OK, OK, just kidding, it's not really a kayak wake - of course I know you knew that! Hah! Good imagination though eh?! The image above, however, is the wake of the M.V. Coho, en route from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington the other day. Our trip was a short sabbatical "sortie pedagogique" (educational field trip) to Seattle. Mid-voyage, pondering life under the warm mid-afternoon sun, I got focused on the nature of "wakes". Fascinating subject.
According to the science of fluid dynamics, a wake is an area of disturbed flow, downstream (or following) anything that moves through a fluid such as water or air. Wakes from ships and boats are pretty obvious. When I was young, I used to take great joy in watching the "rooster tail" of our outboard motor boat as we were speeding across the lake at full speed. I took even greater joy at skimming across the wake on water skis and, occasionally, landing a pretty impressive jump from one side to the other! Wakes can make for great sport but clearly, they can also have an impact on other boaters and even the shoreline. Often there is signage as you enter a harbour: "No Wake" means slow down - so that the impact of the wake is minimized on boats that are moored or on shorelines that are subject to erosion. Wakes from our huge ferries can be quite impressive - and capable of capsizing a small boat or producing great rolling waves that are fun to surf in a kayak!
Aircraft also leave invisible wakes, most noticeably from the ends of the wings. These wingtip "vortices", the result of the wing generating lift, can persist for several minutes and be a significant hazard to small aircraft that make the mistake of following too closely to large aircraft taking off or landing. Air traffic controllers make very sure this doesn't happen! When you're learning to fly, instructors are pretty clear about the dangers that exist at airports where small aircraft share the runways with large aircraft!
I don't think it's a stretch to suggest that, in our living, we human beings leave behind "wakes" as well. Sometimes, for example, we leave a trail of turbulence behind us - turbulence that can toss unsuspecting folks around if they're not careful. Such wakes can overwhelm and "capsize" others although we may never intend that to happen. Some folks figure it out pretty quickly and do the equivalent of carrying a "surf board" with them - just to survive us!
If, in our living, we leave behind us a "wake" of negativity or pessimism, it can serve to pull others down, not unlike the whirlpools in the narrow channels of our Gulf Islands can endanger the unsuspecting paddler and jeopardize forward progress. Such "wakes" also have the ability to erode relationships, just as the ocean waves can erode the shoreline. We need to be careful there too.
If, on any given day, our moods and attitudes bring discomfort and hurt to those around us, perhaps it's important to reflect on how we make our own passage through the day - and how we might regain control. Having said that, sometimes, it's essential that we "rock the boat" - that's usually how progress is made in community and how quality of life is improved for those who may struggle. The key, however, seems to be in wanting the best for others and understanding that our "wakes" often have consequences for those around us.
Elvis Costello sings about "peace, love, and understanding". I rather like that as an image of the "wake" we might choose to leave behind. If our living makes the kind of "waves" that enriches others, buoys them up, and gives lift to their lives - it's probably the kind of "wake" that should ideally mark our passage through any given day. Granted, not always easy - but, I think, worth of the effort.
One last thing - ever noticed that the turbulence, confusion, bubbles and froth of a ship's wake doesn't really last that long? Check the image again. The energy in the wake dissipates and within a relatively short period of time, other mariners would never know that the ship had been there. On those days when we feel that our moods are generating turbulence for others - it doesn't have to last long. Unless it continues to be "fueled", the turbulence around us and behind us will disperse and a calm will mark our passage through the day.
Just a thought from the deck of a ferry.
D.
PS Happy 50th birthday Coho!
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