Dirty Sailor Company

Authentic ChatBots and Maritime Blogs

Bradley Angle — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:10:19 +0000

I’m not having satisfying conversations with my cohort on the topic of Artificial Intelligence. The business of writing, of publication, of graphic art and video, of sound, of poetry, of philosophy, of thinking and decision-making, is on fire and burning too fast, and there’s no one in my in-group to chat to about it. When I try, the whole thing is glossed over as sensationalized or as sci-fi boy talk. I’m sad.

It kicked me in the dick about six months ago. I’ve been writing a piece on Ahab’s efforts to hang a living whale in the SFMOMA and torture it continuously as an art show, and it’s been a struggle. The blood and wetness, the noises and muffled screams, the flapping and ripping of flesh and blubber on giant hooks and chains, all became a tangled blur of words, that neither author nor reader could parse out into the significance that the story laid before us. I couldn’t get insights out of the thing.

Then it happened. I created an Open AI account and asked CHATGPT to give it a try. And I’ve become sad and wanting to talk to my friends like they’re therapists and its not going well, nobody gives a shit, nobody sees that its over, this, this is over, starting months ago.

But I don’t function long as a downer.

Sure things are over: authenticity has lost its significance, plagiarism is pointless, intelligence has been obscured, beauty’s boring. But old things now have blossoming edges on the world. And that is what this post is about: The comfort of human generated material, and the authentic-by-time-stamp reality of now-and-everything-after. Publication date, and guaranteed humanness, now are as important as materials being published by people we know…

Before I post my torturing larboard-listing whale exhibit, yodeling out to the new world, this post is an effort to share some of the works my friends and peers have created with their own human efforts and sacred time. It’s easy to pull glossy books from the front of the store, to tune in to the same old podcast host, and to live like you always have. But I’d wager that the depths of the human condition, and all the juice and profundity within it, are better documented in the back isles, on the unreviewed and unstarred programs, and in the adults-only rooms…. Ok, maybe not adults only rooms, but you get my points… Take a peek at some of my go-to back-alley content creators and artists. They deserve more than they get. They are human and give us a genuine human touch, often for free.

1) The RyAngle Podcast

I have to admit that I’ve always pictured myself talking to these guys, and making some joke about mispronouncing their podcast as the Ryan-gle podcast. These two Ryans remind me a lot about myself. There’s the one with face fur, who has a past of dancing under laser shows while wearing nothing but short shorts and sandals and dayglo body paint, and there’s the ex-military brainiac who quotes modern philosophers in every paragraph. Though they are both mariners, I only know one of them through boats. Ryan was that deckhand that we all know that is way too smart and has way too much experience to be the junior guy on the boat. He stayed quiet on the boats I worked on, which I mistakenly assumed was his personality, and in reality he was just a very stoic mother fucker, and he couldn’t get into the cheap dirty humor I always practiced at that time in my whimsical life. The other Ryan is someone I don’t know, but his stories of his traveling youth and party-ready attitude reminds me of me.

Their show bounces around hot topics and has this late-night conversation-in-the-pilot-house feel to it. This makes sense because both Ryans are mariners and they both no doubt have experience letting loose in the forecastle after weeks of no land. One can listen to their intellectual talk and find a commonness that is relatable and easy. What’s more, they may leave you with a new way to look at things or, perhaps at least, a way to appreciate the world we live in: whether it’s the thought of joining a men’s group, an argument for self-censorship, a review of modern philosophy, a inside take on our public education system, or a relaxing random bout of cheap and dirty talk.

Check out their podcast if you like corny jokes, a mix of acuity, insightfulness, confusion, fun, and boat talk. Put their podcast in your “liked” folder if you always want to be able to fall back on something human. And if the Ryans are reading, let’s hear some sea-stories!

2) David Brown and Wayward Blues

David is an ex-coastie. He started a production company called Wayward Blues when he left the Guard around 2015. After toughing it around the Greater San Francisco Bay area for years after the Coast Guard, he moved back to his roots of Fayetteville North Carolina. You can find him at a bar called “Church” playing live blues and covers of Tom Petty. Or you could Spotify him or Youtube him or whatever else music platform him.

His most recent full album (he refuse to publish his first because he’s a perfectionist, but I like his first album too) is called “Wayward Blues & Co Presents David Brown” and it’s a salute to heartbreak, Edgar Allan Poe, and Wilson Pickett. The depths of a man who is burning pure alcohol for fuel and painting a portrait of his dancing pal of smoke above his head, while trying to disremember his lost lover, is all wrapped up in David’s bellowing unpredictable vocals that hit every note. Take a walk down “These Four Walls,” for a peek at who David can be.

