.
00:38:25.47\00:38:27.37
And so I got back up and
started bailing some water.
00:38:27.40\00:38:31.37
Now, let me ask this, Gordon.
00:38:31.84\00:38:33.17
From the time the storm
hit to this first prayer
00:38:33.21\00:38:35.24
what are we
talking, 18-20 hours.
00:38:35.28\00:38:37.68
Yeah, 20 or more maybe.
00:38:37.71\00:38:40.05
Of constant
physical activity and stress.
00:38:40.08\00:38:44.05
And being sort of knocked
around like a ping pong ball.
00:38:44.09\00:38:47.16
The storm lasted how many days?
00:38:47.19\00:38:49.46
While I was in it,
like two, two and a half.
00:38:49.49\00:38:53.46
Okay. I was about to wear out.
00:38:54.70\00:38:56.93
Yes, so you're
praying and bailing
00:38:56.97\00:38:58.30
and running out of steam.
00:38:58.33\00:39:01.70
What happens then?
00:39:01.74\00:39:03.34
Well I kept on
bailing and the only thing
00:39:03.37\00:39:07.18
I had left on the boat,
an electric that worked,
00:39:07.21\00:39:10.08
I had a VHF marine radio,
00:39:10.11\00:39:12.68
that I had a seal and
a couple of plug backs.
00:39:12.71\00:39:15.85
Yeah because you
lost gear and everything
00:39:15.88\00:39:17.22
when it flipped up, yeah.
00:39:17.25\00:39:18.59
Yeah, when it
rolled over, it was,
00:39:18.62\00:39:19.95
you know, half filled with water
00:39:19.99\00:39:21.32
and then when I ride it
'cause they are all electronics
00:39:21.36\00:39:24.39
everything just
went up in smoke.
00:39:24.43\00:39:25.99
It's gone right there.
00:39:26.03\00:39:27.36
Yeah, so I had this
one little handheld VHF
00:39:27.40\00:39:31.07
and that's
actually what saved my life.
00:39:31.63\00:39:35.20
But they-- when you transmit
00:39:35.24\00:39:37.11
they use an awful lot of juice.
00:39:37.14\00:39:38.57
Yeah.
00:39:38.61\00:39:39.94
So you don't
just send out a Mayday
00:39:39.97\00:39:41.71
and hope that
somebody's out there.
00:39:41.74\00:39:43.41
Right.
00:39:43.45\00:39:44.78
So, what I did is, I
bailed for a little bit
00:39:44.81\00:39:48.22
and I would get up,
were on a top of a wave,
00:39:48.55\00:39:50.75
I'd get up and look
out the stern, you know.
00:39:50.79\00:39:54.39
And I did that and
then the starboard,
00:39:54.42\00:39:57.16
the port and the bow
and after about an hour
00:39:57.19\00:40:00.83
after dark I finally
thought I saw a light.
00:40:00.86\00:40:04.07
It was just still storming,
00:40:04.10\00:40:05.43
the waves were
still like 35-40 foot
00:40:05.47\00:40:07.84
and it's raining and
it's quelling off and on.
00:40:07.87\00:40:10.17
The wind is blowing still
but I thought I spotted light.
00:40:10.21\00:40:14.18
So I looked again,
yeah, that's a light.
00:40:14.91\00:40:18.71
So I went down below
and got the radio out
00:40:18.75\00:40:21.32
and send a Mayday and
there was a ship out there,
00:40:21.35\00:40:25.32
they ended up being
about five or six miles away.
00:40:27.06\00:40:30.93
But the guy in the bridge
didn't speak English to well.
00:40:30.96\00:40:34.93
So as soon as he
received the Mayday,
00:40:37.17\00:40:40.14
he went and got the captain,
00:40:40.17\00:40:41.50
who spoke good English
and he was Yugoslavian.
