The Long Blue Line (Spring 2024)

A FAMILY
AFFAIR
By Beau Bridges
In my family, the first one to go to sea
was my grandpa, on my mom’s side …
a tough little Englishman from Liverpool
named Frederich Simpson. As his first
grandchild, I couldn’t say “Grandpa.”
All that came out was “Packa.” Later,
that was shortened to “Pack,” and that’s
how he was known to his family for the rest of
his life. His dad was a blacksmith. They were a
poor family; he had 11 siblings. At the age of 12,
he would sit on the dock watching the clipper
ships coming in and out, and he would dream
of adventures in far off lands. His wanderlust
became too much, and he stowed away one
misty morning. He was discovered too far out at
sea to return and so began an exciting chapter
of his life that would take him seven times
around the world on a sailing ship. He loved
to regale his family with tales of going around
the cape horn in the summer where he would
fall asleep in the blazing noon sun and the rats
would nibble on his toes. His favorite story was
being ordered to furl the sails in a snowstorm …
his knuckles frozen … unable to hold out … he
fell toward certain death … only to be saved by
a line dropped gently to the deck. If that didn’t
happen, I wouldn’t be telling you this story. I
feel his spirit is with me as I often reflect on the
company of fellow seafarers.
I GREW UP IN
MAR VISTA …
A TOWN NEAR
THE SEA IN
SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.
THE OCEAN
WAS AN
IMPORTANT
PART OF MY
WORLD.
THE LONG BLUE LINE SPRING 2024
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