The Sloop, John B

The Beach Boys sang about the sloop, John B. They weren’t the first, nor would they be the last. John Bethel built this sixteen-foot-long boat in sixteen forty-seven, in his yard. A sloop had only five men on its crew and sailed, without a charter, far and wide. John B, transporting fruit in Nassau, wrecked, near Florida. The rest is history. In nineteen twenty-six the sloop was found, by men who sought it, buried in the sand. Carl Sandburg wrote a poem that next year, “The John B Sails.” Inspired by Sandburg’s lines, The Kingston Trio told of it again, The Beach Boys and the Ventures followed suit, along with fifty more, to present day. How many ships lie on the ocean floors, still waiting for their stories to be told? July 24, 2022 entered in Julia Ward's Sailing Poetry Contest July 24, 2022 entered in Julia Ward's Sailing Poetry Contest