"And we sail and we sail and we never see land, just the rum in the bottle and a pipe in my hand…"
I read a story in the New York Times today about new tests and government info given to UK immigrants as a part of their naturalization process. As a confirmed anglophile of course I had to take the associated quiz (link here) to see if I would make the cut, and easily passed, missing only one question (*). I mean, who doesn’t know whose statue is in the middle of Trafalgar Square?
(*) The correct flower to wear on Remembrance Day is the poppy, it turns out.
Me in 2014?
NSL buddy and sometime Temerity crew Wardog was lucky (and a valuable enough sailor) to be invited to Antigua Sailing Week where his regular skipper chartered a Farr 40 this year. Like the Heineken Regatta, it’s a real sailing bucket list item. Too much fun! Let’s see if he remembers to bring home some of that superb Antiguan rum.
Thanksgiving weekend, having no girls to feed or care for, I decided to go on a cruise. My choices were Half Moon Bay, Drake’s Bay, a rounding of the Farallones, or some combination. The troublesome factor was not wanting to reach a new-to-me anchorage in the dark, and the huge ebb tidal flow out the Gate in the late afternoons, which meant that once I left the bay I was not getting back in. Winds mid-morning Friday were nothing-to-5 kts, so I started motoring up to Drake’s Bay. There was a slight favorable current most of the time, but under engine I was faster than the wind coming from my transom.
The last few miles saw Pt. Reyes itself cloaked in a thick fog bank. I found my horn and quickly refreshed myself on the signaling rules for powered vessels under way in reduced visibility in the COLREGs. I was thinking also on how I might have spent some of the enroute hours in rigging my new radar reflector. Visibility was about 100 ft as I groped slowly forward for the last mile, keeping a sharp eye out for the big mooring buoy near where I wanted to anchor — which is unlighted, and might not be where the GPS said it was. Finally, dead ahead, a white sloop loomed into view. It was S/V Tiger Beetle, a friend from the SSS and Grand Marina. I hailed Rob and Kristen aboard, and we rafted up for some drinks and snacks.
The fog lifted a bit shortly after I arrived (at about 1700) while there was still light in the sky.
Tiger Beetle and Temerity hanging out.
Videohälsning från Thorbjörn som berättar om status på projektet.
THE WORLDS LARGEST MOOSE
Stoorn is an innovative tourist attraction. Its enormous height of 45 metres makes it an impressive creation in glulam. The facility is set to become a centre for commercial tourism and adventure activities, with a focus on forest and wildlife. Stoorn will be home to a restaurant, exhibition venues, a concert hall and modern conference facilities. Its location at the top of the 510-metre Vithatten Mountain offers visitors an expansive view of the mountain ranges and the sea. This conspicuous wooden construction has the prerequisites to become a structure of significant national symbolic value.
http://www.stoorn.se/_eng/index.html
For reasons that now escape me, I did not attend last spring’s 2009 St. Marten Heineken Regatta. This year too much fun will be had March 4 – 7, so mark your calendars!
The family of Weeki Wachee Springs would like to wish Mermaid Cyndi a very Happy Birthday today! Cyndi is one of the attractions veteran mermaids who recently was one of the premiere performers during a recent visit to Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN. Happy Birthday Cyndi!!!
We took Temerity on her first cruise, starting with an overnight in our slip in Alameda Friday, July 3 and returning on Friday July 10. Above, our route — Blue: Day 1, Alameda to China Camp. Green: days 2 and 3, up the Petaluma River and down, to Benicia. Red: Day 4, Benicia to Potato Slough. Black: Day 5, Potato Slough to Benicia. Yellow: Benicia to Alameda.
NSL friend and French Norseboat enthusiast/dealer writes…
Hello David !
News feed for your NeverSeaLand website !
8 Norseboats sailing together ! …
2 new videos of Norseboats taken during the “Semaine du Golfe du Morbihan” event in France end of may 2009 [see below].
More videos at:
http://www.norseboat.fr/norseboat_galerie_videos.htmlAnd news and pictures about the Semaine du Golf and the _ norseboats participatig at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/NicoNorseboat/SemaineDuGolfe#
and at: www.norseboat.frAll the Best
Cheers,
Nicolas
Semaine du Golfe du Morbihan – Samedi 23 Mai 2009
Semaine du Golfe du Morbihan – Ascension 2009
Thanks, Nicolas, those look awesome! And I see Kevin made it across the ocean to enjoy the incredible sailing with you.
Medusirena Marina performing her bed-of-nails and fire-eating act last week at Hukilau 2009, to the throbbing jungle drums and wailing guitars of Los Straightjackets. Your Correspondent can be clearly seen as the white blob in a hat on the other side of the pool at the 3:20 point.
Like Live Aid, but for salmon. Looks like a fun event for a very worthy cause. Who doesn’t like salmon?
Gordon Young’s 1989 sculpture located at the east end of the Marine Walk promenade, Swansea, UK.
Mermaid statue at the Laem Samila beach, Songkhla, Thailand. Statue created in 1966 by Jitr Buabus, director of the Art & Craft College, Bangkok. Mermaid comes from the story Phra Apaimanee by Sonthorn Phu.
The awesome Wreck Bar in Ft. Lauderdale may be remodeling and in the process losing its character, and worse maybe its mermaids, all before I get a chance to visit! This from Tiki Central –
…the historic Wreck Bar, site of much past Hukilau revelry and for more than 50 years a Fort Lauderdale beachside beacon of classic nautical bar design (not to mention the lovely mermaids), is due to be renovated by Sheraton (boo, hiss) along with the rest of the Yankee Clipper.
We’ve been waiting with bated breath for signs of impending doom. I’ve heard a few rumblings. Now some exclusive insider info:
The Wreck Bar will be in its unique nautically designed state for a limited time. Plans for its “renovation” include entirely changing the interior design, making it an eatery or a more “mainstream” bar rather than keeping it the magnificent icon it is.
The more support The Wreck Bar gets for being unique, the better the chances that those planned changes would lean more toward the minimal side. The hope is that not only will the bar not be “gutted” but instead it gets restored to its former 1950s glory. This cannot happen without public support.
South Floridians and anyone else with the means: Embark on a pilgrimage and voice your concerns. Those who cannot make the trip: Let the Yankee Clipper and Sheraton folks know that they would be making a big mistake by letting another historic establishment bite the dust.
[Contact Yankee Clipper, Sheraton corporate]
A reminder that the mermaid shows are every Friday at 5:30 during happy hour. We intend to keep the monthly “Mermaids & Mai-Kai” event alive for as long as possible and hope to see more locals there. [...]
For more on the mermaid show, go to Marina’s sites:
http://www.medusirena.com
http://www.myspace.com/medusirena
Dammit, maybe now IS the time to use those Frequent Flyer miles!
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