Edmund Fitzgerald at the Soo Locks

[MarkS]

Just a quick vid of the Edmund Fitzgerald passing the Soo Locks In Sault St. Marie.

http://abc10up.com/rare-vintage-footage ... itzgerald/

[IRGuy]

We were racing a 44' sailboat in the Newport, RI, to Bermuda sailboat race about 20+ years ago. We were about 200 miles from the nearest land, and the 45-50 knot wind was whipping the sea into a frenzy. Occasionally a wave would break over the bow and run back down the deck, filling the cockpit. My watchmate and I had harnesses clipped off to safety lines that ran bow to stern on both sides of the deck. It was staring to get dark, and we were somewhat overpowered so we needed to change our headsail to one that was smaller. Being one of the smallest guys in the crew it was usually my job to go forward and handle sail changes. I crawled on my hands and knees up the deck on the windward side, and tied myself off to one of the two bow cleats. All I could see ahead was white water, and the bow was pitching up and down like a bucking horse. Each time the bow went down a wave would break over the deck. I was soaked in spite of my foul weather gear, and scared that some part of the rigging would fail. I can tell when I am scared because my mouth tastes like it is full of metal filings. I had no sense of time, and all I wanted to do was drop the headsail, tie it off to the lifelines and hank on a smaller one so I could get back into the relative safety of the cockpit. I heard the roar of a wave breaking just ahead, and I looked up to see a wall of water getting ready to roll over me. I held on to whatever I could grab, and as the wave hit I was pinned down to the deck. With all the excitement going on I suddenly had a sense of calm.. but I can't tell you why, and a couple of lines from Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" ran through my mind... and to this day it is all as clear in my mind as if it happened yesterday.. the words are eerily burned into my mind...

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"