Coincidence - Alan May [1]
A number of other people provided invaluable assistance during the writing of Coincidence:
Carolyn Currie, who did a magnificent job of editing the original manuscript. Because this is my first book, I needed a lot of direction from Carolyn; I hope she will work with me again on future books. And Donald G. Bastian for his editing and publishing assistance.
Brian McClure and Jan Campbell, both teachers, who provided their respective opinions on the differences between the private and public education systems.
Andrew Baldwin, an onboard teacher who provided insight into the challenges teachers face when exposed to students twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
My daughter Karen, son Ryan, and Francois Ares, all of whom sailed aboard the Concordia and who provided knowledge of everyday life aboard an educational tall ship, as did Roger Nugent, the bosun of the ship.
Andrzej Straburzynski, Captain of the Concordia, who was forever concerned about the safety of his precious cargo, his students.
Wojciech Wacowski, doctor and second mate aboard the Concordia, and Dr. Bryan Thomas, both of whom provided medical input, helping me with my descriptions of the injuries suffered by the characters in the novel.
And finally, four particularly helpful books: Dawn to Dusk in the Galapagos by Rita Gelman and Tui De Roy (Boston: Little Brown, 1991); Galapagos: A Natural History by John Kricher (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Natural History Series, 2002); Galapagos: Island Lost in Time by Tui De Roy (Moore, NY: Penguin, 1980); and Galapagos: Islands of Change by Lynne Myers and Christopher Myers (New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1995).
1
Melissa came bouncing through the door on one of those highs she was famous for. She was overflowing with energy and bursting at the seams to tell someone, anyone, about the terrific movie she and her friends had just seen.
As with most teenaged girls, movie going on the weekend was a big part of Melissa’s life. She would have preferred to go with her boyfriend rather than with other girls, but, alas, she didn’t have one. That, of course, was the fault of her parents for making her attend a private girls’ school rather than a coed school. She was not happy with this aspect of her education. She doubted her parents’ view that one day she would look back on her school years and be thankful for the sound education the private system provided, in spite of the absence of boys.
The movie that night had been White Squall, the tragic and true tale of an old eighty-foot tall ship called the Albatross that had sailed around the world in the early sixties. The crew of the Albatross is a group of students—all of them boys; perhaps this accounted for part of Melissa’s interest—completing their final year of high school aboard a working ship. They are exposed to discipline, sail training, and hard work in conditions that were often far from ideal. The owner/captain of the ship is the school’s director; he and his wife and one additional teacher teach all the classes onboard. A cook and a bosun round out the crew. The students, who come from backgrounds ranging from middle class to filthy rich, are participating in this program for a variety of reasons: to gain sailing experience, to follow in family footsteps, to learn discipline, to overcome a family tragedy. In the case of one family, the parents want their son as far away from home as they can get him.
This assorted group is thrown together as a “family” forced to work out their problems and difficulties in a tough environment. Sailing such a ship is not easy. It requires day and night watch and maintenance, together with classes, studying, cleaning, and cook-ing—and all of this on very little sleep.
And then, at the end of the film, in spite of valorous attempts by the young crewmen, the ship sinks.
Even in the face of this heart-rending ending, Melissa fell in love with the thought of going on such an adventure.