3) Norman C. Nielsen, aka. Captain Shooshnick Roquefort Vattlesquat, III

Famously known as Shooshnick Roquefort Vattlesquat, III, Norman has created a mind tingling story book for those of us who are young at heart and for those who of us who are actually young, very young. His children’s book “The Ticklefish Adventure,” dedicated to his “darling daughter,” is a sailor production of whaleish proportion. Written on the mid-watch, in the 1950s, with his crew of ABs, Norman, as a young mate, was determined to create a story for his daughter back at home. “The Ticklefish Adventure” is what became of those long night watches on the bridge with a handful of bearded and salty dudes.

The COVID pandemic reminded Norman of his old story, from the 50s, and he decided to give his quarantine time to turning the story into a book to share with the world. Full of original cartoonish drawings and one liners only a group of sailors could come up with, this children’s book will steel your heart.

How can we not admire it:

“’No one should EVER stop right in the middle of a traffic lane, not even for lunch!’ thought Whale. ‘I nearly got BUMPED!’”

“FLAPJACK, the ship’s cook, said, ;Sorry, I have no fish today, But I have lots of lovely leftovers from breakfast.’”

“That tugboat’s name was TINKERBELL.”

“EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY!”

4) USCG CWO, Julian Bell: “Sailor’s Disgrace and Military Sexual Assault”

CWO Julian Bell, USCG.

Julian has given the world a lesson on trauma, grief and recovery. In his new podcast “Sailor’s Disgrace,” the Chief Warrant Officer shares the granular details of his rape experience on a Navy Base in San Diego in the early part of the 2000s. Julian’s podcast is, at its heart, real. The man who I once wrote a report about for a graduate level leadership class called “The Art of Authenticity,” comes to the public stage with a will to break free of the prison his trauma had encapsulated him the past 20 years.

This podcast serves as a guiding tool for others who have experienced sexual trauma. It can serve as a tool for those of us who know little about the topic, or those of us who have friends experiencing similar traumas.

Julian takes us with him to the night of his attack. He recalls the pattern on the bed sheets, the feeling of slipping into a void as the drugs took effect, the attempts to resist. He takes us into the head the next day, where he cleaned blood from his ass. He takes us through the years of denial, suffering, regret, doubt, fear, anger, and, slowly, growth.

In his podcast Julian captures the essence of a man determined to examine his own suffering and find a breakthrough to grace. That is, Sailor’s Disgrace: Military Sexual Assault, is a man’s attempt to defeat the ills of his past sufferings.

As a connoisseur of grief models, Julian’s mode is unique in its place, and significant to me directly. I would compare the podcast directly to Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s “You May Want to Marry my Husband,” or even better, her husband Jason’s book “My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me: A Memoir.” In the later examples, the Rosenthals’ approach imminent death, and they attempt to do it strategically with love, compassion, and grace. In Jason’s book, he excepts his position of privileged security (wealth, education, social-network, intact wider family), and he uses his status to navigate his suffering to the best of his ability. The premise in these stories are the same: suffering happens to us all. Their objectives are magnetic: let’s embrace the suffering, and get through it without losing ourselves, without misplacing the love, without losing the present moment.

I see Julian’s vocal presentation of his story, in all of its minute details, as his attempt to breathe. He is breaking through, and he wants others who suffer to witness his efforts. His grief model is unique in this way. It’s a real time public model and we viewers are indebted and fascinated by his strategy, and we find ourselves wanting Julian to succeed. Some of us are captured by his determination to overcome, and will ultimately find motivation through it for our own lives.

Personally, I am Julian’s best friend. I was present in Julian’s life weeks before he was gang raped. I knew the man before, the period just after, and the 20 years since. As intimate friends, we’ve seen each other through all sorts of life’s trials. Knowing that Julian buried this trauma for over a decade brings forth an entirely new dimension for my understanding of him, of our relationship, and of the human capacity in general. I’m learning every step of the way, and Julian’s podcast in humbling to say the least… [Julian published a interview with me on his podcast recently and I feel like I came off as a douche, but that’s ok – the conclusion is the same – Coast Guard Leadership needs help.]

“Oh, and also, that tilt of the head with a furrowed brow, or a slight frown with a little headshake—uh-uh. Please don’t do that. I know you’re sad. I know you feel badly for me and Amy and our family. But pity is the last thing we need.” (Jason Rosenthal, “My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me”)

5) Alex McPike: Author

Let’s Just Keep Things Light—and Wonderfully Mysterious

Follow this link to Alec McPike’s blog at https://alecmcpike.com

You’d benefit by bookmarking Alec’s mindful writings to the top of your browser.

Alec was a Coast Guardsman, deployed around the globe (including to Bahrain) with tactical maritime law enforcement teams. Before that Alec was a kid, born and raised amongst the conifers of the Pacific Northwest. He was a lover of women and words. Now, Alec is a poet and a blogger, living in Stockholm with his partner and making a living as an author.

