Monday, December 30, 2013

Good Short Fiction

Here's a very nice short story I chanced upon in a random jog through blogland this evening: Men Have Names

Sailing the dream - the video

A friend shot me an e-mail today with a link to a series of youtube videos titled "Sailing the Dream".....seeing the title on my post yesterday apparently reminded him of the charming story this old sailor tells of building a boat from scratch and sailing it with some friends from Canada to the Virgin Islands. Very cool stuff.....

Sailing the Dream - Part 1

Sailing the Dream - Part 2

Sailing the Dream - Part 3

Sailing the Dream - Part 4


Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sailing the Dream

Yesterday was rainy and windy here in Merritt Island, with little squalls blowing through in the afternoon and a small craft advisory issued. I had a nice, lively sail in the Banana River, and contemplated going through the lock and bouncing around offshore in the afternoon but opted for tossing out the anchor, having some lunch, and taking a nap instead.

There is nothing more tranquilizing for me than the gentle motion of Moon swinging on her anchor and bobbing in the swell. Dozing on the port settee I soaked in the sounds of the wind in the rigging, waves lapping on the hull and seabirds in the air, and dreamed of secluded anchorages in
far off tropical islands.......

Zeke kicked down a copy of  An Embarrassment of Mangoes as a gift recently, and after my luxurious and way long nap I enjoyed reading that couple's accounts of quitting their jobs, buying an old sailboat, and traveling from Canada to the Caribbean. Their story is in parts heartwarming and sobering, as Ann, who narrates the book, doesn't shy away from including the incidents where things go wrong on the journey and the doubts and fears that she and her husband Steve deal with during the process of deciding to ditch their successful careers and do something different with their lives. It's a great read, and, enjoyably, the narrative includes a lot of detail about the food they enjoy along the way and includes a bunch of recipes for the local specialties they encounter.

And now, after a peaceful night at anchor I am enjoying a hot cup of coffee in the cockpit, watching a chilly morning breeze push a light chop across the river. A pot of grits is simmering on the stove, and soon there will be a cheese and chorizo omelette in the works. We still have the small craft advisory, so after breakfast I'll have to choose between getting some exercise offshore or taking a more relaxed tack by staying in the River. Either way, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.....just wish you could be here too!