Sailors cling to tradition. It’s well known that we salute the quarterdeck when we board a boat. Perhaps it’s a bob of the head, the shadow of a bow, certainly a smart salute when in uniform. We offer a moment of respect for the ship, for the dangers of even the smallest voyage. The nod is also acceptance of the caution and humility we share with the Old Fellahs, our watery continuum.
Less well known is the same salute given as we leave the ship. This may be a more complex and general observance: This nod acknowledges thanks for bringing us back, miraculously dry-shod; it gives thanks to the ship itself for carrying us safely and giving us the renewing gift of perspective on the shore; and it acknowledges that the voyage could easily have gone so differently.