A Day in Summer1989

[talking about Bellinger]

Ruskin:
We used to call him the Old Man of the Sea. He ditched, half way between Ostende and Bradwell Bay, and drifted in a dinghy for five days and five nights, alone - after he'd pushed his pilot overboard when his body began to smell. Can you imagine it, Rev? You can't and neither can I. The sea's a big place, even when you go down to it in ships. All around, nothing. Five days and five nights, with only a thin layer of rubber between you and it. Too cold to sleep at night. Too afraid to sleep in the daytime in case you miss the chance of a rescue. What will you die of? Hunger? Thirst? Cold? Will you die sane or mad? Muttering or shrieking? We can't imagine it, my dear Rector - it's beyond us, isn't it? But Ted Bellinger did it - the Old Man of the Sea did it. And he lived.