00:40:41.54\00:40:45.44
Anyways I talked to
him for a little bit
00:40:46.04\00:40:48.74
and he wanted to
know how many people on
00:40:48.78\00:40:51.38
because he was
thinking I'm in a ship
00:40:51.41\00:40:53.38
and would I crush
his ship or injure him.
00:40:53.42\00:40:57.02
So we finally got it,
now I'm on 11 meters long,
00:40:57.05\00:41:01.02
one guy and so...
00:41:01.06\00:41:04.29
What kind of a ship that
you were encountered with.
00:41:04.33\00:41:05.89
It was about juice carrier.
00:41:05.93\00:41:07.76
They carried orange juice,
00:41:07.80\00:41:09.60
they carried from
Brazil up to New York
00:41:09.63\00:41:12.83
and then they went
back on the ballast
00:41:12.87\00:41:14.50
which they were
heading back this time,
00:41:14.54\00:41:16.20
just on ballast with no cargo.
00:41:16.24\00:41:17.77
No cargo, yeah.
00:41:17.81\00:41:19.14
Then they take on
cargo in Brazil again
00:41:19.17\00:41:21.18
and then they go
over to Amsterdam
00:41:21.21\00:41:24.05
and then the
same from Amsterdam,
00:41:24.08\00:41:25.51
they go back to
Brazil on their ballast.
00:41:25.55\00:41:29.52
But the storm was so severe that
00:41:29.65\00:41:32.25
they had altered course 60 miles
00:41:32.29\00:41:35.22
which put them right next to me.
00:41:35.26\00:41:38.03
Yeah. Praise the Lord.
00:41:38.06\00:41:39.69
Yeah, yeah. Amen.
00:41:39.73\00:41:42.73
So 'cause I didn't have
any lights or anything onboard,
00:41:42.76\00:41:46.74
I took the mast, I took the mast
00:41:47.00\00:41:48.77
and everything off the
boat so he wanted to know,
00:41:48.80\00:41:52.77
you get a fix on this,
00:41:52.97\00:41:54.31
so I fired off a
flare and so they took a fix
00:41:54.34\00:41:58.08
and changed course
and had informed me.
00:41:58.88\00:42:00.22
And praise the Lord,
you still had some flares
00:42:00.25\00:42:01.98
so that you could signal them.
00:42:02.02\00:42:03.35
Yeah, so I am dead in the water.
00:42:03.39\00:42:06.86
No rudder, no nothing.
00:42:06.89\00:42:08.72
You know,
everything was flooded.
00:42:08.76\00:42:10.09
No mast, no sails
00:42:10.13\00:42:11.46
and so I
couldn't maneuver at all.
00:42:11.49\00:42:14.36
But pretty soon I see this big,
00:42:14.40\00:42:17.10
you know, look like
00:42:17.13\00:42:18.60
the Empire State
building from the outlook.
00:42:18.63\00:42:21.80
So he has got to come to you.
00:42:21.84\00:42:23.20
Yeah, You can't do anything...
00:42:23.24\00:42:25.41
Right.
00:42:25.44\00:42:27.04
So anyway he got pretty
close and I am looking up,
00:42:27.08\00:42:31.01
I see this big old
bow through the waves
00:42:31.61\00:42:34.72
and a froth from
the wind and everything
00:42:34.75\00:42:37.39
and so I lit a one of
those chemical light sticks.
00:42:37.42\00:42:41.36
So I held that up
00:42:42.26\00:42:43.59
and so then they
flashed the light
00:42:43.63\00:42:46.03
so I knew they saw me,
00:42:46.06\00:42:47.96
so he tried to
come along side of me
00:42:48.00\00:42:51.60
but he had too much weight on.
00:42:51.63\00:42:54.17
So when he got to the side of me
00:42:54.20\00:42:55.60
and he was
heading into the wind,
00:42:55.64\00:42:57.41
so it blew me right
down to the side of the ship.
