Typhoon

~ When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about.~

~ Haruki Murakami

Kuni knew his limits as a fisherman. However, the boy knew he was better than an average sailor. His old family boat would jump to life under his expert handling. Understanding how to sail required two things: points of sail and directions of sail trim, and it was a skill. The challenge?

Could you position your sails to keep your vessel moving forward to determine the wind direction? One could sail either upwind or downwind. Downwind sailing was the easiest, trimming the sails with the wind coming over the stern. Upwind sailing, more challenging, involves trimming your sails toward the direction from which the sails are blowing into the wind.

Kuni needed to learn the six sections of the wind circle. He had to know how to jibe and tack with and against these different winds. It took skill to determine how much or how little sail to trim to accomplish these two basic maneuvers.

Sailing was a craft with many fine points to be mastered and understood. Kuni was a craftsman when it came to sailing. He felt comfortable and at home steering his old fishing vessel. The names used by sailors were different in many cultures, but the strategies and tactics were identical.

The young boy traveled quickly for the first three days and nights. On the morning of the fourth day, all was dark. The sky was so black it appeared to be nighttime. Kuni knew there was a big storm coming. The young boy felt he had two choices. He could sail out to sea, opposite the gale, and wait for it to abide. This tactic would add many days to his trip, and he might never put his boat back on the right path.

Or Kuni could try to race ahead of the storm and hope to avoid the worst of its fury. His grandfather had well constructed the boy's craft. However, the vessel was very old. Kuni elected to attempt to outrun the storm. Within the next three hours, the lad realized he had made a mistake. Perhaps a deadly mistake?

The approaching storm was more extensive and powerful than anything Kuni had sailed against before. The gale was coming at him much quicker than he thought possible. Kuni saw the lightning bursts as they lit up the sky behind him. They were followed very shortly by loud booming thunderclaps. The youth could view the rain approaching him.

The wall of rain appeared to be formed into giant sheets. Kuni hastily used his woven rope and tied himself to his vessel and steering rudder. As the enormous waves rolled over his tiny craft, the boy and his old fishing boat were lifted into the air. Then Kuni came smacking hard back into the rolling waves.

The lad cringed and prayed that the old vessel would hold itself together with each landing. The tempest winds were overwhelming. Kuni began to pray aloud, begging for heavenly intervention and help to survive the huge storm!

After the first hour in the storm's fury, the boy felt exhausted and hopeless, waiting for a break in the typhoon's speed and power. The winds were so powerful that his vessel kept heeling, leaning into the next wave until it almost touched the water. If Kuni had not taken the time to tie himself off, he would have spilled out of his craft and into the choppy seas long ago.

After three hours of his ship being caught in the choking downpour and continuous beating, Kuni waited for the inevitable. The lad was convinced that sooner rather than later, he would hear the boat's timbers groan for the last time, and the little ship would split apart.

The boy would not last long in this stormy sea and would likely drown in minutes. After what felt like an eternity to Kuni, he felt himself starting to fall asleep. His hands tied, knuckles white, grasping the slippery rudder, began to shake with weakness...

END

Questions to ask yourself:

We knew that Kuni was not very good as a fisherman, and this caused significant problems with his father. The boy was too small to use the fishing gear made for adults. Yet, in this episode, we have learned that Kuni is an expert sailor. Sailing sounds like a complex skill to learn.

Do sailing skills have anything to do with size?

Do you have a father who insists you do what he likes?

Or follow in his footsteps and do the same job?

Or do you know friends who have a father like this?

Is it fair for a father or a mother to make such demands from their sons or daughters?