Gallery: I must go down to the seas again
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
John Masefield, Sea-Fever
Early morning in Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State
The beach in Broadstairs, Kent
Fishing boat in Bai Tu Long Bay, Vietnam
Another Time by Antony Gormley, Margate, Kent
For Writer’s Quote Wednesday (belatedly!) I’m sharing extracts from one of the best-known English language poems about the sea with some photos from my archives that sort-of fit the text. I don’t tend to do ‘water fun in the sun’ as Marsha describes it; I like my seas wild and windswept, or tranquil in the light of dawn or sunset.
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
Sea stack off Rialto Beach on the Olympic Peninsula
In Bai Tu Long Bay, Vietnam
The beach in Whitstable, Kent
On First Beach, again on the Olympic Peninsula
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
The ‘do so’ on the beach in Whitstable
Tynemouth Beach, N E England, in winter
Tynemouth in winter, with South Shields pier beyond the river mouth
Surf off Hanga Roai on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
Waves breaking off Sal, one of the Cape Verde islands
Gull over Whitstable
Gull by the ferry landing in Seattle
Sunset from the Angelino on our Galápagos cruise
56 Comments
SoyBend
Very peaceful looking scenes, Sarah! I recognize the sea stacks of the Washington coast – a wild and scenic place.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Siobhan – I loved that coastline, I took hundreds of photos there!
rkrontheroad
All beautiful views, and the Masefield poem is perfect. I especially like the one in Vietnam with the misty ship appearing in the distance.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ruth 🙂 We didn’t have great weather for our Halong Bay / Bai Long Bay cruise, but it made for some interesting photos!
Teresa
Such a great collection Sarah. It would be nice if I could have that weather right now….right here!
Sarah Wilkie
And I would love to be by the sea right now! It’s been really hot in London the last few days – 34 degrees yesterday. But it’s cooling off a little now, and storms forecast tonight!
Teresa
Yup, I heard from my son. He hates hot weather so he can’t wait until the end of July when he is due to fly here.
Alli Templeton
Loved this, Sarah, you really know how to capture the essence of a theme. Those first couple of lines from the Masefield poem could have been written by my daughter, who adores tall ships and can’t wait to do some coastal sailing when we move. And your images illustrate perfectly the feel of that and all the subsequent poetry extracts. Like you, we don’t do the normal water ‘fun’ activities either, rather we prefer to absorb the haunting, natural wilderness of the quieter parts of a coastline, just as your wonderful shots show. And I went to school in Whitstable, so those images brought back some great memories, so thank you for that… 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Alli 🙂 Glad I could bring back good memories of Whitstable for you. It’s one of our favourite places but we prefer it a bit off-season, as we do the coast in the north east too.
Alli Templeton
Oh me too, give me off-season coasts any day. 🙂
wetanddustyroads
Yes, I like the sea too … whether it’s calm or stormy! The beach at Broadstairs in Kent looks like a great place to enjoy sand and sea and what a lovely action shot of the wave at Easter Island (wow, that water is so clear). Thanks Sarah, I love all of these photo’s!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 😊 The waves off Easter Island were quite dramatic and the sea so unpolluted!
Wind Kisses
Great collection and thoughtful quotes for wqw. I was glad to see the Olympics made your list. It is beautiful place. We are headed back there for a month this summer. Your photos remind me of what is in store. Very nice. Donna
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Donna 🙂 We had only a few days on the Olympic Peninsula, part of a road trip around most of the state, but I really loved it there!
grandmisadventures
Beautiful words and beautiful moments by the water that you captured 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – so glad you liked it!
Tanja
Nice poem and nice photos
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Tanja 😀
Kirstin
Beautiful photos…and quotes. I’ve wanted to visit Rialto beach but haven’t ventured there yet
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Kirstin 😊 Do visit Rialto if you can – we loved it there and it’s wonderful for photography!
Sue
Great collection, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sue 🙂
Gradmama2011
beautiful work here, I think we all are drawn to the ocean, some more than others.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, I think that’s probably true 🙂
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Beautifully matched. I think what I missed being able to walk beside most in lockdown was the sea. We have the canal and the rivers but they aren’t quite the same.
Sarah Wilkie
Walking by any water is lovely but I know what you mean – there’s something particularly special about the sea, because of the constant movement and sound of the waves.
Heyjude
There is just something about living by the coast – wild seas and empty shores preferably. Coming up to the time when I won’t be going anywhere near a beach for a couple of months, though I am hoping it won’t be as packed as it was last year.
