Harvey Oxenhorn (1952–1990)
Auteur de Tuning the Rig: A Journey to the Arctic
Œuvres de Harvey Oxenhorn
Tuning the Rig, a journey to the Arctic 1 exemplaire
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Date de naissance
- 1952
- Date de décès
- 1990-05-16
- Nationalité
- USA
- Lieu de naissance
- New York, New York, USA
- Études
- Swarthmore College (BA)
Stanford University (PhD|English)
Membres
Critiques
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Auteurs associés
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 3
- Membres
- 73
- Popularité
- #240,526
- Évaluation
- 3.9
- Critiques
- 3
- ISBN
- 4
Never before at sea, Oxenhorn signs on as crew to a 3-masted brigantine which will be sailing into the Arctic Circle to study whales. While his descriptions of the cold, water-soaked bunks, and fearful ascents into the rigging don't entice me to crew a ship, his descriptions of face-to-face whale sightings, dolphins following, birds overhead, explorations of small northern harbors all makes me wish to set sail.
More than just a travelogue, Oxenhorn brings us into his inner journey as well, as he writes of his own doubts about being able to do the work expected, his questioning of captain's authority, his feeling of purposelessness in his life, and his growing realization of how individual lives are important working together as stewards of this world. One passage which impressed me, as I think about how to live my life: "you are asked not to exert extraordinary skill but to place extraordinary trust in the skill you already possess." (p. 94)
He notices a change in the posture of his other novice crewmates: "Time aboard a small ship redistributes weight throughout one's body, lowering the center of gravity and focusing strength in the pelvis, belly, and thighs...the constant rocking from side to side promotes a physiological integration between right and left sides of the body and functions of the brain...the body in a conversation with the forces that pass through it--gravity, the energy of waves. As that dialogue continues, ceaselessly, the illusion of stability (as something we are granted) gives way to the reality of balance (a process we achieve)." (p 203-4) This is an apt metaphor for how your approach to life can change.
Not only do we learn about life onboard, we hear about how to navigate "shooting the stars", whaling history, the ecology of whales and birds and fish--how their lives are tied together. Yet the book is not all serious. There are just as many moments describing shore leave and local pubs. And this gem "All we can see of Newfoundland is the pier's cracked side and the nostrils and chins of some people peering down. Viewed from below, their faces call to mind old horror movies. When I climb up a shroud to get a better look, they still do." (p. 57)
While he describes many nautical terms in the early book, as he is learning them, I didn't remember them and wish there had been a glossary so I could read later chapters without skipping over "overhauling the buntlines" etc which he, now casually, mentions.
As the ship approaches port, Oxenhorn's writing becomes more reflective and aphoristic as he summarizes the lessons he has learned.… (plus d'informations)