The Marooned Scotsman

Are you Scottish? Are you a rabble-rouser? If so, you would have gotten along with Alexander. As a child and as an adult he constantly got himself in trouble, often being arrested or asked to appear before church leaders. To escape the rather unpleasant accountability, he chose to be a buccaneer.

In the 1600-1700’s countries at war would send out their naval fleets, then look for private ship owners willing to join in the effort. They would pay them handsomely to set out to the wild blue yonder to fight and to serve their country. These private seamen, or privateers, came to be known as “buccaneers.” Alexander served on Captain Stradling’s ship, the Cinques Ports. He enjoyed his work and took it very seriously. Unfortunately, he would become punished, but not for his rebelliousness. It would be for his commitment to the well-being of ship and crew. Here’s what happened:

The Cinques Ports pulled up to an uninhabited island (about 670 miles off the coast of Chile) so the sailors aboard could scavenge for extra food and supplies. Before they left again, Alexander expressed strong concerns about the condition of their ship. To express the seriousness of the matter he stated that it was in bad enough shape that one would be safer stranded on the island than to set back out to sea. Stradling’s response was not unlike a sulking child who hates any kind of criticism. He commanded Alexander to stay put on the island while the rest of the crew set sail. It’s like he folded his arms, stuck his nose up in the air and said, “You can’t play with us anymore!”

Alexander pleaded with the captain not to desert him, but Stradling felt that this is what Alexander deserved for ever questioning his leadership. Turns out, though, he should have listened to Alexander. They almost died on the water only to be found by a Spanish boat, their enemy. Though they would survive, their fate was harsh imprisonment by their captors.

Alexander spent over four years on that island. All of his time was spent fishing (especially for lobster), hunting, making make-shift clothes when the ones on his back wore out, and seeking some kind of rescue. He also read his Bible a lot, one of the few things Stradling left for him.

At first he was excited to see a ship approaching, but it turned out to be a Spanish one. He ran away and hid in a tree. They searched for him, but never found him, even though they urinated at the base of that tree with him high above looking down at them. This same thing happened a second time, but the third time he saw a ship it was an English one. He was so excited he was practically incoherent. He boarded the ship, impressed everyone in it with his strength, agility, and ability. And as hard as it is for me to imagine, he continued buccaneering for another four years before ever getting back home to Scotland!

Alexander Selkirk’s story of surviving as a castaway for such a long time became the stuff of legend to his fellow countrymen, and became the inspiration for a book written a few years later by seasoned author named Daniel Defoe. The book is, allegedly, second only to the Bible in number of translations: Robinson Crusoe.

Which in turn became the inspiration for Robert Zemeckis’ Cast Away nearly two hundred years later. So, if you have to go into quarantine anytime soon as many New Brunswickers have had to do recently, think of the rebellious Scotsman. Maybe even read the book to pass the time. I’m tellin’ ya Laddy… the Scottish are as tough as frozen haggis they are!

Congratulations Cast Away. This is your week.

And the Oscar goes to…

Best Actress:

Auli’i Cravalho as Moana in Moana

Best Actor: Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland in Cast Away

Best Quote: “And me? I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for. Because it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something. And if you find that moment… It lasts forever.” – Leonardo DiCaprio as Richard in The Beach

I’ve been working on trying to watch all of the Best Picture Oscar winners from 1927-present, and along the way have found ones I love, ones I hate, and ones I know I will soon forget. If you’re ever interested in watching an old b&w movie but you want it to be a good one, I would suggest either Gentleman’s Agreement (1947, a Gregory Peck film with a lot of the same sensibilities as To Kill a Mockingbird) or The Lost Weekend (1945, which deals with alcoholism in a way that I believe was way ahead of its time.). As for current titles, I highly recommend both Being the Ricardos (a biopic about Lucy and Desi Arnaz) and The Tender Bar (a feel-good movie with an awesome Ben Affleck performance). Both are on Amazon Prime if you have that streaming service.