At its most fundamental, the sea's power is that the seafarer is drawn to it despite the sufferings it brings. While the speaker describes the sea as cruel and almost like a jail in the opening of the poem, it is evident that the seafarer feels strongly linked to it. The poem begins with the line "To sail beyond the sunset...," which indicates that there is more to the voyage than just sailing away from land. The seafarer will also experience many other things while at sea. The sea provides food and shelter when needed but also causes much pain and death. A large percentage of sailors who are lost at sea are never seen again. The sea has taken many lives over the years and will continue to do so unless preventive measures are taken. There are many factors that can lead to an incident at sea including weather, traffic, and equipment failure. No matter what the cause may be, if a sailor finds himself or herself in danger at sea, they must try to escape by going overboard. This is called "saving yourself" because you are trying to save yourself even though this might not be possible. If you aren't saved within 24 hours of falling off of your vessel, then you will not survive. The sea has a profound effect on the mind of the sailor. It is both a blessing and a curse because while at sea we have no choice but to let go of our attachments to land and people.