wasted mind, wasted thoughts

A ship, sailing in calm waters, is going along nicely with a following wind. The crew, who know they lack some of the more tricky skills of dealing with bad weather, are perfectly happy in such good conditions.
But then a storm blows up. The crew don't know what to do and so sail right into the middle of the storm. Once in it, they lose their way, not knowing how to set a proper bearing and stick to it.
They go round and round within the storm, getting sicker and sicker, and the ship getting more and more battered. They try to do what they know but nothing seems to work, and after a while they become so exhausted they stop trying.
Eventually, the storm dies down and calm returns. After a time, the crew recover, and sail the ship onward, albeit in its slightly worn state.
They realise that if another storm comes along, they are going to be in the same position again, and so decide to put into the nearest port to learn the skills of coping with bad weather.

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I didn't write this. But I got it off a site while looking for answers.