ThoughtGallery.org > The Accidental Sailor — Storytelling by Nelson Simon

The Accidental Sailor — Storytelling by Nelson Simon

A one man show stumbling into the perfect storm!

When Nelson Simon signed up as a last-minute crew member to transport a Norwegian schooner from Brooklyn to Bermuda, he pictured it as a sort of pleasure cruise: a week in the Caribbean with a gourmet chef on board, some down time on a tropical island, then a quick flight home. What did it matter that he had practically no sailing experience? The eight other crew members had plenty — they just needed an extra pair of hands. What could possibly go wrong?

The time was October 1991. The ship was Anne Kristine, the oldest continuously sailing vessel in the world. What awaited them was Hurricane Grace, the southern end of what came to be known as “The Perfect Storm.”

In this talk Nelson recounts an unlikely tale that begins with a friendly invitation and ends in the dead of night somewhere far from home, with a Coast Guard helicopter above and a dark, angry sea below. Along the way he considers the nature of life and death, accident and fate, and of those moments on the brink, when we feel most alive.











When: Fri., Jan. 26, 2018 at 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Where: National Lighthouse Museum
200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point
718-390-0040
Price: Tickets are $25. Reception to follow.
Buy tickets/get more info now
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A one man show stumbling into the perfect storm!

When Nelson Simon signed up as a last-minute crew member to transport a Norwegian schooner from Brooklyn to Bermuda, he pictured it as a sort of pleasure cruise: a week in the Caribbean with a gourmet chef on board, some down time on a tropical island, then a quick flight home. What did it matter that he had practically no sailing experience? The eight other crew members had plenty — they just needed an extra pair of hands. What could possibly go wrong?

The time was October 1991. The ship was Anne Kristine, the oldest continuously sailing vessel in the world. What awaited them was Hurricane Grace, the southern end of what came to be known as “The Perfect Storm.”

In this talk Nelson recounts an unlikely tale that begins with a friendly invitation and ends in the dead of night somewhere far from home, with a Coast Guard helicopter above and a dark, angry sea below. Along the way he considers the nature of life and death, accident and fate, and of those moments on the brink, when we feel most alive.

Buy tickets/get more info now