I have ten websites bookmarked on my internet browser which I check often for updates, and alecmcpike.com is one of them. When he does post new material, which is done on his time, and not with the push of clients or employers, it’s always crystal clear, deep-clean, and comforting. Alec is, after all, a spiritual and reflective writer. His style consists of reflecting on philosophies and morality in the real world. He weaves his blog with matters from his own life, lessons from spiritual tomes, and antidotes concealed as well-wishes and thanksgiving.

I consider it luck that Alec was kind enough to chat with me on one occasion. We passed book ideas and recommendations back and forth for twenty minutes. He went on to write a beautiful poem for Laurie Powell, the mother of BM3 Travis Obendorf, the sailor who died in 2013 during a SAR event in the Bering Sea. He gave up his time and skills for strangers, with complete and thorough kindness. His blog has those traits. With empathy, devotion, and loving/kindness, Alec navigates his road before us who read him.

6) Ryan Sayles: Cop, Author, CG Vet

Sayles was the type of guy on the boats that was just dependable. We all knew what to expect from him. Good at his work. Low key. Non-political. Uncontroversial. Get in, get the job done, get out, type of guy.

After the Coast Guard Sayles went on to father hundreds of thousands of children. He also became a cop in some random small town in middle America, probably so he could buy a big ole house for all them kids. And somehow, the bastard finds time to write novel after novel of action packed detective stories. His leading character, Richard Dean Buckner, is a cigar smoking Clint Eastwood type of character (I bet Ryan wouldn’t like that name… Oh man. I just realized that Sayles should be on the RyAngle Podcast. They could talk law enforcement, criminal justice, and where society is going crazy over these issues!!!!) who runs around punishing criminals by doing things like, maybe, “shooting them in the face.”

Ryan’s books aren’t being captured by my style of writing. He is much more of a traditional writer, with flowing narrative style and action packed story. I think Ryan is expressing his views on the world through this fictionalized character. Not to say he is pro vigilante justice, but to say that he does want obvious maliciousness to get what it deserves.

I wouldn’t place Ryan’s books on this post without knowing him first. Likewise, this post covers only persons I can with complete confidence say are genuine humans. Knowing an artist really does change the way we interpret said art, and maybe that’s the point of this article that begins with a rant on AI. We cannot “know” Large Language Model AIs – the idea of “knowing” in this context doesn’t really make sense. So we can’t give credence to the production of AI through lenses of authentic integrity, personal closeness, or heartfelt support.

What would it mean for the relationship, if you gave heartfelt support to a friend’s creation, only to find later it was generated by AI? This would not be the same as your friend plagiarizing, but it may feel the same to you.

What does it mean for us to not know if material is AI generated or human generated? Why do we tend to scoff at the idea of consuming AI generated art or material?

That’s the heart of this post, I think we can win by giving more attention to art created by those we know. We can listen more to the stories that are expressed by friends, and that have been experienced by them directly.

As I started this piece, I didn’t want to read about Ahab killing a whale, if that Ahab and that whale were generated by a computer. Melville blead sweat and tears to create his whale story. He blead true blue red. And thinking about that bloody blood, and everything it dripped on, is part of the experience of reading Moby Dick. As the world goes to kill Ahab’s whale for him, I bet Ahab is left disappointed. It’s not about the dead whale, it’s about the personal vendetta. AI doesn’t have personal vendettas yet, so it cannot properly kill Ahab’s whale. Neither can I. Maybe the artists I listed above can.

Let me know where the art is. Genuine voices. Heart. Grit. Give it to me… Leave a comment below and I’ll try to dig through the auto generated spam to approve it.

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Curve of Time, Vancouver

Bradley Angle — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 05:00:34 +0000

Our own, Bradley Angle, was published in the Letters to the Editor section of San Francisco’s famous sailing magazine, Latitude 38. Check out his article here, or below.

THE CURVE OF TIME BELONGS ON EVERY SAILOR’S BOOK SHELF

It’s hard not to be pedantic when browsing a sailor’s bookshelf, including Latitude’s. I scrapped my pedantic rant and figured I’d stick to something more hopeful: The Curve of Time by Wylie Blanchet. Blanchet’s story of sailing around Vancouver Island in the 1920s with her five children is pretty amazing. Once you get into her style of longing prose, you’ll soon realize she’ll never speak of anything being arduous. She doesn’t much talk about anything directly — her language moves with grace and purpose through the past, attempting to recreate years of sailing with only her children, aka her “crew,” in uncharted waters and into dangerous frontiers. Her sea stories will stand juxtaposed to most of the 119 stories Latitude has on its shelf.

