I couldn’t work out which blog to write.

One was about the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster in 1981. The bravery of the crew of the lifeboat Solomon Browne who went to the aid of the stricken coaster Union Star. The crew understood the danger themselves to the extent that no two men from the same family were allowed on the call-out. In the end, sixteen lives were lost - the eight-strong lifeboat crew, five members of the Union Star crew, and three passengers - the Union Star captain’s wife and daughters.

Another blog was about the power of the folk music tradition. I was alerted to the story by the song Solomon Browne by Seth Lakeman who we went to see on Tuesday. Along with virtuoso violin and mandolin playing, Mr. Lakeman tells stories. Proper stories of real events. When in Dartmoor last autumn, we visited Jay’s Grave and Childe’s Tomb, both of which inspired Lakeman songs.

Yet another blog was about charity. Having a (retired) sea-faring father, one of my pet charities has always been the RNLI - they’re fixed on my Give As You Earn list for as long as I am in employment. I was pleased to see RNLI collectors at the Seth Lakeman gig, since it’s also his pet charity. And not forgetting a certain Mr. Omally who, I believe also does the odd thing for them such as biking round every single lifeboat station in Britain or something like that.

And all the time, I hadn’t yet read Scott J’s blog, November Witch, about another song-inspiring marine disaster.

As is common nowadays, I’m not sure where I’m going with this, other than to say… if you see fit, have a listen to Solomon Browne, read the story of the disaster, spend a few minutes thinking about the bravery of the lifeboat crews, and if you have the means, give a quid or two to the RNLI next time you pass a box.