Calypso

So many of us grew up with the National Geographic specials on TV. One such series was The Undersea World With Jacques Cousteau.

With the crisis in the gulf, and Mr. Cousteau's 100th birthday, I can't help but think of how horrified he and his crew would be and what solutions they might have come up with. A few years back, I heard that the Calypso, Cousteau's legendary ship, was in some ship bone-yard rusting away.

With the untimely death of John Denver, who wrote a song about Calypso and was a guest crewman several times, the demise of the Calypso was like a stab in the heart to me.  I was very moved when I heard about it and saw a picture of the ship on it's side waiting to be cut up and hauled away for scrap steel. But I'm happy to say that this little story isn't over and there appears to be a very happy ending in store for us all. There is a project currently under way to restore the Calypso, a former minesweeper that became the central character in the popular television series that we all grew up with in the 60's and 70's. The restoration will take just under 10 million dollars (a third of which has already been raised) and take about a year to complete. The Calypso, now docked in Brittany, France, will no longer be a vessel of exploration, but of education being that environmental conservation is now more important than ever, according to the widow of Jacques Cousteau.

Some years back when I saw John Denver's video, Calypso on YouTube, knowing the demise of the once noble ship, well, I practically cried my eyes out. But now with this wonderful news, this beautiful song once again brings me great inspiration and hope for the future.

Please click on the link below and enjoy.

Calypso by the late John Denver