WEBVTT - S04 Episode 6 Extra: Thoughts Unsaid and then Forgotten

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClane Smith, where

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<v Speaker 1>for the weeks in between episodes, we look at stories

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<v Speaker 1>and ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make

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<v Speaker 1>it into the previous show. In last week's episode, The

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<v Speaker 1>Silence of the Sea, we found the ghost ship Mary

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<v Speaker 1>Celeste adrift on the Atlantic Ocean. Over the years, many

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<v Speaker 1>theories have been put forward to explain what happened to

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<v Speaker 1>the ship's ten crew and passengers. Today, despite the many

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<v Speaker 1>other worldly explanations, the most popular theories tend to revolve

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<v Speaker 1>around the nature of the cargo on board the vessel.

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<v Speaker 1>It's been speculated that leaking vapors from the dnatured alcohol

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<v Speaker 1>in the ship's hold might have scared Captain Briggs into

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<v Speaker 1>thinking the vessel was about to explode. Terrified by the

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<v Speaker 1>prospect of imminent catastrophe, the passengers may have taken to

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<v Speaker 1>the lifeboat in a panic, only to later sink under

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<v Speaker 1>difficult conditions. Others have suggested that the vapors may even

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<v Speaker 1>have caught fire at some point, but since only the

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<v Speaker 1>gas would have been burned off, no evidence remained of

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<v Speaker 1>anything untoward having taken place. However, it is unlikely we

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<v Speaker 1>will ever have a definitive explanation for what occurred, and

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<v Speaker 1>so the marriage Celeste is destined to remain forever adrift

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<v Speaker 1>on those inscrutable and unforgiving waves of maritime history. There

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<v Speaker 1>is something uniquely evocative and even romantic about the notion

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<v Speaker 1>of being lost at sea. I think this is due

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<v Speaker 1>in part to the inevitable sense of isolation that such

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<v Speaker 1>an event conjures up, but also the strange confluence of

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<v Speaker 1>something as singular and dynamic as an animal being consumed

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<v Speaker 1>and ultimately dissolved into something so impassive and amorphous as

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<v Speaker 1>the sea, at least from the perspective of an animal

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<v Speaker 1>that lives above the water. That is, in writing the

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<v Speaker 1>last episode, I was reminded of a story I heard

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<v Speaker 1>many years ago about the artist bass Jarn Arda, who

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen seventy five attempted a solo crossing of the

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<v Speaker 1>Atlantic Ocean from the US to the United Kingdom. Like

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<v Speaker 1>many artists, Arda was determined for his work to get

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<v Speaker 1>as close to eliminating artifice as possible, to leave only

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<v Speaker 1>the unadulterated truths of existence. Arda's earlier work played on

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<v Speaker 1>the conflict between free will and determinism, the notion that

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<v Speaker 1>all acts are the result of pre existing causes. One

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<v Speaker 1>series of films in particular, based around the notion of falling,

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<v Speaker 1>explored this idea explicitly recorded in the early seventies. The

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<v Speaker 1>films depict Arda falling in different ways. Fall one Los

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<v Speaker 1>Angeles has the artist sat in a chair on the

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<v Speaker 1>roof of his house before tumbling uncontrollably to the ground.

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<v Speaker 1>Fall two Amsterdam shows Arda cycling along a canal in

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<v Speaker 1>the Dutch city before turning the bike toward the water

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<v Speaker 1>and cycling straight into it. As one critic, Alexander Damadzi

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<v Speaker 1>noted in his book Bassian arda Death is Elsewhere, these

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<v Speaker 1>were moments presented as ordinary occurrences that then become highly unusual,

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<v Speaker 1>but also that they were intended to represent events that

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<v Speaker 1>could not have unfolded differently. Nothing he could have done,

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<v Speaker 1>notice or indecision on his part would have altered the

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<v Speaker 1>course of events. As also noted by the critic, Arda's

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<v Speaker 1>friends often worried about the possible consequences of his determination

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<v Speaker 1>to use art as a way to explore his philosophical ideas.

