Hilton Head Island: ENDANGERED SPECIES; the self-righteous; weather; big money

 

No. This is not my new boat, but she is a boat I have long admired and by chance I have come through email to know her current owner, Todd.

Many of you know of John Guzzwell, an Englishman born in 1930 who relocated to British Columbia as a young man.  Trained as a carpenter he built a 20’ boat, TREKKA, and sailed her alone around the world, meeting along the way Miles and Beryl Smeeton, whom he accompanied on their 46’ ketch, TZU HANG, on their attempt to round Cape Horn, during which TZU HANG was capsized and dismasted.

Of small boats I like TREKKA which was an advanced design for her time.

In I believe the 1990s John built the above 30’ cold molded sloop, ENDANGERED SPECIES, for himself and sailed and raced her.  I remember seeing photos of her back then and thought that she was what I would have built for myself if I were a boat builder, which I most decidedly am not.

She is something of a scaled down Ocean 60 racer with a 10’ beam, 7’ foil keel, displacing 5,000 pounds.

A few weeks ago I received an email from Todd about solo sailing in which he mentioned that he now owns ENDANGERED SPECIES, so I asked him for photos and permission to post them.  I thank him.

Todd says that the name is not about homo sapiens, though I think it apt, but about boat building in wood that John Guzzwell thinks is a craft that is endangered.  I agree.  I have only owned plastic boats because I want to sail them more than I want to maintain them, but wood is the only boat building material with soul and wood hulls finished bright have unequalled beauty.

I asked Todd if he does his own varnishing.  He does.  The job needs doing every two or three years.  But he also relates that he has a custom cover that cost more than I paid for GANNET.

Todd intends to sail ENDANGERED SPECIES in the Solo TransPac this summer, assuming the pandemic has eased and the race is run.  I hope it is and I wish him well.

Permit me to direct your attention again to the lines page of the main site where you will find:

The self-righteous are always willing that others suffer for their beliefs.

http://inthepresentsea.com/the_actual_site/lines.html

Unfortunately the self-righteous are increasingly active.  A few days ago those who are against the COVID vaccine blocked traffic and shut down for a while the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles imposing their will on those who wanted to be vaccinated and preventing them from being so.

Now I don’t actually care what anyone believes so long as they do not seek by force to impose their beliefs on others and do not persecute or kill those who do not share their beliefs.  But many of the self-righteous do persecute and kill and have throughout history and the world.

I do not know what is going on with life beyond that DNA seems to ‘want’ to project itself into the future in an endless passing of the buck.

A great many others are certain they know ‘the truth’.

I’d rather be around skeptics.  Skeptics hardly ever kill those who disagree with them.

I have added places I might sail to in the next two years to my weather app, Dark Sky, and to Windfinder Pro.

Today Hilton Head is overcast, intermittently rainy and 48F.  Wind 16 knots WNW.  I look out and see a few rare white caps on Skull Creek, though only 4” wavelets.

Bermuda:  some rain, 61F, wind 18 SSW.

Freeport, Bahamas:  70F, broken cloud cover, wind 12 knots W.

Reykjavik, Iceland:  28F, sunny, wind 11 knots NE.

Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland:  39F, cloudy, wind 12 knots E.

I’ll be keeping track from now on.

Those who follow U.S. football will be aware of the ten year $503,000,000 contract the young Kansas City Chief’s quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, recently signed.  A lot of money indeed, but not even close to the contract just revealed of the Argentine born soccer player, Lionel Messi, with the Spanish club, Barcelona, which is for $672,480,000.  For four years.  

Messi is in the conversation for the greatest soccer player of all time.  Personally I don’t agree with any GOAT.  No one except perhaps Shakespeare and Bach is clearly the greatest.  It is enough to say of anyone that in his field of endeavor no one is greater.  

Messi has had great success over a long career.  Patrick Mahomes success in a short one and may end up being considered one of the all time greats.

Are they worth such extraordinary money?  Is anyone?  I do not know.