Looking For a Safe Harbor In a Storm

In 1973, my wife and I were able to go on a sailing vacation. We flew to Nassau in the Bahamas and went aboard one of the most beautiful tall sailing vessels in the world. The ship was named the “Fantome”. It was a 263 ft. long four-masted schooner. We sailed for one week going ashore on a number of small islands the largest of which was Bimini on which was the home of the writer Ernest Hemingway.
The ship held one-hundred passengers and thirty-one crew. The Fantome was built in 1925 as the personal yacht of Aristotle Onassis. It was later acquired by the Windjammer Cruises Co. in Miami, Florida for commercial passenger sailings.
This cruise was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Why am I telling you about this vacation of 30 years ago? Because there was a tragedy with the Fantome. It was not widely published in the media at the time but it nevertheless profoundly recalled my memory of the Fantome.
In November 1998, the Fantome left Grand Cayman Island with a full contingent of passengers and crew for a week’s sailing to Cozumel, Mexico and the British Honduras coastline islands. At the same time hurricane “Mitch” began to brew in the southern Caribbean with movement also toward Honduras. Mitch developed rapidly into one of the largest and strongest hurricanes ever. The Fantome, though, was ahead of the storm and was able to complete its week’s cruise arriving in Belize, Honduras on a Sunday morning. The one-hundred passengers disembarked from the ship at Belize and made connections for their flights home.
But with the approaching hurricane, a decision had to be made about what to do to have a safe anchorage for the Fantome. The harbor at Belize is not well protected from wind and waves, so the captain of the Fantome made the decision to sail further up the coast some distance to a small very well protected harbor which he knew of.
The Fantome left Belize on Sunday AND WAS NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN! Hurricane Mitch hit the coast on Monday packing 150 mile per hour winds. We all have heard of the destruction by the rain, wind and mud-slides which ravaged Honduras wiping out whole towns.
After the winds subsided, with no radio contact having been made with the Fantome, search planes were sent out to try to find the Fantome. Nothing! Nothing sighted for eleven days of the search.
Then on day twelve of the search, a small piece of wreckage was spotted ten miles offshore. It turned out to be the main wooden hand-carved staircase of the Fantome which went between the upper and lower decks. This twelve-foot long, beautifully carved staircase is all that was ever found of the Fantome. The ship must have sunk rapidly after being split apart by the monstrous winds. The location that the staircase was found was exactly where the eye of the hurricane passed over — the most fierce area of the storm.
Thirty crewmen and the captain were never heard from again - no bodies were ever found. They may all have been trapped in the sinking hull of the ship.
This tragedy can be a reminder to us that we all must search for a safe harbor from the storms which strike around us spiritually. This Christian life in the world brings us up against strong spiritual winds and even, at times, a spiritual hurricane like “Mitch”.
There is only ONE safe harbor - Jesus Christ! And this harbor of safety and peace is with us at all times during our “sail” through life. Christ said, “I will be with you ALWAYS! I will never leave you or forsake you!” Our safe harbor is dwelling right within us so, in times of distress (and also in good times), we need but turn inward to our Lord.
The One who created the elements of wind and rain is able to control their action to His purposes. See the gospel story in Mark 4:36-41: Late that day He said to them, “Let‘s go across to the other side.” They took Him in the boat as He was. Other boats came along. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused Him saying, “Teacher, is it nothing to you that we‘re going down?” Awake now, He told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?“
They were in absolute awe, staggered. “Who is this, anyway?” they asked. “Wind and sea at His beck and call!” (Message trans­lation).
Yes, not only the wind and sea but trusting Christians are at His beck and call. He lives His life out through us, out through the storms, to those around us. Would He let a little thing like a hurricane stop His purposes??

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