Well it's about 18:00 hours South China Sea local time on the 1st October 2008. Here's thinking of you all tonight.
Who Hath Desired the Sea
Who hath desired the Sea? -- the sight of salt water unbounded --
The heave and the halt and the hurl and the crash of the comber wind-hounded?
The sleek-barrelled swell before storm, grey, foamless, enormous, and growing --
Stark calm on the lap of the Line or the crazy-eyed hurricane blowing --
His Sea in no showing the same his Sea and the same 'neath each showing:
His Sea as she slackens or thrills?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwise -- hillmen desire their Hills!
Who hath desired the Sea? -- the immense and contemptuous surges?
The shudder, the stumble, the swerve, as the star-stabbing bow-sprit emerges?
The orderly clouds of the Trades, the ridged, roaring sapphire thereunder --
Unheralded cliff-haunting flaws and the headsail's low-volleying thunder --
His Sea in no wonder the same his Sea and the same through each wonder:
His Sea as she rages or stills?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwise -- hillmen desire their Hills.
Who hath desired the Sea? Her menaces swift as her mercies?
The in-rolling walls of the fog and the silver-winged breeze that disperses?
The unstable mined berg going South and the calvings and groans that declare it --
White water half-guessed overside and the moon breaking timely to bare it --
His Sea as his fathers have dared -- his Sea as his children shall dare it:
His Sea as she serves him or kills?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwise -- hillmen desire their Hills.
Who hath desired the Sea? Her excellent loneliness rather
Than forecourts of kings, and her outermost pits than the streets where men gather
Inland, among dust, under trees -- inland where the slayer may slay him --
Inland, out of reach of her arms, and the bosom whereon he must lay him
His Sea from the first that betrayed -- at the last that shall never betray him:
His Sea that his being fulfils?
So and no otherwise -- so and no otherwise -- hillmen desire their Hills.
"Who hath desired the Sea? Her menaces swift as her mercies?"
Indeed menacing sea we were in 30 years ago today, I still remember blackness of the night
The calmness & still before the raging storm
Her mercies came upon us when our path crossed, the Wellpark and our beaten wooden boat
And forever this day will be remembered, our new beginning
Thinking of all of my Wellpark family, crew members and fellow boat people.
Been thinking of boat people and Wellpark members all day today...
Glad to be here today than in the beaten boat in that dark angry ocean night...
Thank you, thank you and thank you again Wellpark and crew members.for saving our lives...
Here is to the Boat People of MT 151, Captain Connell and the cadet and crew members of the WellPark.
I don't know how or where to begin to thank the people who have saved my life and the lives of 345 others people on that faithful, dark and stormy night thirty years ago.
Without their heroic efforts, we, our family and children would not be here today. They have saved more than 345 lives. They have saved several generations!
There was no doubt that the crews put their own lives at risk… to help others — complete strangers — and that few of us would do the same even given the same situation.
There are so many things to thank you for.
I want to take a moment to thank you for saving our lives and for your kindness and your hospitality. You have taken such good care of us during our time on the WellParks. Thanks for the wonderful experiences and memories.
We will always treasure that special time in our lives when we were fortunate to spend them with you. May kindness return to you in the same beautiful way it was offered. May God bless you always for the ways you were there for us and for the ways you cared.
Dr Hung, I was thinking of you earlier when reading Ha's poem (re-phase of Rudyard Kipling poem) and thought that you would do a nice poem to go along with her.
30 years later we are here in all part of the world no where near the water, Captain Hector and Craig still at sea. Tonight Craig is in somewhere in the South China Sea probably near where Wellpark rescued us 30 years ago and Captain Connell is in Equatorial Guinea.