In those far-off days before planes took to the air, if you needed to get from Britain to America in a hurry, you took the fastest liner afloat.
Talking of which, the luxurious SS United States made the fastest Atlantic crossing in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes in 1952.
Was that the time?
The largest passenger liner constructed in the US, the SS United States could maintain a 32 knot cruise speed at about two-thirds power and had a top speed of over 40 knots.
It still holds the westbound record today.
Great. Fine. Wonderful.
But in the 21st century, why do thousands of passengers take ‘leisurely’ holidays on a ship that speeds from one port to another?
As Ernest Hemingway once said, ‘Never confuse motion with activity.’
There are plenty of things to do on 21st century cruise ships to stave off the boredom of spending days out of sight of land.
The Japanese put it even better, ‘Let the past drift away with water.’
Ticking over – to your final destination
Meanwhile, some hold fast that which is good; others hold good that which is fast.
I say: Slow down, relax, enjoy the journey.
Worried? Time heals all things – except leaking taps. So get a plumber and calm down.
Sure, you are probably concerned about your future (and that flooding bath) but there’s no point rushing towards it. We are all going to spend the rest of our lives there. Not necessarily in the bathroom with a bucket.
‘Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life,’ said Will Rogers, ‘trying to save.’
Maybe it’s about time somebody launched a new cruise ship that has incredible speed but goes at a much slow and steadier (not necessarily plodding) pace to reach its destination.
They could christen it: The SS Hare and the Tortoise.
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1 Comment
Jun 17 2011
15:08
I don’t understand why people have to race everywhere. My mama used to say, take your time, young man. Don’t you rush to get old.