Family As The Ship example essay topic

It was a cold, dark morning on the northwestern coast of the United States. A family was curiously standing on the beach, cold and wet from their ordeal at sea the day before. They slowly began to review what had happened that night. Soon, they would make their way to a nearby town for shelter, so that their story might be known to all who traversed the town near the coast.

The story of the family started when they had rented a small ship to sail for the evening. The father, John, had known how to sail since he was a boy, and he continued sailing on a small ship of his own until he married Rebecca, his current wife. The weather forecast for the evening was overcast, with no storms expected. They left the dock promptly at six o'clock, and sailed west for an evening on the sea west of San Francisco. What is known about the Pacific Ocean is a case in itself; the Pacific is totally unpredictable. John, however, considering himself seasoned from a childhood of sailing with his father, thought that he knew the ocean like the back of his hand.

He did, however, commit a sin of the sea; he thought that he knew what the ocean was going to do. As for the Pacific's unpredictability, a hidden pocket of cooler air had risen from the South Pole and had struck a warm front, causing very heavy rains in this region of the Pacific that began to move south. John sighed to himself as he thought of the beauty of the night and how the sky was barely overcast. Even if it rained a little, he thought, there was a rain cover that came with the ship so they could be dry. He was disappointed when he looked at the sky to the south, and realized that he might have to use it.

It might be an inconvenience, he reflected, although they could still eat the dinner they had packed and stay inside of the ship. Now it is known that there are treacherous reefs and sandbars off of the coast of northern California, and this night was no different. As the storm came from the south, and swirled towards the east, the ship was drifting east at an alarming rate, unnoticed by John or any of the family. At 8 o'clock, after the family had finished eating their dinner, the family was sitting in the ship talking about what they had been doing recently and discussing the possibility of another sailing outing such as this one.

Suddenly the ship experienced a sickening lurch as the port bow hit a sandbar. No damage was done, but John immediately ran outside of the rain covering to see what the problem was. In seconds cries were heard from the family as the ship began to leak from the bottom. As the lives of John's family flashed before his eyes, he remembered that he had left the lifejackets in the van because he surmised from the weather conditions that he would not need them. In seconds, the entire family assembled on the deck, realizing their peril. John was struck with panic and knew not what to do.

Seconds later, the ship was once more dashed against the rocks, and the bow itself split from the foredeck of the ship. The family flew into the raging water, watching the ship destroyed as it was thrown against the rocks by the wrath of the sea. They all clung to a large board that had drifted from the wreckage, and there they clung for the rest of the night. It took all night and until the break of dawn before the family washed up on shore. They were alive, praising solid land under their feet. After waiting much of the morning, the family marched to the nearest town they could see; a distance of at least ten miles.

They stopped to buy some clothes, make a phone call and wait until John's brother could arrive and take them home. As they waited, they talked to a man sitting nearby to the phone. After conferring the story to him, during which he leaned on his elbow and sighed, he sat motionless for a few seconds. Then he could only reply, "That is one heck of a story... ". As he smoked his cigar, John's brother Robert arrived and took them home.

At the door waiting for the family stood a man in a suit. He said, "I'm coming from North Shores Boat Rental. I am here to tell you that we are missing a boat that was rented by you and your family. You " ll need to fill out this paperwork". John sighed.