My
guest today, Pamela Sisman Bitterman, is an explorer in every sense of the word; she
has been a mediator, a teacher of maritime history and seamanship at the San
Diego Maritime Museum. Sailing to the Far Horizon, her first book, tells
of the sailing adventures she experienced during her late twenties. This
biographical novel is described as a cross between Master-and-Commander and
A
Perfect Storm, both stories dealing with the mysteries and perils of the sea.
GAIL: Welcome,
Pamela, and thank you for taking time for this interview today. Your book, Sailing
to the Far Horizon, includes tales of your incredible voyages on the tall
ship Sofia. How did you decide to begin such an adventure and what
prepared you for the journey?
PAMELA:
I was totally unprepared for the journey, with the exception that I was in my
late 20’s in the late 70’s - a singularly auspicious time in my life. I
suddenly found myself without a job, home, immediate direction, had no debts,
and no dependants. The adventure presented itself, and I jumped! It was truly a
leap of faith.
GAIL: Where
did you board the Sofia, and what were the ship’s destination and
purpose for your first adventure at sea?
PAMELA:
I boarded the ship is Boston in the summer of 1978. The ship was enlisting crew
for her next circumnavigation. She was a co-operatively owned and run 60 year
old, 123 foot, three masted gaff topsail schooner. The purpose for my adventure
was much the same as the purpose for the ship herself – to travel, sail the
world, practice the venerable art of marlinspike seamanship, and keep a proud,
salty old sailing vessel afloat.
GAIL: You
mention “the many legions of wayfarers who participated in the Sofia’s
diverse and colorful history.” During the time you sailed with the Sofia,
what was the range of experience and education among your fellow crew members?
 |
Sailing to the Far Horizon
by Pamela Sisman Bitterman |
PAMELA:
The crew (Sofia never carried “passengers”. Everyone who came aboard her came
aboard as “working, paying crew” - either sailors who learned how to exist
within a sailing co-operative, or co-operatively inclined adventurers who
learned how to sail. Either way, the ships expectations of them were the same.)
During my nearly four years aboard her, we sailed with as many as 25 crew, and
as few as 5. The crew was always multinational and multigenerational, although
the average age was typically around 30 years old. The range of experience,
education and expertise was as varied and diverse as the weather. We ran the
gamut from teen-age runaways and itinerate hitchhikers to doctors, lawyers and government
dignitaries.
GAIL: When
Hurricane Kendra chased the Sofia miles off course, what effect did this
have on the ship, its crew, and the voyage?
PAMELA:
It was a wake-up call. The veteran crew was challenged, to be sure. But they
were capable and commanding in the face of imminent disaster. The rest of us,
the grunt swabbie know-nothings, were either too clueless to even understand
the severity of what was happening, or simply too sick or frightened to do much
more than follow orders and try to stay alive.
GAIL: Pamela,
you were a self-described, naive “shellback”; a swabbie; and later, a ship’s
bos’un, before you became acting first mate. What were your duties as a
“shellback” and can you share one of your first sea adventures as a shellback?
PAMELA:
Needless to say, the hurricane was my first adventure as a shellback, as it was
my first adventure at sea – my maiden voyage. During this passage, I overheard
the Coast Guard Search and Rescue’s last radio communication with the ship
prior to losing all contact. They requested the names of all those aboard, and
their next-of-kin. The duties of any “shellback” or novice, was to follow
orders and to learn as much as we could about our ship, sailing, and the sea.
We learned on the fly, and often by-the-seats-of-our-pants. As well prepared
and trained and orientated as the sailing veterans tirelessly tried to make new
initiates, it was none the less often pure trial by fire. Folks either loved
that aspect of the adventure, or they went running for the hills at the first
port-of-call. I found, to my great surprise and delight, that I loved it. That
made all the hardships inherent in the journey worth it ten times over.
GAIL: Within
the scope of Sailing to the Far Horizon, what was your involvement with
Cuna Indians, the Gulf of San Blas, and the Marquesas?
PAMELA:
Remember, I sailed the planet in an era prior to globalization. We were often
the only ship anchored off most of the outlying islands of the San Blas, and as
a result were able to become intimately involved with the mysterious and
fascinating culture of the Cuna Indians. We exchanged trade goods, stories,
foodstuffs, and adventures. Many vignettes in the book detail these innocent
and trusting interactions. It was much the same in the Marquesas. Either by
interacting aboard the ship at deserted anchorages, or by hiking overland into
hidden villages and tribes, we became close with natives who had never before
seen “white people.” I personally met and was hosted by the direct descendants
of the family that originally took in Thor Hyerdahl.
The
author, her books and blog can be found at:
