Jack's Rowboat

I listed the prototype of the rowboat for sale at etsy.com today.  I stated in the description that I had a number of associations with it, and that I would write them here:

• As I wrote in the description, the morning at 3am I woke up and had this powerful vision in my head.  A little rowboat, heading out into the ocean.  It was too far out to sea for him to hear me calling to him from the shore.  I started making the rowboat the next day.

• A separate association, there is a lovely old song, maybe Irish?, called "The Water is Wide" - here is a lovely version by James Taylor.  Part of the lyrics say,

"Build me a boat, 

that can carry two, 

and both shall row, 

my love and I..." 

• Around the time of Hurricane Katrina, there was a... what would one call it?  A story?  A fable? I'm not sure.  But it goes like this (this is how I remember it, it may be different in its original form):

A storm is coming.  A man's neighbor knocks at his door, "I have a car, let's go."  The man refuses - "No worries, God will take care of me."  The neighbor leaves without him.

The storm arrives, and the city is flooded.  Rescue workers come in a small boat, knock at the door, "We have a boat, let's go."  The man refuses - "No worries, God will take care of me."  The boat leaves without him.

The flooding worsens, and the man climbs to his roof to escape the waters.  A helicopter arrives, and the rescue workers shout down, "Grab the rope, let's go."  The man refuses - "No worries, God will take care of me."  The helicopter leaves without him.

The man drowns.  He stands before God.  "God, please, I was counting on you to take care of me."

God replies, "I sent you a car, a boat, a helicopter - what more did you want?"

-----------