==JAPAN: KM== [Crisis]

Did you watch the movie "Titanic"? It was widely reported that over 1000 people died in that accident, perhaps the most tragic of the 20th century. Some people may think that most of them drowned, but it is more likely that they certainly died of cold. In the icy sea where a lot of icebergs were floating, the very temperature under zero stopped their hearts. If you are immersed in icy water, what will you feel? It is generally said that you would feel as if countless needles were stinging your whole body. Three years ago I experienced this, but luckily, I survived from the cruel hand of nature.
I was born and brought up for twenty years in the inland area of "Gifu". For that reason, I had been attracted to the sea that was not part of my everyday life, imagining it to be so big and beautiful. So, as soon as I entered Hokkaido University, I joined Hokkaido University Yacht Racing Team. That is why, I was on the sea in Ishikari Gulf in April, three years ago. April in Hokkaido is not spring but indeed winter. It is a white and gray world, colored by snow and thick clouds. And many people are still enjoying skiing at this time of the year. But I was going and shivering with cold. The sailing boat I used had seats for two person and if the wind didn't blow, it wasn't able to sail. The more the winds blew, the more exciting it was. Of course, the risk of a shipwreck increased, too. In those days, I was so crazy about this sport in nature, even though April in Hokkaido was surely cold.
On the morning of the day that the unforgettable accident happened, the sky was covered with heavy clouds and the waves were high, but strangely the wind didn't blow. All the members of our team, including I and my partner Kobayashi, wore waterproof wear and left port as usual. Less than 10 minutes after we pushed off, the wind started to blow more and more, and the waves also were higher. In this situation, our sailing boats came to be able to sail freely. Many boats were swaying in the big waves and the hard winds. Then we noticed that one boat's mast was bent strangely.
Only moments later, our accident happened in a moment. Suddenly a rush of wind and a big wave hit my sailing boat at the same time. The small boat helplessly was overturned, and I and Kobayashi were thrown in the cold sea in a flash. When I was falling in the sea, I gripped a rope on the boat in desperation. And this very rope saved my life after ward. Thanks to wearing waterproof wear, only our hands and feet were soaked in the cold. Soon they became numb, but I felt sharp pains in my hands and feet in turn. A few minutes later, those pains had changed to numbness. All my body gradually had gotten as cold as ice. Though my grip also started to weaken, I clung to the sailing boat desperately. If I parted from the boat and was swallowed by the big waves, it would have been almost impossible for me to be found and saved. I would have certainly died of cold or drowned. I could only repeat to myself, "Hold this rope. Don't part from the boat". I managed to cling to the overturned boat and climbed up on it. And I grasped Kobayashi by the hand and pulled her in the boat. The winds grew stronger, colder and took away the stamina from my body. I and Kobayashi shouted for help again and again, but our cries disappeared among the sounds of wind and waves. And we were too small a dot on the vast sea. All we could do was to still continue to yell and pray to God for help.
About an hour later, we were found and saved by a rescue boat at last. In the storm, the rescue was very difficult. So we were forced to abandon my sailing boat in the vast sea. Through this time, surviving from the cruelty of nature, I realized how helpless a man is in it.

"Getting It Together"

My biggest worry while I was planning and writing my essay was to express what I mean in the best words. Particularly in the expressions about nature, there were various expressions in English for a Japanese word. So I took pains to choose the best one. This topic is very unusual. It may be hard to image various sea conditions for many readers. In order to solve these problems, I tried to Choose as simple words and expressions as possible. Thanks to this device, this essay became easier to read.