Blanchet’s The Curve of Time is at the junction of the boating and literary worlds. This story is dreamy like Moitessier, but Blanchet never ditched her family. It is a great maritime biography without the ego and lone-genius bull. It’s sea adventure garnished with the reflections of a mother and steward of the land. It’s a call for sailors to remember the basics of the world they love — the people, the places, the small moments. Wylie Blanchet wrote her memoir like an epic, and some 30 years after the fact. With her five children, she packed full a 25-ft boat and shoved off for adventure on the British Columbia coast. With a quiet narrative voice, almost like an internal dialogue, Blanchet captures all of the features one would expect in a sea story, but she does so through a somberness that attracts and a pining that creates no anxieties.

The Curve of Time captures us with what it leaves out, and it sells us with the way what is left in is spoken. We never learn much about her children, though they are there through the turning of every tide. We don’t learn much about her 25- ft boat, but we know Blanchet and her children kept it in repair and operating themselves. We only learn about her deceased husband through extrapolation. When the family enters a risky inlet for the night, we learn of the stars and the trees. For those Latitude members who want sailboats in their sailing stories, this is not for you. If you want family adventure, trials and tribulations, and the deep reflective thoughts of a single mother and salty sailor, this is a must.

The Curve of Time belongs on every sailor’s shelf, every poet’s shelf, every philosopher’s shelf, and every historian’s shelf. For those who need inspiration, motivation, and a reality check, this book is all you need.

Bradley Angle

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Life at Cape Disappointment

Bradley Angle — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 04:53:00 +0000

Life and Death at Cape Disappointment

Standing 100 yards out on the lowtide awash sand at Deadmans Hollow, under a starless midnight sky with Liz, I took a second to focus on a few deep inhales. The beauty was whelming. The silence bore the speech of the sea. Liz felt it – A powerful energy in the air encompassing a balancing respect for times-gone-by and hope. Two dueling lighthouses swept the breakers and sea beyond: North Head and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. We hadn’t seen each other in 4 years, and we’d not stopped talking since PDX, but here there was a mutual pleasure in the sounds of each other’s silence. I liked Liz for this reason, and other reasons.

I had been on this beach four nights before solo, drinking a few beers and sitting naked in the hightide sands under Pleiades, oblivious to aton. There is nothing I find but appreciation and curiosity for the juxtapositions simple things can influence in our thought processes. On this night, I went to bed content and inspired by the ambiance, Liz by my side.

But I couldn’t sleep. The night through I listened to the silence and two separate breaths. The back of my Rav-4 was cozy, but something outside seemed magnetic, and it was when the rain started to fall that I knew I wouldn’t sleep. Might as well run.

I decided North Head Lighthouse was much closer, and I’d already inspected the cliffs to the North and found no passage through. I ran south along the campground road, and eventually found a sign that said North Head Trail. Sheltering under magnificent pines, between down pours, I jogged as fast as I could through that forest, slowed in speed by massive root systems and ferns, but amped up by some mystic nostalgic vibe. My headlamp started going dim by the time I made the lighthouse, but I wasn’t concerned, I was thankful for the reminder to embrace the world as it is, without tools to “improve it.” At the lighthouse I found no sense of awe or desire. I was wet and starting to get chilled. My night run had been roughly 3 miles at that point and I’d need to take the roads back to the camp and I had no idea how long that’d take. My energy was fading but my spirit was content with something similar to happiness.

I was on a main road with a slight downhill grade. It was as dark as night can get. The unmistakable growl of an approaching engine was in the distance, switching gears fast, up and down. Soon I could see headlights from around the corner behind me. I stepped off the road, wearing nothing but shorts and running shoes and a wifebeater, drenched. The pickup slowed as it went by me, then sped on its way. I made out a middle-aged man in the front seat. There was nothing ahead but a deserted campground and US Coast Guard Station Cape D. A second speeding car passed me 5 minutes later; this one didn’t see me.

Back at the car I didn’t want to wake Liz. I fired up the Coleman and put on the coffee. It was approaching 0500. I walked back out to the beach and thought I might see a 47’. I didn’t. I was too cold to sit, and I closed my eyes each time I sipped at my cup-a-Joe…

I worry about cliches. I loose sleep over my thoughts. I worry about those who celebrate mediocracy – one day each of us will loose everything we’ve ever come to know and love, everything. I worry about platitudes. I worry about my own ego – is it too big? Is it real? What’s real? I’m bothered by a lot of stimulants, echoes particularly…

My buddy Lenny used to tell me Cape D stories back when we used to be stationed together. I guess it was there I gained some interest in the place. Through reading maritime literature, history and biography, and aging, I’ve come to appreciate the Columbia River Bar much more. It’s a dangerous place. Scenic, more than any other, and more dangerous than many of us know to consider – even in this modern era.

