Ride the Sea

There have been many books, articles, and several movies detailing the terrors and errors on the night of April 14-15, 1912 when the stunning new passenger liner, H.M.S. Titanic, met with disaster on the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery of the wreck site in 1987, by Dr. Robert Ballard, led to an entirely new round of speculation regarding the whys and wherefores of the demise of this wondrous achievement by Mankind. The book you hold in your hand, Ride the Sea, goes in a different direction, but is inspired by that tragic event. Human beings believe what they want to believe. Their prejudices and rationales are formed by growing up around adults, attending school, competing with their contemporaries, and undergoing personal experiences. Most important among these are, of course, one's contemporaries. Watching how someone is treated by those you respect or emulate, or simply enjoy being around, solidifies behavior before a person even realizes beliefs are being molded. The same can be said regarding one's environment. If arrogance guides one's behavior toward others, it will similarly lead a person astray when confronted with the challenges of Nature. A careless attitude can leave a man exposed to wrath from natural forces even if the day is sunny and calm. In the early 20th Century, making a ship competitive, rather than 100% secure, guided the behavior of their wealthy owners. With the demise of the luxurious, ebullient Titanic, the world would never be quite the same again.1 Controversies surrounding her sinking remain with us even today. The cold, dark ocean depths retain answers to questions which we are not yet wise enough to ask. Can some of these answers be found today amid the cavorting, chilled waves of the Atlantic Ocean?