Sarah Wilkie
I can just imagine that you would want to stay away when the beaches are at their busiest. I’ve always liked seaside resorts in winter and I want to be able to walk on a beach without having to detour around sprawling bodies! Having said that, in your location I could be tempted to go for a quick dip in the sea in the hottest weather!
rosalieann37
Your photos are lovely as always. But when I read the words, I think of myself as being on a sailing ship and not on the shore.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, I’m sure that’s what Masefield was describing but I didn’t feel my images were too bad a fit.
photobyjohnbo
Your beautiful photos of the water remind me that we have some cruises in the next few months… I can hardly wait to be on the seas again.
Sarah Wilkie
Everyone seems to be on the move again, travelling or making travel plans 🙂 Glad to hear you’re among them, as are we of course!
restlessjo
That Tynemouth beach looks distinctly ‘fresh’ but it’s a lovely shot, Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
That shot was taken on a recent New Year’s Eve, so definitely fresh! But I love Tynemouth in any season 😀
restlessjo
So do I. Just a bit out of the North Sea habit these days. It’s hovering around 32C this weekend which is way too hot unless you’re at the beach. I’m sitting in shade on the patio 🤗⛱️💕
Sarah Wilkie
Ouch, too hot for me! I would love your mild climate during the winter but I don’t think I could live over there at the height of summer.
restlessjo
It’s come early this year. A bit cooler later next week. 🤗⛱️💟
thehungrytravellers.blog
Lovely collection – we just can’t imagine living away from the coast now, it’s great to just go out and take a seafront stroll when you need a bit of air. Lots of our Kent coastline in this collection, too: sometimes the modest hues of our own coastline make for great “moody” shots. Funnily enough I used a line from the same poem for the title of one of our Costa Rica posts.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, I thought you’d recognise the Kent locations 🙂 As said to Anna below, if I could just move London next to the coast and have the best of both worlds, I would! When we visit Newcastle I’m always happy to be able to reach the coast so easily 🙂
Marsha
Having spent about half my life in close proximity to beaches along the Washington, Oregon and California. I miss that misty, wild and tumble kind of fun in the water. Your pictures bring back memories.
Sarah Wilkie
That west coast of the US is so beautiful, I can easily see how you would miss it! I loved the beaches of Oregon, like Bandon, but don’t have any decent shots from there – that was back in our 35mm days and I haven’t scanned any of them as yet.
Anna
I’ve lived within 5 minutes of the ocean all my life. I can’t imagine life without it! Lovely captures as always Sarah x
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anna – if you could just move London to within five minutes of the ocean I’d be very happy 😆
Anna
Lol yes I remember when I went to live in London back when I was 20…. I felt so far from the ocean. And not seeing a sunset over the ocean was so weird for me!
bushboy
So wonderful Sarah. At first I thought it was going to be a post for Paula’s WOW Challenge but it just kept enlivening me with images to compliment the words 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Brian 😊 I’ve never done that challenge of Paula’s – there are so many around!
bushboy
I am a photo challenge junkie 😂😂
Mike and Kellye Hefner
More gorgeous photos Sarah! There’s something about water, especially pretty water, that soothes the soul. I would say a quiet beach does just that. Oh, and that sunset from your Galapagos cruise – beyond stunning. Thank you for sharing with your landlocked-in-the-almost-desert followers!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, yes, there’s nothing quite like a quiet beach – but I also love one with crashing waves! Come to that I love the desert too, so I could be happy visiting your area too I am sure 🙂 But only visiting – I still love best my city life 😆
CliffClaven
Precisely:
“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack,
Butting through the Channel in the mad March days,
With a cargo of Tyne coal,
Road-rails, pig-lead,
Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.”
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, but wouldn’t you rather have the ‘cargo of ivory, And apes and peacocks’?! Or the ‘diamonds, Emeralds, amythysts, Topazes, and cinnamon’???
Aletta - nowathome
I love the ocean, the beach and the sunset! The statue is great too!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Aletta. I really like Gormley’s work and that one was so perfectly placed but I believe it has since been moved to a different location. We were lucky to catch it when we did!
Aletta - nowathome
I am glad you got it before it was moved
margaret21
All great photos of course. But perhaps it’s unsurprising that the ones from England’s coastline chime most closely with Masefield’s poem. Somehow, it’s all about the dirty-British-coaster’s friends and relations (it’s O,K. I know what I mean, anyway 😉 )
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret 🙂 I see what you mean about the English shots, they do seem to fit Masefield’s words and the overall mood of the poem particularly well