Dave Skaife got away early and quietly Tuesday morning. I didn't even hear his motor start, which is not surprising for he yulohs with an oar off the stern.
Tuesday evening, Tom Head arrived in his beautifully built Pathfinder, FIRST LIGHT. He tied alongside GANNET for the night and took me for a brief sail in Boot Key Harbor the next morning. The wind was very light, but I enjoyed gliding and ghosting along in my first sail in an open boat in more than thirty years. I thank Tom for the opportunity.
Tom, like Dave, does not have a motor on FIRST LIGHT. He rows.
I have written that owners of wood boats usually want to work on them more than sail them. I’ll stand by that, but there are many exceptions. Doryman and a good many Pathfinder builder-owners among them. Wood is the only boat building material with soul. I’m not going to own one, but I admire these poems in wood.
Here is a link to Tom’s construction of FIRST LIGHT. I have not read all of it, but I have viewed all the photos, which reveal the quality of Tom’s workmanship and that FIRST LIGHT comes complete with an eager ship’s dog.
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There is nothing compelling left on GANNET’s to do list and I planned to sail out to the reef today and pick up one of the moorings placed there to prevent anchor damage to coral, and to snorkel, but I have been rained out. A lake has formed in part of the boat yard. Perhaps I could sail GANNET there. The forecast for Saturday and Sunday looks better.
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A few mornings ago the boat yard needed me to move GANNET. I dug out the new Torqeedo, placed it on the transom, connected the battery to the shaft, connected tiller arm to the battery and got the dreaded Error 30. I wish I could say I didn’t believe my eyes, but that wouldn’t be true. I did believe, though I couldn’t understand. The only variable between the last time I tried the Torqeedo was my spraying the connections with anti-corrosion. I disassembled, cleaned, re-connected and still got Error 30.
Now, however, $5,000 in, I had an alternative. I dug out the other tiller arm and battery, replaced the ones on the shaft and a chorus of angels appeared in the heavens singing Hallelujah. No Error 30. I moved GANNET to her new place on the dock. Fussed with the first tiller arm and battery and got them to connect without error.
GANNET is again a (two) motor boat.
I had no motor on CHIDIOCK TICHBORNE. Maybe Doug and Tom are on to something I have forgotten.
I had no motor on CHIDIOCK TICHBORNE. Maybe Doug and Tom are on to something I have forgotten.
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The traditional Mercator Projection results in distortion of land at high latitudes, causing among other things Greenland to rival the size of Africa.
I thank Larry for this link to a new and accurate map created by Hajime Narukawa, a Japanese artist and architect.
I have enjoyed studying it at length.
What is most noticeable to me is the water covering 71% of the Earth’s surface.
As I have often noted, the ancients were right: surrounding the land there is but Ocean and it does not know the names into which we arbitrarily divide it.
As I have often noted, the ancients were right: surrounding the land there is but Ocean and it does not know the names into which we arbitrarily divide it.
