dispatches from the new world of work

Mayday! Here I Come!

I'd wondered ...

The Financial Times had an article on July 1 that scratched an itch. And scratched it in a way that made me more or less smile.

I grew up on the Severn River. (The Naval Academy anchors the Severn's wide end, at the junction with the Chesapeake Bay.) Though I didn't go to "the academy," I went on to spend 4 years as a regular officer (USN, not USNR ... Big Deal), in Vietnam and the Pentagon. In my own mind I ... Bleed Blue, as us watery types call it.

The FT article: "Lost or Hurt at Sea? Phew!" In short the author, Victor Mallett, who writes about sailing, contrasts the sometimes shabby record of mountain climbers (shabby = leave other climbers to die) with the extraordinary lengths, with major risk of life and limb, and at routine cost of a likely racing victory, that sailors go to to rescue those who are stranded and or wounded at sea. Mallett: "I cannot imagine any sailor knowingly leaving another to die if there was the slightest chance of effecting a rescue—regardless of hardship and difficulty, let alone one's personal ambitions or position in a race. Those climbers who passed [David] Sharp [who died], remember, were not on their way down from the summit, but on their way up with reserves of oxygen and personal energy."

Etc. Etc.

"Eternal Father, strong to save ..."

Tom Peters posted this on 07/13/06.

Comments

And that's why I've never met a blue water sailor that doesn't understand the value of teamwork and community. We may not have our core values written down on fancy letterhead or have a vision statement but we are bound by what we do and how it is part of who we are.

It's as much a part of sailing as sharing beer or tying a bowline.

Posted by Michael at July 14, 2006 2:21 PM

I believe that the mountain climbing community has the same ethos as the sailing community. They do go to extraordinary lengths to save anyone in peril.

The problem is the Mount Everest problem. There's only two times of the year when you can climb Everest, but really once a year when conditions are optimal. People take an incredible amount of time and spend an incredible amount of money, that they get summit fever.

With the expense, a lot of professional climbers set up expeditions that are subsidized by rich climbers without experience. Alot of these climbers don't have enough experience to be climbing the highest mountain in the world.

The inexperienced climbers have paid tremendous amounts of money and want to get to the top. The experienced climbers know what's right, but if they don't get their expedition to the top and the other climbers do, they won't be able to attract as many people the next year.

It's a problem and a real problem, but it's unique to Mount Everest, not the climbing community in general.

Posted by Dave at July 16, 2006 8:47 PM

Hey Tom,
All this time I've been reading your books and blog postings and never realized you grew up on the Severn too! Very cool, if you ever want to attend a BBQ back on the river, let us know!

Ryan Petersen
Expreference.com

Posted by Ryan Petersen at July 16, 2006 11:56 PM

It always surprises me that your posts which touch the emotions are the ones which seem to attract the least comments. See http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?note=009017.php

BTW I'm not a sailor but I LOVE the sea and your comment is absolutely to the point. Also, I've lost count of the number of coaches/trainers/etc who refer to mountaineers as role models but never a sailor. Strange.

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