I downloaded a GRIB a few afternoons ago covering Hilton Head to Bermuda for a week and saw that indeed there is no prevailing wind in these waters. It was forecast to come from every direction and flip 180º almost daily. This was verified by Windfinder Pro and Windy. Interesting, at least to me, is that the wind at Islay and Reykjavik was forecast to be constantly from the east all week, and in both places rising to gale force. The temperature is already pleasant in Bermuda: lows 70sF/low 20sC.
I have an appointment for my first COVID shot on March 10. The new pipe berths and v-berth cushions are scheduled to be made at about the same time. It was my plan to sail around Bermuda after my second vaccine shot which should come three or four weeks after the first. But then my phone rang. It was the dermatologist’s office. The biopsy of the lump that had been removed a week earlier shows it to be another squamous cell cancer and the doctor needs to chop me again. With resignation I asked, “When?” After a long pause while she checked the schedule, she said, “March 30.” I have become used to this in HIlton Head. Work can never be done for months. GANNET’s canvas was ordered last October. I waited for the bumbling rigger for almost three months. Shelves in the closets three months. Replacing screens on the porch two months. I expect that the tourist sector of Hilton Head’s economy is hurting, but those serving the permanent residents are in a golden age.
I managed to negotiate the surgery to March 25. An improvement, if only a slight one.
I cannot go to sea immediately after the next chopping. There will be follow up and probably stitches to be removed. And I cannot go to sea where my hygiene is less than optimal with an open wound.
I tell you this to explain why I may not do what I said I would when I said I would. I might still be able to sail in April or May or even June, though that is the start of the hurricane season. But I am suffering from a severe attack of captiaterraphobia, which long time readers may remember is fear of being trapped by land. At least I am not surrounded by it. I am on the edge, but I am ensnared.
I very much need to sail into the monastery of the sea.
3 comments:
The novel Lost Horizon piqued many peoples' imagination. Searches for the monastery named Shangri-La and its yogic practice, that is reputed to prolong life and vitality, continue to this day.
I believe that we can create our own sanctuaries as you have created your 'monastery of the sea'. No need for expeditions into the Himalayas - simply read Webb Chiles and buy a modest boat ....
Thanks for the inspiration Webb !
The skin cancer isnt going to be much different if you postpone its removal a month or two Webb. So maybe if it all lines up before your appointment, just sail and get the surgery when you get back.
I also am scheduled to have my first COVID shot in March which should mean my second in early April, so it isn’t only the skin cancer that is keeping me here. Also the new pipe berths and v-berth cushions are due to be made in March.
Post a Comment