When Lenny posted a book recommendation online – Life and Death at Cape Disappointment – of course I bought it. But I wasn’t looking forward to reading it. The cover had that cliché feel to it. And the content, I thought, must be standardized modern hero culture. It sat on my shelf for months, until it became one of those books I randomly grabbed as I ran out the door… Then… I read it in two sittings, couldn’t put the thing down.

Christopher D’Amelio used to run the forest trails in Cape Disappointment. He spent some great deal of time on the jetties, beaches and cliffs in that part of the world. He also spent more than his share of time on Coast Guard rescue boats there. His book is built sea-story by sea-story, or rescue by rescue. It’s chapter driven in that way. But D’Amelio uses an undercurrent of themes that separate his book from the standard hero-culture and sensationalist publications that Amazon will suggest for you. He dives into his own psychology and he questions the status quo. What D’Amelio leaves out (although it’s always on the tip of his pen) brings a bit of suspense into the reading.

I appreciate the work D’Amelio did at Cape D, it’d be hard not to. And I admire him for the way he spins his yarns. I hope sharing his story with the world has also shared some of the weight he must carry. Maybe his past shipmates found some relief in it too(?).

Check out his book to gain insight into Coast Guard Hero Culture, from an inside POV. Check out his book for insight in the life and duties of a CG surfman. Check out his book for a collection of great sea-stories, as dark as they are. Check out his book to familiarize yourself with the Columbia River Bar and Cape Disappointment.

Thanks Christopher D’Amelio.

Salute.

… It was 0700 when I finally woke Liz. She seemed to have the chills under the blankets, so I stripped and snuggled up to her. She let out a squeal as my light blue skin touched hers. It took 15 minutes for our body temps to equalize. 30 minutes later she remembered we were in a new place, a forest in the PNW, and she looked out the window.

“It’s so beautiful out there.”

“We should hike out to the lighthouse today?” I responded.

“Yeah. I’d like that. How’d you sleep?”

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USCG NAV RULES

Bradley Angle — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 13:58:41 +0000

Support us with a purchase of the official US COAST GUARD NAV RULES. We offer the document encased in a unique cover. In addition, each Navigation Light Image contains a letter-descriptor that correlates to the color light you are seeing – which helps when the pilot house is in red-light conditions. 10% of all of our profits go to a charity to promote global education.

This copy of NAV RULES is directly from the US Coast Guard and it meets the requirements of carrying NAV RULES on your vessel.

You can also download the CG’s version for free at this link. Cheers!

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Pledge to Help

Bradley Angle — Thu, 26 May 2022 23:54:03 +0000

Dirty Sailor Company has never been about profit. This company is designed within the ideation process and for the results that come with… However, we do generate some monies. I want this business to be in the business of supporting people – sailors mostly – the community at large specifically. If I can run this website, publish books, collect sea-stories, and link sailors with sailors, then I am a happy sailor – and that is just what I am doing. In the meantime, my bills are getting paid and fun is in the air often.

With all of this said, I have taken inspiration from a Meditation guide that I follow a few times a week. Starting with Jan 1, 2022, Dirty Sailor Company is committing to donating 10% of all profits to charitable causes. Using the advice at both founderspledge.com/ and givewell.org/, Dirty Sailor Company will be donating to charities that have a mind towards education around the globe.

What you need to do: nothing. If you enjoy our site, keep doing so. If you have the time to share links to our site, leave reviews on Amazon, or talk about what we do with your peers, please do.

Cheers!

Here’s to good sailing and a meaningful experience.

I actually want to take a quick second to discuss my financial model…

This website was never designed to make money. Any financial gain the Dirty Sailor Company realizes is just a tangential perk to what this was all created for. Dirty Sailor Company is first about people, specifically it is about me (Bradley Angle) staying in touch with maritime buddies and meeting new ones. This is about goofing and growing. I would love to help those sea-people I’ve met along the way that are suffering, and I think I do to some degree, at least some people communicate that to me. But, I mostly want to share my experiences with the water world that I love and I want to do it in a way that helps me grow as a human.

All of this started in 2013 as an idea for a target market. I knew – the world knows – that there is a demographic in the maritime that is raunchy, rugged, and invigorated with lust for the sea. I thought I could apply what I learned in business school to interact with this market, and find some value that was worth focusing on… I entered into a Blue Ball – Green Ball business model with Dirty Sailor Company. I had no product to start. In fact, my original products were had crafted t-shirts. Then growth happens, as it does, and I realized people were at the heart of it all, not their sailor image, but their hearts and their minds. Their stories were/are windows into the juices of life. That is where we are at now. This is why I still do it.

