Here’s something special. Captain Tarin Todd, harbor master at Tacoma’s Foss Harbor Marina, was inspired to write from his heart in a marina newsletter. After reading this, go create some sea stories, even (especially) in virus times. Then tell them often, even if there’s no campfire and no guitar. After all, the stories get better each time they’re told!
By Tarin Todd
Boating is such a unique hobby.
Boating simultaneously develops independence, camaraderie, self reliance and unity. We are alone on our boats, and yet we have the VHF radio that keeps us connected. When something goes wrong, we must first try to solve it alone, and when that fails, we reach out to whoever is in the vicinity to assist. We leave the dock a singular vessel heading out to our next great adventure, and when we arrive at our destination or return to our home berth, we often chat with fellow boaters on the dock, regaling them in our most recent adventures afloat. It is those moments, those sea stories we relate to others, that carries on a tradition spanning centuries, millennia.
If we pause and think for a moment about the time humans have spent on the water, a vast majority of it has been in the pursuit of discovery. What is up that river? What can be found in the next bay? Even today, a place visited hundreds or thousands of times is discovered anew by the family who just bought their first boat and are on their maiden voyage. Yes, we have charts and GPS now that help us navigate to these spots but upon arrival there is always discovery that occurs. What sort of ice cream does that little dock store have? Where does that trailhead on the beach lead? Is there a better anchorage on the other side of the island?
All of these experiences will become a personal sea story, a memory that will forever have a place in the mind and a place at story telling circles. On more than one occasion, I have ended up sitting next to a campfire on Sucia Island amongst other boaters we have just met. Someone always has a guitar (I think they are hidden in the trees there for just these moments), voices rise in song, sea shanties of old. In the pause between songs, stories fill the air. “We saw a huge pod of orcas today! And there wasn’t another boat around anywhere! As we floated there watching them…” Another song fills the space as this moment’s story teller finishes their yarn. The group, all strangers until just a short time ago, and now the closest friends a boater could have, even if temporary, take turns sharing experiences that come to mind, reminded maybe by a lyric in one of the songs, or a memory floated to the surface because of another’s story. All sit quietly, enthralled as the next chronicles their tale of adventure and discovery afloat. Even the telling of misadventures has a place in these moments. What was once a scary or dangerous moment can become a teaching for others on how to handle an emergency. It can become the tale of heroics, ingenuity and fast thinking that saved the day.
Sea stories are an important part of the boating culture. Oral history is a human phenomenon that boaters embrace without even thinking about it. I encourage you to notice these moments, the times when the stories begin to flow. As you listen, embrace the story teller’s tale. Try to imagine you are experiencing their adventure first hand and allow them the space to have their moment in sharing their experience. Even if you have had a similar event occur in your boating, be sure that you allow the teller to celebrate their own in that moment, because for them, that is what they know, what they have experienced. When it is your turn, be sure to share, rather than “one up”. With your tale, add to the moment instead of trying to prove you had the better adventure. We all have our own unique stories to tell and in them the most precious of moments to share. A sea story is a gift, a window into the life of another mariner. That they want to share that with you should be a compliment and a treasure to keep.
Boating, like life, is a constant education. As we learn our lessons and in turn want to share them with others, we can celebrate together those moments and support each other in our personal journeys, both on land and afloat. Share your sea stories, and share them often. Allow others a venue to share theirs. I truly believe that it is these moments that makes boating even more spectacular and unique of a hobby. Be good to one another and I will see you on the dock.
Bio: Born and raised in the Tacoma area, Tarin grew up playing on the shores of Puget Sound at the Tacoma Outboard Association’ club facility, which his family were members. His boating career started when he was 14 with the Sea Scout Ship Charles N. Curtis in Tacoma. Earning his 100 ton Master License when he was 21, Tarin still enjoys educating new boaters and young people to the joys of boating on the Salish Sea. He has cruise extensively from Olympia, WA to Princess Lousia, B.C. Tarin is currently the Marina Manager at Foss Harbor Marina in Tacoma. Whether sailing on the bay, cruising to the San Juans or diving with friends on Ruston Way, Tarin is most at home near the salt water.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.