00:42:57.44\00:43:00.88
And they fired a line
gun and to me on my boat
00:43:00.91\00:43:04.88
but I couldn't with
the wind and the seas
00:43:06.65\00:43:10.12
I couldn't get the lines,
00:43:10.15\00:43:12.35
You know, so I
ended up getting by him.
00:43:12.39\00:43:16.02
And so he sent
people back on the fan tail
00:43:16.06\00:43:19.49
with big search lights
00:43:19.53\00:43:21.53
and he said to,
just don't lose him.
00:43:21.56\00:43:25.17
Whatever you do
don't lose sight of him.
00:43:25.20\00:43:27.60
So he tried to back the ship up.
00:43:27.64\00:43:31.17
I mean, first he
tried to turn around.
00:43:31.21\00:43:33.61
To turn around, yeah.
00:43:33.64\00:43:34.98
And took it back getting me,
00:43:35.01\00:43:36.51
but he almost
rolled the ship over.
00:43:36.54\00:43:38.51
I'm thinking a storm that big,
trying to turn a ship around
00:43:38.55\00:43:40.92
is not like just
turning a bus on a city street.
00:43:40.95\00:43:43.08
Right.
00:43:43.12\00:43:44.65
Yeah, he just couldn't do it.
00:43:44.69\00:43:46.02
Right.
00:43:46.05\00:43:47.39
Yeah, he maxed out
there, they metered it,
00:43:47.42\00:43:49.52
you know, for their roll,
their inclinometer or whatever.
00:43:49.56\00:43:53.50
It maxed out right out.
00:43:53.76\00:43:55.60
And he didn't rescue the ship--
00:43:55.63\00:43:57.67
You know, the whole
ship and his crew for one guy
00:43:57.70\00:44:01.24
so he got it
straight and back up.
00:44:01.27\00:44:03.94
He backed up to me.
00:44:03.97\00:44:05.31
Yeah. Which I think is amazing.
00:44:05.34\00:44:06.68
He backed and sit
up. He backed off...
00:44:06.71\00:44:08.54
It's kind of like tailor pocket.
00:44:08.58\00:44:11.11
Yeah. In that ship they had a--
00:44:11.15\00:44:14.05
I think it was a Honda diesel
00:44:14.08\00:44:16.02
but it's what they
got direct reversible,
00:44:16.05\00:44:18.75
you don't have a gear
shift to put in reverse.
00:44:18.79\00:44:21.79
What you do is you shut
the engine off to reverse it.
00:44:21.82\00:44:25.06
They switch to
camshafts and give shot at air
00:44:25.09\00:44:27.53
and it starts the
engine in the other direction.
00:44:27.56\00:44:29.40
Oh.
00:44:29.43\00:44:30.77
You know, it's direct.
00:44:30.80\00:44:32.13
The prop shaft is connected
right to the engine often.
00:44:32.17\00:44:33.74
Yeah, so it's a
major deal to do that.
00:44:33.77\00:44:36.04
Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:36.07\00:44:37.41
So he is backing up to
me and there I am, like
00:44:37.44\00:44:39.54
I said I can't move
and I can't do anything.
00:44:39.57\00:44:42.24
And I see that
big stern of the ship.
00:44:42.28\00:44:45.38
In one minute it's up,
I could see the prop...
00:44:45.41\00:44:49.32
Going around and next thing
00:44:49.35\00:44:51.49
I am almost looking at the deck.
00:44:51.52\00:44:53.39
So with the
waves, you're up so high
00:44:53.42\00:44:55.39
looking at his
deck, the next moment
00:44:55.42\00:44:56.96
you're down looking at the prop.
00:44:56.99\00:44:58.86
Yeah, yeah.
00:44:58.89\00:45:00.36
So I got up and I
thought I was going
00:45:00.40\00:45:02.76
to get eaten for sure you
know, but just as I got there,
00:45:02.80\00:45:06.77
I mean there had to be an angel.