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<v Speaker 1>For Arda, it seemed merely depicting them wasn't enough. What

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<v Speaker 1>he ultimately wanted was to actualize them. It was an

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<v Speaker 1>approach that may well have cost him his life. Bastian

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<v Speaker 1>Johann Christian Arda was born on April nineteenth, nineteen forty two,

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<v Speaker 1>to mother Johanna Arda Appel's and his father also called Bastian,

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<v Speaker 1>in Windscotton in the Netherlands. Arda was born during the

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<v Speaker 1>height of the Second World War, with the Netherlands under

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<v Speaker 1>German occupation. Both his parents were morally opposed to Adolf

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<v Speaker 1>Hitler's government and were active members of the Dutch Resistance.

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<v Speaker 1>Using Arda's father's position as a Calvinist minister, Arda's parents

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<v Speaker 1>are thought to have helped somewhere between two to three

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<v Speaker 1>hundred Jewish compatriots escaped the Holocaust, often using their home

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<v Speaker 1>to help hide them. In nineteen forty four, while away

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<v Speaker 1>in central Netherlands, Bastian Arda was arrested by the German

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<v Speaker 1>army on one late November night. He was taken into

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<v Speaker 1>the woods along with six other prisoners to face a

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<v Speaker 1>firing squad. Arda demanded that he be killed last, so

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<v Speaker 1>he might comfort his fellow prisoners before their death. After

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<v Speaker 1>watching each of them being shot in the head right

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<v Speaker 1>in front of him. He is said to have then

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<v Speaker 1>met his own fate with the strength of conviction that

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<v Speaker 1>haunted his eldest son for the rest of his life.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not hard to see where perhaps Arda's fascination

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<v Speaker 1>with fate, determinism, and free will might have sprung up

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<v Speaker 1>from considering these brutal early experiences. After the war, Bassian's

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<v Speaker 1>mother moved him and his baby brother Eric to drybalk

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<v Speaker 1>where they grew up. Arda struggled with the discipline of

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<v Speaker 1>school and rebelled against his mother's wishes for him to

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<v Speaker 1>follow in his father's footsteps and become a minister. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>he renounced his faith and turned his attentions to art.

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<v Speaker 1>At eighteen, he traveled to America and spent a gear

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<v Speaker 1>studying in Washington, d c. Before eventually finding his way

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<v Speaker 1>to Los Angeles, where in nineteen sixty five he met

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<v Speaker 1>his wife, Mary Sue, a frequent collaborator in his work.

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<v Speaker 1>Though Arda had exhibited his work throughout the sixties, it

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't until his first series of Fall films, shown in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy one that he began to make his mark

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<v Speaker 1>in the emerging Los Angeles art scene at the time.

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<v Speaker 1>In nineteen seventy three, Arda began work on a piece

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<v Speaker 1>which was intended to be a triptych called in Search

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<v Speaker 1>of the Miraculus. The initial part, consisting of fourteen to

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen photographs, was titled In Search of the Miraculus One

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<v Speaker 1>Night in Los Angeles and was first exhibited in November

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy four. Together, the black and white stills depict

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<v Speaker 1>the nocturnal meander through the city in each which can

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<v Speaker 1>be found either upfront and obvious, or hidden somewhere in

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<v Speaker 1>the shadows, a darkly clad ardor shining a flashlight. The

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<v Speaker 1>final photo reveals a haunting image of Arda standing in

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<v Speaker 1>fuzzy isolation on a beach, seemingly cut off from the

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<v Speaker 1>bright lights and life of the city just visible in

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<v Speaker 1>the distance behind him. Shortly after making the photos, Arda

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<v Speaker 1>seemed to lose interest in his work and took up

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<v Speaker 1>a teaching post in the University of California. Some concerned

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<v Speaker 1>by his diminishing output, speculated that Arda had reached an

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<v Speaker 1>impass in his work and that he thought it had

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<v Speaker 1>become too routine and formulaic. It was around this time

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<v Speaker 1>that Arda began planning for the second part of In

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<v Speaker 1>Search of the Miraculous. This part would take the form

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<v Speaker 1>of an ambitious journey in which he would sail on

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<v Speaker 1>his own from Cape Cod in Massachusetts to Cornwall in England.

