The perils of a sailor

I'm on to the chapter about sailing: is it virtuous? (look up Aristotle and eudaimonia) which brought into mind a story earlier in the book.

One of the authors was sailing from Barcelona to Alicante, and things were not going well. A gale sprung up, the crew was drunk, the electronics failed and it was a very dark night.

So when he saw some the red lights of what he assumed must be the port of Vinaroz he was all too ready to call up the habourmaster, but there was no answer on the VHF.

Again and again he'd send out the call while the depth was getting shallower and shallower.

All of a sudden there was a break in the clouds, revealing cliffs towering above him, and he realised it wasn't the port he had seen but the red light of a bordello!

Turning from the rocks he had indeed learnt a lesson about virtue and sailing.