All Dan Parrott wanted was a couple hours of sleep, but the boat wasn’t cooperating. After working half the night, the 23-year-old deckhand had climbed up into his bunk a little earlier and nodded off as the Pride of Baltimore sailed south along the Swedish coast. Sleep was sometimes difficult in low-ceilinged bunks that more than one crewmember had compared to coffins. But, now it was impossible, thanks to the steep Baltic Sea waves that were shoving the 90-foot schooner into an uncomfortable, early-morning roll.
During his four months on board the Pride, Parrott had gotten used to its slow, arcing rolls in steep seas. But these were more dramatic than usual, almost violent.
Lying half awake under a grubby cotton sleeping bag that hadn’t been washed in months, Parrott was suddenly startled by a splash of water. As the ship reached the bottom of its deepest port roll yet, seawater had sprayed into his darkened bunk. While leaks were common on the Pride, this was the first time Parrott had experienced water in his bunk. He realized seawater was sloshing so high in the bilges that it had come up and over the thin planks that made up the cabin’s interior wall, and down into his bunk.
Moments later, the Pride leaned once again to port and a second, bigger spray of water splashed on his bed. Parrott gave up on sleeping; he knew he would soon be going back to work....
And so begins "Pride of the Sea." Chapter 1 recounts the near-loss of the Pride of Baltimore in the Baltic Sea in the summer of 1985. Six crewmembers went overboard and one was nearly lost in the morning storm. The book goes on to recount the Pride's last voyage, from Malaga, Spain, to the Caribbean and on toward home in the Chesapeake Bay.