Dirty Sailor Company will never advertise. It doesn’t make sense to do that. Sure I could sling Grudens or Salty Dog merch on this site. I could plug in Google Ads or a number of other click bait drag-and-drop penny collectors. But why? For a cash stream that interferes with what I love about Dirty Sailor Company? No, I won’t do that. Every now and then I may ask you to look into buying a book or a hoodie, but we’ll never sling ads your way. This is authentic man. The authors on this site are the real deal, unsensored and often without much sense (just joking)….

If money is made beyond what it cost to keep things going, I’m gonna give back. Hence the Founders Pledge above.

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Drake’s Voyage Annotated

Bradley Angle — Thu, 26 May 2022 23:44:25 +0000

“The World Encompassed, by Sir Francis Drake. Annotated” offered with Annotations by Bradley Angle.

Lost in the library? Bord in the book store? Why not go back and read a classic piece of historical sea-story?

We have just published an annotated version of “A World Encompassed,” Sir Francis Drake’s story of circumnavigation. This is one of the most exciting and inspiring sea-stories ever told. Through the lens of Francis Fletcher’s journal, A World Encompassed is a peak into 16^th century sailing. Our annotations provide smoothing for the elements of the stories that need a bit of flow control.

Our edition of this text, which is in the public domain, is designed for those who enjoy sea-stories.

If you like what you see on this website, help us out by purchasing one of our texts off of Amazon, and don’t forget to leave reviews!

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Ghost Writing for Laurie Powell

Bradley Angle — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 14:44:15 +0000

The image above is of Travis Obendorf shortly after graduating US Coast Guard training in Cape May New Jersey. Nine years after this photo was taken, in 2013, Travis would lose his life after receiving head injuries during Bering Sea operations. His mother would send me an email six years after that incident: “I’d like to speak with you, if that’s alright?”

When I released a pseudo-memoir that captured my experience as a junior enlisted person in the Coast Guard in 2018, I knew I’d be sacrificing a few friendships and endangering my career. The book was full of asshole teenagers, drug use, callous officers, maleficent missions, and immoral authority – so of course I would receive harsh criticism. What I did not expect was the praise, the expressions of understandings, the subtle offerings of thanks, and Laurie Powell. Within six months after publishing my book, “Shipmates: Before the Mast,” I was surrounded by a network of disgruntled Coasties and their loved ones. When Laurie reached out to me, I was simply caught off guard.

How could I contaminate this woman’s story with my own? What right do I have to interact with a dead hero’s mother? (And to be clear, Travis Obendorf does indeed meet the criteria to be a hero, even if that meeting is in a world where the term “hero” is abused by most leaders and politicians.) I was confounded to say the least. And I told Laurie as much.

We crafted terms for our communication. I’d hear Laurie out and I’d leave my journalistic pad at home. By the end of our first phone conversation tears were falling for Laurie.

Mrs. Powell is strong. She is quietly spoken until she is mad. She crafts emotions into objects she discusses poetically and even mails them to you for the holidays. Her world revolves around two things: beauty-love and grief. After months of communications with Laurie, I promised her I’d help her with anything needed, including publishing her book.

The communications slowed as time went on. I probed Laurie with an email, and her response made me take the day off work, sit on my porch, and question the meaning of it all. I was sad. I was sad for Laurie. I was disappointed with this world we live in, existentially and socially.

By November of last year (2020), Laurie turned up the heat a bit. She found a second ghost writer who was about to send her a completed book by December 1st. The book would review her son’s life and the different elements that surrounded his death – before and after. I knew that Laurie had some harsh things to say about the Coast Guard, and I knew her story would be honest and heartfelt. When she told me she could not find a publisher and was having trouble self-publishing, I offered my services.

December 1 arrived and so did Laurie’s phone call. The book wasn’t ready. The manuscript was a bunch of non-flowing statements. There was no narrative. There was no organization. The ghost writer hadn’t even bothered to proof read his own material. Laurie had lost a second ghost writer and the money that went with and still had no product. In the meantime, I had offered 80 hours to Laurie, to help get the book available to the public. I was committed to this project, regardless. So I once again offered my services: “Let me rewrite what you have.”

Over the next 30 days Laurie sent me over a thousand separate documents: witness statements, phone transcripts, FOIA requests, emails from the commandant, news clippings, photos, phone lists… As I waded through the material I saw exactly what Laurie had seen this entire time. For seven years she knew her son did not have to die. His death was the result of unwise and unethical decision making. It was the result of financial bargaining, publicity stunts, and individual-promotional endeavors.

I went over my committed 80 hours…

If you have a connection to the US Coast Guard, to grief, to a mother’s love, or to military scandal, take a read. Laurie’s story should be heard. Her son’s story should be heard.