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<v Speaker 1>Though some have suggested otherwise, Arda was in fact a

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<v Speaker 1>very accomplished sailor, having learned to sail from a very

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<v Speaker 1>early age growing up in the Netherlands. At nineteen, after

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<v Speaker 1>hitchhiking to Morocco, Arda befriended a man named Neil Birkhead,

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<v Speaker 1>who was looking for a crewmate to help him sail

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<v Speaker 1>to California. Arda jumped at the opportunity, and together they

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<v Speaker 1>successfully completed the eleven thousand mile journey, arriving months later

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<v Speaker 1>after a series of life threatening disasters, all of which

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<v Speaker 1>they had managed to overcome. Are you always taking care

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<v Speaker 1>of your family? Do you often take care of others

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0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.360
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<v Speaker 1>get started. That's teladoc dot com Slash Unexplained podcast. In

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy four, Bassian Arda accepted an offer to put

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<v Speaker 1>on an exhibition at the Groninger Museum in Groningen in

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<v Speaker 1>the Netherlands. The show, which was seen by Arda as

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<v Speaker 1>the perfect opportunity to conclude his in Search of the

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<v Speaker 1>Miraculous project, was scheduled for the autumn of the following year.

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<v Speaker 1>By now, the artist was deep in preparation for his trip,

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<v Speaker 1>studying flows of currents, possible weather patterns and reacquainting himself

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<v Speaker 1>with all the necessary nautical charts. Although his efforts to

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<v Speaker 1>find sponsorship failed and the costs quickly escalated, Arda plowed

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<v Speaker 1>on regardless, asking the few friends that knew about his

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<v Speaker 1>journey to keep it a secret until he had successfully

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<v Speaker 1>completed the trip. In June, he purchased a twelve and

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<v Speaker 1>a half foot long Guppy thirteen sailing boat. Despite its

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<v Speaker 1>small size, it was well designed for overnight sailing and

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<v Speaker 1>open water, made from molded fiberglass, which was able to

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<v Speaker 1>right itself in case of capsize. Arda named the boat

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<v Speaker 1>ocean Wave, after the old sea shanty a life on

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<v Speaker 1>the Ocean Wave. Over the next few weeks, Arda had

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<v Speaker 1>the boat modified, strengthening the rigging and washboards, as well

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<v Speaker 1>as securing the life line that would keep him attached

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<v Speaker 1>to it if he should fall out at any point.

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<v Speaker 1>Next he stockpiled all the necessary food and water that

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<v Speaker 1>he would need to complete his journey, and by the

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<v Speaker 1>end of the month his preparations were complete. Having told

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<v Speaker 1>family and friends that he hoped to arrive in the

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<v Speaker 1>Ukue at some point in September, he and his wife

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<v Speaker 1>Mary Sue, along with Ocean Wave, made their way to

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<v Speaker 1>Chatham in Massachusetts. After writing a couple of letters and

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<v Speaker 1>postcards to a couple of European galleries announcing his departure

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<v Speaker 1>and imminent arrival, At two p m. On July ninth,

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy five, Arda waved good bye to his wife.

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<v Speaker 1>Moments later, he and Ocean Wave were towed out of

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<v Speaker 1>the harbor and disappeared into the horizon. After seeing her

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<v Speaker 1>husband off in Cape cod, mary Sue traveled to the Netherlands,

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<v Speaker 1>hoping to be there for his arrival. By early September, however,

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<v Speaker 1>Arda had yet to appear, and mary Sue was forced

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<v Speaker 1>to return home due to a work commitment. Arda's failure

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<v Speaker 1>to appear at this point was not a huge concern,

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<v Speaker 1>since it wasn't unusual for such journeys to take up

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<v Speaker 1>to one hundred and fifty days to complete. Such facts

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<v Speaker 1>were little comfort for his friends and family, however, eagerly

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<v Speaker 1>awaiting any sign that he was okay. The fact that

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<v Speaker 1>he had deliberately resisted taking a communications device and was

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<v Speaker 1>using only a sextant and maps to navigate with only

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<v Speaker 1>served to exacerbate their anxiety, and as the weeks went by,

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<v Speaker 1>still with no trace, of Arda anywhere. It was beginning

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<v Speaker 1>to dawn on those closest to him that something terrible

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<v Speaker 1>had gone wrong with the artists planned show in Groningen,

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<v Speaker 1>having long ago been postponed. By December, he had still

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<v Speaker 1>yet to appear. In response, Mary Sue alerted all appropriate

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<v Speaker 1>authorities to let them know that her husband was missing

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<v Speaker 1>at sea. Despite the British Coast Guard carrying out two

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<v Speaker 1>sweeping searches, they found nothing of Arda or his boat.