00:45:08.37\00:45:10.34
Pushed my boat out to the side
00:45:10.37\00:45:12.74
and as the back of
the stern came down
00:45:12.77\00:45:16.08
and his you know
I went up in my boat
00:45:16.11\00:45:18.58
and actually caught
under the fantail on the ship.
00:45:18.61\00:45:21.62
Oh wow.
00:45:21.65\00:45:23.05
Because he is riding up and down
00:45:23.08\00:45:24.82
and you are riding
up and down the waves,
00:45:24.85\00:45:26.59
so you got,
that's dangerous stuff.
00:45:26.62\00:45:28.42
Yeah, so I got--
finally I got done,
00:45:28.46\00:45:31.19
got around and got on the side
00:45:31.23\00:45:34.20
and so that the
crew had a rope ladder
00:45:34.23\00:45:37.30
and they hung that over the side
00:45:37.33\00:45:38.73
and so I tried
to grab the ladder
00:45:38.77\00:45:40.80
when I was up on the wave.
00:45:40.84\00:45:42.77
And I had lost my
grip so I ended up falling,
00:45:42.80\00:45:47.54
I don't know how far it was.
00:45:47.58\00:45:48.91
But I fell down
between the side of the ship
00:45:48.94\00:45:51.18
and in the water.
00:45:51.21\00:45:52.81
I was well below the
water, you know surface.
00:45:52.85\00:45:56.79
And I heard my boat crunching
00:45:57.79\00:45:59.49
to the side of the ship
00:45:59.52\00:46:01.76
and so then as
the wave went away,
00:46:01.79\00:46:05.56
the boat kind of--
my boat kind of slid off
00:46:05.59\00:46:07.96
you know, the
back side of the wave.
00:46:08.00\00:46:10.60
And then here comes
Gordon, huffing and puffing.
00:46:10.63\00:46:14.60
And, so the crew had
me... when they saw the boat
00:46:15.50\00:46:18.64
you know hit the ship
they thought I was history.
00:46:18.67\00:46:20.18
I am sure.
00:46:20.21\00:46:21.54
They didn't
realize how deep I went.
00:46:21.58\00:46:23.48
But I was down
below 'cause I can hear it
00:46:23.51\00:46:26.31
and so I come
back up to the surface
00:46:26.35\00:46:28.45
and so they went down and
got the ladder right away.
00:46:28.48\00:46:31.69
This time I got an
arm and a leg in it,
00:46:31.72\00:46:34.16
and I am just hanging on.
00:46:34.19\00:46:36.73
And they said "hang
on, so we'll pull you up".
00:46:36.76\00:46:38.49
Yeah, you must
have been so spent
00:46:38.53\00:46:40.23
'cause we were talking
of the better part of two...
00:46:40.26\00:46:42.30
A full day and
maybe a little more,
00:46:42.33\00:46:45.77
fighting this thing
and now you're trying
00:46:45.80\00:46:47.14
to save your life to
get up on this boat...
00:46:47.17\00:46:49.27
On this ship which was
amazing deal in itself.
00:46:49.30\00:46:51.84
So the crew pulled the
ladder up and they were...
00:46:51.87\00:46:55.64
It was kind of
ironic they were all,
00:46:55.68\00:46:58.55
mostly the crew was Filipinos,
00:46:58.58\00:47:00.32
you know, real small
stature and they were--
00:47:00.35\00:47:03.32
I mean some of them
were down below sleeping
00:47:03.35\00:47:05.49
and anyway they
were a real model.
00:47:05.52\00:47:08.29
Anyway they got
me up to the rail.
00:47:08.32\00:47:11.09
And then they
were trying to figure
00:47:11.13\00:47:13.60
how to get me over the rail.
00:47:13.63\00:47:14.96
Yeah.
00:47:15.00\00:47:16.33
and so by then
the captain was there.
00:47:16.36\00:47:18.47
He was there in
front of the bridge,
00:47:18.50\00:47:21.07
and he was big, he was,
00:47:21.10\00:47:22.80
I don't know probably
6'6''- 6'7'', 300 pounds...