Troubled Waters: Buy on Amzon

USCGOBIE.com

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The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss

Bradley Angle — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 15:38:53 +0000

Summary

Critique

Suggestions

DSC Essay

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Summary:

Title: The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss (2018)

Author: Voss John Claus

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Overview: Sail around the Pacific with Captain John Claus in the late 19th century looking for treasure. Then, and why not, sail around the globe with many different mates, in a 19th century Indian sailing canoe.

Critique: Like Joshua Slocum’s book, Sailing Alone Around the World, Voss’s narrates his own adventure from British Columbia, through the South Pacific, around the Australian Islands, through towns of disbelieving bystanders, across the Indian Ocean, and Finally, across the Atlantic and back to British Columbia, over three years. His tone is similar to Slocum’s. His adventure is similar, albeit he always had a mate. This book certainly tells us something about Voss, and the attitudes of men at the turn of the 19th century.

Suggestions: If you are into adventure history, this is a book to read. I found the title while reading “The Curve of Time,” and thought it’d be nice to learn something about treasure hunting in the Pacific. What I found, outside of treasure hunting in the pacific, is a portrait of customs and mannerisms of an old salt looking to do his will upon the Earth…. The book is by no means exciting. It’s not a page turner. And it’s not epic. His adventure is written as a side note, while his focal point is on his own perception of his fine sailing skills.

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Dirty Sailor Company (DSC) Essay:

Voss’ Mates

by Bradley Angle

How many mates did Voss go through on his voyage round the globe? He found them at union halls and sailor homes. His first was a writer, a man who wanted a story to share. His second, was washed overboard, so says Voss – and the man processes his guilt and innocence throughout the book. The third was a drunkard. The fourth, a dog. The fifth and sixth, companions in a near death experience…. Voss mentioned everything as a side note, with the exception of his sea anchors methodology and his sailing advice. His trip was a side note. His success, a side note. Nearly dyeing a side note…. His mates, however, were that mechanism to turn the page. They were the eyes of Tilikum while Voss nearly slept. They were the damaged baggage Voss healed simply by his presence.

What I truly want to get at, is that I feel that Voss threw mate, Louis Begent, overboard. He killed him. But what of it, for me to say this? I could list my evidence, mostly in page number format, with guidance to read between the lines (66, 68, 74, 94, 127, 149, 140), but does that give me some sort of right, or moral obligation, to post such an accusation of a long ago dead man? Or does it make me an asshole? Or a headliner? Or a monger of some newage sort? I don’t really give a shit. Voss seems just like the type of psycho-path that could through a man overboard, tip his hat to his sister, write about it to “exonerate the blame,” continue “driving the troubles out of shipmates,” and go on sailing!

What a time to live! What a place to think! The sea! Stories! Personal moments! Strife!

The mates of Voss know. They know.

Bradley Angle

About the Author

Notice the change of format! I have no formal background in book review, critiquing, or literary analysis. Also, my academic history in history, is little better than a AA degree. These reviews and critiques are scattered minded. I’m not so sure what I’ve been doing, and I’m not so sure where I am headed – though I do know I am growing. The mission is stable – I want more people to respect the sea and the people who interact with that environment. If it takes me five years to make this site, and these post, good and useful to my mission, then I am more than 1/2 way there! In the mean time, I have some reading to do and some boats to rock on…

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The Fringes of the Fleet

Bradley Angle — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 16:29:48 +0000

Summary

Critique

Suggestions

DSC Essay

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Summary:

Title: The Fringes of the Fleet (1915)

Author: Rudyard Kipling

Genre: Essay

Overview: In this short book, or essay, Kipling discusses the English Naval forces of World War 1. Using intellectual prose, poem and even dialogue, Kipling introduces the readers to the characters and action of naval and submersible warfare, through mine fields and militant convoys.

Critique:

Rudyard Kipling is a good writer. It is hard to debate that as he’s produced hundreds of works, including the famous “The Jungle Book.” This text, The Fringes of the Fleet, is another well written, page turning, easy to grasp, exciting, journey into the average life of a mariner, guarding strategic ports and clearing mine fields.

Suggestions: For an early 20th century text, this is a good review of the lives and mannerisms of sailors during times of war. Even though this could seem as a historical document, over a 100 years old now, it’s relevance could not be more. Read this, as it’s interesting and quick. This link I provide is for a larger collection of Kipling’s books, though you could run a internet search for only this essay.

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Dirty Sailor Company (DSC) Essay:

When I Read Kipling:

Rudyard Kipling is one of those names most of us know, though I’m pretty sure not many of us know why we know the name. He wrote “The Jungle Book,” – Ok – not that I give a shit. But he wrote and influenced so much more.

