I just had a sudden urge to ......

go to one of my bookshelves and grab a book at random, find page 57, and read the first two paragraphs on that page. Here they are ..........

Everything was going well and the vessel was taking the seas in fine shape, when suddenly at six o'clock in the evening the men, through a rift in the blinding snow, caught a gleam of light from a lighthouse.

All hands were on deck. Instantly they knew that it could be nothing else than the lights of Sable Island, and its position indicated that they were to the northward of the island. Quickly came the captain's order, "Hard down and haul the foresheet aft." The spokes spun around rapidly, but it was too late, for even then the boat was in the breakers, and a hard bump told that she had struck, and was in shoal water.

Ordeals At Sea by Hattie A. Perry.