00:47:22.84\00:47:25.61
Oh, big man, yeah.
00:47:25.64\00:47:27.01
So, I still had...
00:47:27.04\00:47:29.38
My arm was still sore
from when I broke it up
00:47:29.41\00:47:32.08
in the boat yard.
00:47:32.11\00:47:33.45
You know, so of
course he didn't know,
00:47:33.48\00:47:35.18
but he grabbed my
arm itself and I...
00:47:35.22\00:47:38.12
screamed at him, he
finally gripped my arm.
00:47:38.15\00:47:41.22
So next thing I
know he grabbed me
00:47:41.26\00:47:43.59
by the Cedar pants
and the scruff of the neck
00:47:43.63\00:47:45.89
and I was on the deck.
00:47:45.93\00:47:47.86
I was there. Well, Amen.
00:47:47.90\00:47:49.73
Now I got to move you alone
'cause we still got another
00:47:49.76\00:47:51.67
whole part of this
story to deal with.
00:47:51.70\00:47:53.60
One, you did as many do in
this kind of circumstances,
00:47:53.64\00:47:57.61
you make a lot
of promises to God.
00:47:57.94\00:47:59.27
Lord, get me through
this, I will be an angel.
00:47:59.31\00:48:01.41
I will be Gabriel.
Just get me through.
00:48:01.44\00:48:03.78
Did you follow through,
00:48:03.81\00:48:05.15
because you lost your
boat but you saved your life?
00:48:05.18\00:48:08.35
Yeah. Or the
Lord saved your life.
00:48:08.38\00:48:09.88
Yeah.
00:48:09.92\00:48:11.32
So over the next little
bit, what is your life like
00:48:11.35\00:48:14.16
and how are you
doing with that promise?
00:48:14.19\00:48:16.32
I ended up in Brazil,
so I flew back to Brazil,
00:48:16.36\00:48:20.00
back to Connecticut and
built a little camp around
00:48:20.03\00:48:22.60
the back of a pickup
truck and went to Florida.
00:48:22.63\00:48:25.60
And I was trying
to do it my way still.
00:48:25.63\00:48:27.67
Like I said I still didn't know
00:48:27.70\00:48:29.17
except that one time
I talked to the Lord.
00:48:29.20\00:48:31.37
I didn't know him.
00:48:31.41\00:48:33.88
So, you know I got
a job in a boat yard,
00:48:33.91\00:48:35.91
I was working in a boat yard
00:48:35.94\00:48:37.28
and boat builders
down there and doing fine.
00:48:37.31\00:48:40.88
But as the storm was in '91,
00:48:40.92\00:48:45.95
and so I got down in
Florida in early '92,
00:48:45.99\00:48:51.46
and the Lord
didn't get me my heart
00:48:51.49\00:48:55.76
until the spring of '98.
00:48:55.80\00:49:02.00
I was still
trying to do it my way
00:49:02.04\00:49:04.74
but he kept working on me
00:49:04.77\00:49:07.74
and I kept hearing
this still small voice,
00:49:07.78\00:49:10.18
remember what you promised me.
00:49:10.21\00:49:11.91
And it was
starting to eat on me.
00:49:11.95\00:49:15.58
So, then I
started going to church.
00:49:15.62\00:49:18.52
And I didn't know
anything about the Sabbath.
00:49:18.55\00:49:20.26
I started going to the
church and reading the Bible.
00:49:20.29\00:49:22.76
And so...
00:49:22.79\00:49:24.99
So just that flat, you
mean you hear his voice,
00:49:25.03\00:49:27.90
let me respond, going to church
00:49:27.93\00:49:29.36
and start reading my Bible.
00:49:29.40\00:49:30.73
And you are in Florida now?
00:49:30.77\00:49:32.10
Yeah, I am living in
Florida and so anyway,
00:49:32.13\00:49:39.67
he brought me to a
point where I had...
