It was my thirtieth year to heaven
Woke to my hearing from harbour and neighbour wood
And the mussel pooled and the heron
Priested shore
The morning beckon
With water praying and call of seagull and rook
And the knock of sailing boats on the net webbed wall
Myself to set foot
That second In the still sleeping town and set forth.
- dylan thomas ( Poem in October)

When Nature Calls, You Go. .

So I got up Saturday at 7am and my email was pinging away as photos came flying in from over the sea. Then the last email with the simple phrase, “the waves are calling. . .”. Well, I thought, she’s gone for the day!

And that little story gives me my segue into this link: http://www.cackletv.com/this-is-the-sea2.html. Although the DVD’s not available yet, some photo’s are starting to show up on the site and soon a new video clip. You have to love the quote from Paddling.net who had a little advance peak, Finally we have more of this fantastic photography and great footage that has been called ‘porn for sea kayaking junkies’. Rock On!” Ok, now who called it that?? Wenley?Website Of The Day

OnWatersports.com. Got to give Andree Hurley lots of kudos for a very informative website. Speaking of hanging draws mind you, check this out. . http://www.onwatersports.com/Movies/SternDraw.mov

Where Are We Going, Whither are we bound?

I’m always fearing navigation. It’s too much like homework. And maybe that’s the problem. It IS homework. I can read David Burch’s great book all day or browse chart #1 while lying in the bath. I can sit out under a red and yellow sugar maple identifying lighthouses on a wind blown chart all day long. I can think about Dead Reckoning and draw out the simple equations. Estimate distances to islands I’ve never seen and guess at ETAs. But if you don’t do it on the water, are you really navigating? It feels like playing with charts. I’ve spent a lot of time playing with charts. I can tell you where the lights are, discern all their details, I can guess where the rock gardens should be and if you can see them in high tide, look for sheltered beaches protected from a north west wind. I can look for ranges and measure distance. It’s all interesting stuff. Somehow it’s too much like cribbage. I’m just moving around on a flat track. I’m not sure I’ll ever trust myself or really memorize this stuff until I’ve done it because I needed too. Not just to follow along with a group leader or to pass a test. I think I have to do it on the deck of my boat and live with my choices. Then navigation will be real.

Emperor’s New Clothes

Yes, the blog looks a bit different. I changed a link and “blew it up”. Luckily I could just flop on another template. You can think that I just cleaned it up and made subtle changes to please my wandering mind. That’s what I’ll say if you ask. But really. . . I just blew it up and was lucky to save it.

* Oh, and that picture is a self portrait in the infinity room at Robot World in Wisconsin Dells. Just click it to enlarge. -d

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