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<v Speaker 1>In April the following year, a Spanish fishing vessel traveling

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<v Speaker 1>just south of Ireland and to the west of the

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<v Speaker 1>southern coast of England came across an eerie and incongruous site.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a small sailing ship partially submerged, with its

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<v Speaker 1>hull standing up vertically in the water after hauling a

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<v Speaker 1>boat onto the trawler. A quick search of it revealed

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<v Speaker 1>some spoiled tins of food among other paraphernalia, as well

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<v Speaker 1>as a damaged Dutch passport belonging to Baste Johann Christian Arda.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no sign of the man himself anywhere. It

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't long after Arda's disappearance and likely death that the

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<v Speaker 1>story of his ill fated trip hit the news, with

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<v Speaker 1>his boat having been taken back to Spain, where it

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<v Speaker 1>was later stolen. Spanish naval authorities speculated that an explosion

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<v Speaker 1>on board might have forced Arda to evacuate it. His

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<v Speaker 1>brother Eric, however, suspected he might just have been knocked

0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:53.600
<v Speaker 1>overboard in a heavy storm, with his lifeline having then

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<v Speaker 1>been ripped away from the boat. Some believed that the artist,

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<v Speaker 1>who is thought to have been struggling with a number

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<v Speaker 1>of personal issues at the time, might have either faked

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<v Speaker 1>his own death or indeed committed suicide. However, both his

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<v Speaker 1>wife and his other friends were adamant this was not

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<v Speaker 1>his intention or frame of mind before he set off.

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<v Speaker 1>In the end, we are left with the uncomfortable question

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<v Speaker 1>was Bassian Arda's final peace in search of the Miraculous,

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<v Speaker 1>as some suggest, unfinished, or had it in fact been completed.

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<v Speaker 1>Having accepted that Arda was dead. Later in nineteen seventy six,

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<v Speaker 1>his mother, Yohanna, held a memorial service in his honor

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<v Speaker 1>while her son was away at sea in the midst

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<v Speaker 1>of his journey. Johanna has said that she received a

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<v Speaker 1>premonition of his death coming to her as if telepathically

0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:56.600
<v Speaker 1>in the form of a poem. On the night of

0:16:56.640 --> 0:17:03.320
<v Speaker 1>October twelfth, nineteen seventy five, from the deep waters of sleep,

0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:07.280
<v Speaker 1>I wake up to consciousness. In the distance. I hear

0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:11.040
<v Speaker 1>a train rumbling in the early morning. It is going

0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:16.560
<v Speaker 1>east and passes the border. Then it will stop. I

0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:20.000
<v Speaker 1>feel my heart beating too. It will go on beating

0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:25.200
<v Speaker 1>for some time, then it will stop. I wonder if

0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:27.880
<v Speaker 1>the little heart that has beaten with mine has stopped

0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:32.200
<v Speaker 1>when he passed the border of birth. I laid him

0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:36.199
<v Speaker 1>at my breast, rocked him in my arms. He was

0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:40.879
<v Speaker 1>very small. Then, a white body of a man rocked

0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:44.160
<v Speaker 1>in the arms of the waves is very small too.

0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:48.840
<v Speaker 1>What are we in the infinity of ocean and sky,

0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:54.359
<v Speaker 1>a small baby at the breast of eternity? Have you

0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:57.320
<v Speaker 1>heard of happiness springing from a deep well of sorrow,

0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:03.160
<v Speaker 1>of love springing from hayne and despondency, agony and death?

0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:13.800
<v Speaker 1>Such is mine. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained and

0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:16.239
<v Speaker 1>would like to help support us, you can now go

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<v Speaker 1>to Unexplained podcast dot com forward slash support. All donations,

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<v Speaker 1>no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All

0:18:27.160 --> 0:18:30.879
<v Speaker 1>elements have Unexplained are produced by me Richard McClain Smith.

0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:34.920
<v Speaker 1>Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel

0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:37.360
<v Speaker 1>free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas

0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:40.919
<v Speaker 1>regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you

0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:43.200
<v Speaker 1>have an explanation of your own you'd like to share.

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<v Speaker 1>You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com,

0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:53.760
<v Speaker 1>or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com.

0:18:53.880 --> 0:19:14.879
<v Speaker 1>Forward Slash Unexplained Now, it's time to take care of yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>To make time for you. Teledoc gives you access to

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<v Speaker 1>a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling

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<v Speaker 1>your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or

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<v Speaker 1>Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast Today to get started. That's t

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