00:49:39.71\00:49:44.58
I guess he wasn't saying,
anyway I had a wicked temper.
00:49:44.61\00:49:49.58
Bad, and I thought I was crack
00:49:49.62\00:49:51.79
and I started
reading books on depression
00:49:51.82\00:49:53.89
and I thought I was going mad.
00:49:53.92\00:49:55.62
And finally I just
couldn't take it anymore
00:49:55.66\00:49:58.03
and finally I
just got down in my cab
00:49:58.06\00:50:01.83
and asked him to save me.
00:50:01.86\00:50:04.47
And it was like a
led weight had been
00:50:04.50\00:50:07.64
lifted off my shoulders.
00:50:07.67\00:50:10.41
And so after that I did,
00:50:10.44\00:50:12.64
I started serving
him and right after that
00:50:12.67\00:50:15.41
'cause I had been involved
in the patriotic movement,
00:50:15.44\00:50:17.88
so I was in the short
way and right after that
00:50:17.91\00:50:21.35
on the station it should
have been patriotic stuff
00:50:21.38\00:50:24.09
I heard as preacher.
00:50:24.12\00:50:26.12
And so he was the Sabbath keeper
00:50:26.15\00:50:30.76
but they didn't like...
'cause he was worldly on radio
00:50:30.79\00:50:34.43
so they kept him from six to six
00:50:34.46\00:50:36.63
instead of sunset to sunset.
00:50:36.67\00:50:38.53
Okay so that was
your first connection
00:50:38.57\00:50:40.24
with Sabbath per se.
00:50:40.27\00:50:41.77
So I started keeping the Sabbath
00:50:41.80\00:50:44.01
instead of going
to the Sunday Churches
00:50:44.04\00:50:45.67
I started keeping the Sabbath
00:50:45.71\00:50:47.38
'cause he was on
short wave radio.
00:50:47.41\00:50:48.94
So you were just convicted
00:50:48.98\00:50:50.31
just from that
short wave broadcast.
00:50:50.35\00:50:51.68
Yeah.
00:50:51.71\00:50:53.05
So I listened to him,
00:50:53.08\00:50:54.42
they had service on Friday night
00:50:54.45\00:50:55.78
and then again Sabbath
morning so I will just stay home
00:50:55.82\00:50:59.85
and then listen to service
and you know hang out with Lord
00:50:59.89\00:51:02.76
and read the Bible and so on.
00:51:02.79\00:51:04.83
But these were
not sent to Adventist,
00:51:04.86\00:51:06.19
just Sabbath keepers.
00:51:06.23\00:51:07.56
Right, so anyway I
ended up moving up there
00:51:07.60\00:51:12.07
and it turned out to be a call
00:51:12.10\00:51:14.14
but anyway that's another story.
00:51:14.17\00:51:17.14
So I ended up...
00:51:17.17\00:51:19.07
I wanted to get
out in the country
00:51:19.11\00:51:20.44
and come home instead
so through some friends
00:51:20.48\00:51:22.71
I found some
property up in Tennessee,
00:51:22.74\00:51:25.51
so I got up to Tennessee, I
took a little camper up there
00:51:25.55\00:51:28.38
and I got up there and
I've taken the shaft back
00:51:28.42\00:51:32.15
but I didn't have the hose.
00:51:32.19\00:51:34.22
So I went to a flea
market and there was a booth.
00:51:34.26\00:51:40.23
They had-- there's nobody in it
00:51:40.26\00:51:41.63
but they had
some big toile pants
00:51:41.66\00:51:43.06
and there was a hose in there.
00:51:43.10\00:51:45.37
So I didn't just want to take it
00:51:45.40\00:51:47.00
so I checked with a
woman couple of booths down
00:51:47.04\00:51:52.57
and she said
haven't seen him today
00:51:52.61\00:51:55.18
She says, but
she said if I see him
00:51:55.21\00:51:57.31
I will ask him about the hose.