As a prominent journalist, writer, and speaker during and after World War 1, Kipling was influential to the public’s perception on British Colonies across the globe. In fact, Kipling wrote the “White Man’s Burden,” which became a foundational argument for why Europeans had an obligation from God to force empiricism on the world – specifically, the white man’s empire…. At this point, you should realize why you know Rudyard Kipling. The name was taught in that same social science or history class that taught about Manifest Destiny, or any of the other dogmatic doctrines that encourage(d) Europeans to force their civil-standards on others.

But I love digressions. My mind twirls and eddies with them constantly and consistently. An essay like The Fringes of the Fleet not only teaches us about the fears, cock-sureness, boldness, and social methods of early 20th century merchant mariners and sailors, it encourages us to dive into other worlds, that relate to these men and these times periods. I ended Kipling’s short novel with a wealth of knowledge I would otherwise never have researched.

Purchase the Rudyard Kipling compilation…

Bradley Angle

About the Author

It is October 30, 2020 and I am attempting to streamline a process of book reviews. My shelf is lined with about 20 new maritime type books: from rafting, to marooning, to racing. I hope to read, enjoy, and learn from all of them, and provide a brief glimpse of my thoughts on each… This is all with a long term goal – which you can see on the “about us” page. Cheers! bradley@dirtysailorcompany.com

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Gale Force 10

Bradley Angle — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 15:18:01 +0000

Summary

Critique

Suggestions

DSC Essay

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Summary:

Title: Gale Force 10: The Life and Legacy of Admiral Beaufort (2002)

Author: Nicholas Courtney

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Overview: This story of Francis Beaufort, more than his famed accomplishments, embellishes on life in the late 18th century as a young seafarer with well off parents, in Britain. Growing up in post American Revolution England, Beaufort must realize his skills with the help of his family’s network, but also with fierce determination and bravery in sea battles and storm. The book nicely divides his life, chapter by chapter, or rank by rank – which is only fitting. Nothing is sacred in this book, which gives the reader a wonderful sneak peek into the private letters of Beaufort and his brother and a look into his affairs with prostitutes and, later in life, his sister. I mention this only because it should help a potential reader to understand that this story is not just about the instruments and methodologies Beaufort is famous for bringing into common usage, it is also the story of a human, in a position of meritocratic power.

Critique:

If you truly are interested in learning about the English Sailor, Rear-Admiral Francis Beaufort, this is the book for you. I could not say that it is dry, though I caution you that that is probably due to my deep interest in such a significant figure in maritime history – I mean, this man spent a majority of his waking moments meticulously documenting voyages, weather, behavior, tides, stars, depths, etc… Not only did Beaufort deal with hard blows throughout his career, he buffaloed through them with vigor, intelligence, and sometimes ill-manners. The book is a fair and balanced review of the man, Francis Beaufort.

Suggestions: Read this if you want to know about Francis Beaufort – Don’t if you want to know about the Beaufort Scale – as that subject is but a few chapters in the entirety of the book. If your short on time, and need the basics, wikipedia would work for this biography. But if you need something more deep, please read this. (Disclaimer: this is the only text I’ve read on the subject.)

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Dirty Sailor Company (DSC) Essay:

Peeking into our roots:

Gale Force 10 made a mark on me. The author, Nicholas Courtney, used Francis Beaufort as an object to navigate the larger world of maritime culture during a moment in time that would have lasting effects. Beaufort himself spent a majority of his time trying to improve methods of sailing, shipkeeping, charting, managing, leading, and loving. In this book, we bounce Beaufort’s professional and social methods off what he practiced to what he preached. For example, Beaufort would often have his crew flogged for naughty language or sexual deviance, then he would write joking descriptions of his experiences with prostitutes in various ports. Beaufort’s father used his social network to leverage Francis’ early career – he even went as far as asking a friend to forge sea-time for Beaufort to have his career kickstarted, a practice which apparently was common for upper middle-class of the time (go figure).

Moving into the science and realm of seamanship, Beaufort used nothing more than determination and diligence to survey the waters he sailed, and, maybe more significantly, communicate the importance of ongoing surveys and dedication to establishing and maintaining aids to navigation around the world. By the early 19th century, maritime risks were well known, though any attempt to minimize them was looked at either with scorn (from wreckers and puritans) or through a superior and conceited lens. Most believed the English Navy was the best and had no room to grow. As a scientist, Beaufort knew better. From a young age, he was determined to establish mass scale data collection movements, to build the best charts for English shipping. In addition, he was determined to understand the tides, the currents, the winds, storms, the stars, and methods for communicating in standard and accurate ways about each.

Francis Beaufort seems to be a great figure to understand in the maritime. He wore a mask as a leader, as many do. He was determined and skilled. And he traveled all the seas, with an eye towards progress.

Purchase “Gale Force 10.”

Bradley Angle

About the Author

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