San Diego: twilight; another roadside attraction; 60

Dawn and twilight are my favorite times of day.  We are creatures of the light and at night during storms at sea I count the hours until dawn.  Twilight at sea or ashore almost always sees me sipping something and when on GANNET listening to music.

Twilight on GANNET’s ringside seat to Quivira Basin is lovely.  Birds making their last excursions.  Sea lions swimming.  Seaforth day trip fishing boats returning.  Other boats heading for their slips.  Usually a few kayakers waiting to view the sunset.

“And I can sit with silence on the gentle sloop.”  A line from a poem I wrote forty-seven years ago.  I still sit with silence, though now on a different sloop



Twice now in the past few twilights, the small sailboats with benches on the foredeck have on their wine tours around Quivira Basin which are quite popular with groups of young women paused a respectful distance from GANNET.  The first time I wondered about this.  Last night I saw the man operating the boat say something and then point our way, following which four young women all turned and stared at GANNET and me and I heard one of them say, “No!  Really?”  

I have passed on the dock the men who run those boats and said, “Hi” but have never had a conversation.  There are many in the marina who were here when GANNET and I began our voyage and presumably word gets around.

This had been a year of triumph.  I completed my sixth circumnavigation.  I have been quoted on tea bag labels.  And now in my old age I have become another roadside attraction.  What more can a man dream of?



Yesterday afternoon I did 60 push-ups and crunches on the foredeck.  I am not doing the full routine, just the first series.  I may do 60 once more before reaching for 70.  We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.  I have a little over three weeks before I need to get to 78.  I will make it