00:51:57.35\00:51:59.31
So I said, okay,
and this was on Friday.
00:51:59.35\00:52:02.42
So I was like I
won't be here tomorrow,
00:52:02.45\00:52:05.45
you know so she
replied I won't be either
00:52:05.49\00:52:09.22
so I kind of found out
she was Seven-day Adventist.
00:52:09.26\00:52:11.49
Uh-huh. There is the connection.
00:52:11.53\00:52:13.50
You know we made our connection
00:52:13.53\00:52:14.86
so I kind of found out
that she was in a home church
00:52:14.90\00:52:19.13
and she wasn't in a regular
affiliated church at the time.
00:52:19.17\00:52:23.27
And so...
00:52:23.30\00:52:24.74
I mean she is a
Seventh-day Adventist
00:52:24.77\00:52:26.11
but so I started you know, going
00:52:26.14\00:52:28.41
to the home
church everything and..
00:52:28.44\00:52:30.81
All right, so we got
you in the church now.
00:52:30.85\00:52:33.08
We know your connection.
00:52:33.11\00:52:34.52
What church are you
a member of currently.
00:52:34.55\00:52:37.29
The Middlesboro Kentucky church
up in Middlesboro, Kentucky,
00:52:37.32\00:52:42.02
which is a very
loving caring church.
00:52:42.06\00:52:43.89
Praise the Lord.
00:52:43.93\00:52:45.26
And there are
really great people
00:52:45.29\00:52:46.63
and I really miss them.
00:52:46.66\00:52:48.00
Yeah.
00:52:48.03\00:52:49.36
And but Lord just
moved me down in Florida
00:52:49.40\00:52:52.07
so I have got another
good church down there.
00:52:52.10\00:52:54.14
Praise the Lord.
00:52:54.17\00:52:55.50
And Plato
Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:52:55.54\00:52:57.37
Okay.
00:52:57.41\00:52:59.31
So, in looking back, Gordon,
00:52:59.34\00:53:00.91
at this whole thing,
what you went through,
00:53:00.94\00:53:03.95
where you are, now you're
still in the boat business.
00:53:03.98\00:53:06.51
But you are in the Seventh-day
Adventist boat business.
00:53:06.55\00:53:08.32
Amen.
00:53:08.35\00:53:11.29
What impresses
you about this road
00:53:11.32\00:53:13.66
that the Lord
had brought you on?
00:53:13.69\00:53:16.96
There is the truth.
00:53:16.99\00:53:19.66
As soon as I learnt about
the Seventh-day Adventist,
00:53:19.69\00:53:23.43
I got right into all
the Spirit of Prophecy books
00:53:23.47\00:53:27.10
and Ellen White
and I started studying
00:53:27.14\00:53:30.57
and then reading and
which brings out the Bible
00:53:30.61\00:53:35.28
and but I just thank
the Lord for saving me
00:53:35.31\00:53:41.58
because the Lord knows
the end from the beginning.
00:53:41.62\00:53:44.92
Indeed. And He knows all things.
00:53:44.95\00:53:47.72
So, when I was out there.
00:53:47.76\00:53:49.09
When I asked
him to save my skin,
00:53:49.12\00:53:51.56
He knew, if He
didn't save my skin,
00:53:51.59\00:53:54.63
I couldn't be saved
and will make Him a liar.
00:53:54.66\00:53:56.77
Yeah. So He had to save my skin.
00:53:56.80\00:53:58.93
Praise the Lord.
Then work on my heart.
00:53:58.97\00:54:00.60
Indeed, that's an
interesting take on this.
00:54:00.64\00:54:02.74
We are going to go to
our newsbreak and come back
00:54:02.77\00:54:04.24
and sort of put a
little bow on this
00:54:04.27\00:54:05.61
and wrap this up.
00:54:05.64\00:54:06.98
We will be back
in just two minutes.
00:54:07.01\00:54:08.34