Month: January 2005

  • Tall Ship Rose — Currently Docked in San Diego, CA


    ‘H.M.S. Surprise is a 179-foot full rigged ship. Her designers and builders made a painstaking effort to recreate a 24 gun frigate of Great Britan’s Nelson era Royal Navy. The result is a replica vessel unmatched in its authenticity and attention to detail. Originally christened H.M.S. Rose when she was launched in 1970, she served as a sail training vessel operating out of several East coast ports for over 30 years. the ship underwent extensive modifications for the production of the film [Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World] in 2002. The museum purchased the H.M.S. Surprise from 20th Century Fox in October, 2004. Plans include restoring the ship to seaworthy condition but the she probably will not be ready to sail until 2006 at the earliest.’

    from http://www.sdmaritime.com/contentpage.asp?ContentID=152

    ‘Although she is sometimes referred to as “H.M.S.” Rose, her official documented name is simply Rose. It is important to note that, in referring to today’s Rose, the initials (for ‘His Majesty’s Ship’) are always enclosed in quotation marks to indicate that they represent more of a nickname than any official designation.

    The original “H.M.S.” Rose was built in Hull, England in 1757. At that period in naval history ships were divided by “rates,” first rate being the largest with 100-110 guns carried on three individual gundecks. The original Rose was a sixth rate ship, the smallest class of ship that would be commanded by someone holding the rank of Captain. In size, she was about the modern day equivalent of a destroyer. She would not have participated in major fleet engagements except perhaps to relay messages. The job of the frigate was to operate as a scout ship for the fleet or to patrol the coasts of any belligerent country.’

    from http://www.tallshiprose.org/info/history.html

  • The Ship

    The Ship

    words and music by Lenny Solomon, 1997

    When I was a child, I’d think about the world;
    Places I could visit and the magic I could learn;
    Although my dreams were always changing, one would always stick;
    The one where I was at the helm of a wondrous sailing ship.

    The ship was made of the finest woods found in any land;
    They all fit together like the feathers of a bird;
    And it would shine and sparkle for me, everywhere I went
    And after a full day’s sailing, I’d sleep beneath her deck;

                                  Oh my ship I wish you well, good sailing my old friends
                                     And to this day I think of you, every now and then
                                     The good times that we had , laughing at the wind
                                  Oh my ship I’ll see you soon, And laugh with you again.

    I’d sail upon her from the time the sun rose in the sky;
    And all day we’d gently sway, riding many a mile,
    The only time I’d have to leave her, was when that echo called;
    To bring me home to dinner, but then I’d be back once more.

                                  Oh my ship I wish you well, good sailing my old friends
                                     And to this day I think of you, every now and then
                                     The good times that we had , laughing at the wind
                                  Oh my ship I’ll see you soon, And laugh with you again.

    Changes come and changes go, that’s the only thing that’s true.
    I see that your leaving now, perhaps your time is due.
    But I’ll still be able, to close my eyes, and see your sails so fine;
    And know that when we meet again we’ll go sailing one more time;

                                  Oh my ship I wish you well, good sailing my old friends
                                     And to this day I think of you, every now and then
                                     The good times that we had , laughing at the wind
                                  Oh my ship I’ll see you soon, And laugh with you again.

  • The Poorman’s Sailing Page

    If it had not been for a certain group of really crazy people who thought sailing in a prairie was not completely insane, I would have had to learn sailing by video too. So the website below makes me smile.

    The Poorman’s Sailing Page
    Adventures from the Lunatic Fringe of the Poorman’s sailing adventures

    Ray Hicks:
    Skipper of the boat
    IT programmer
    learned to sail by a video


    Nick Philips skippering the Boat in Kemah, TX


    ‘On July 1st the two of us will begin our adventure of sailing the Carribean Islands. This is a dream that has possesed me for quite some time now. To strike out on my own with only the ocean blue and the wind to follow. We will be taking a 27 foot sailboat to points unkown to us throughout the the Gulf Of Mexico. There have been comments made to us that were taking grave risks with out enough experience for what we are about to do. There is really only one way to get that valuable experience. Like they say, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” We are jumping in with both feet. When my releatives express their concern about the trip, I tell them, “We are going through shark infested waters and tranversing the Bermuda Triangle to go to a communist country, what could possibly go wrong?”‘

    from http://www.geocities.com/rayhicks130/index.html

  • Aurora Watch

    For those who live far north enough, and far away from city lights, you may have noticed some pretty auroral activity. Where I live, the light pollution is virtually nil, so seeing stars and planets is no problem. However, auroral activity is not so visible.

    You can see your nightly auroral estimate at http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/


    http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/

  • Babies

    geddes12-s
    http://www.andrea-schroeder.com/AGeddese.html

    Matt always complains about me, because I sometimes talk about anatomy and surgery over dinner. He says there are some things he does not need to know. Maybe he’s right.

    What a Wonderful World

    by George Weiss / Bob Thiele
    sung by Louis Armstrong

    I see trees of green, red roses too.
    I see them bloom for me and you.
    And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

    I see skies of blue and clouds of white,
    The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.
    And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

    The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky,
    Are also on the faces of people going by.
    I see friends shakin’ hands, sayin’ “How do you do?”
    They’re really saying “I love you.”

    I hear babies cryin’, I watch them grow.
    They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know.
    And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
    Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

    geddes31
    http://www.andrea-schroeder.com/AGeddese.html

  • For the Weary Trailer Sailor

    There was a time when I was kinda tired of pulling boats behind me in order to go sailing anywhere. It cost a lot of money to pay for trailer plates and registration. Plus, there was the added pain of having to put the trailers on blocks in the winter to keep the tires good.

    So, I was kind of excited when I found out Klepper started making kayaks with sails. Klepper is the leading manufacturer of kayaks that you can pack into a duffle bag. Unfortunately, the Aerius with a sailing kit costs upwards of $3700+, and although maintaining boat trailers was expensive, it wasn’t that expensive.

    So I recently got another announcement from Klepper-Grabner. I suppose their sail kits were a hit with some people, because they’ve made. . .

    Foldable Catamarans!

    picture from http://www.schlauchboote-spezial.de/vksehc.html


    picture from http://www.grabner-sports.at/index.php?id=808

    What a wonderful invention! Kudos to you, Klepper!

  • Flotilla of Good Company

    It’s really hard to go sailing with someone and be mad at someone at the same time. I mean, it’s really hard!

    Either the wind kicks up and you have a really great time, and end up bonding such that you can’t be mad at each other.

    OR

    You really can’t get along with the person, and it’s hard to go sailing with them because you can’t both be skipper at the same time!

    Matt and I have accomplished both of the above.

    But a flotilla of boats, such as those that travel the Great Lakes or the Gulf of Mexico shoreline or from island to island in the Caribbean, is an awful lot similar to friends and company that one keeps.

    A whiner in the group becomes a real drag.

    Someone who mooches off you without giving anything in return, becomes a pain.

    Someone who is constantly giving you advice about how to trim your sails, when he himself isn’t doing so hot, makes you want to throw a cup of bilge at him.

    The people I love most are those who, even in the doldrums, can drum up a six-pack (or soda, if they’re recovering AA’s), and set back and chat a while. And when the wind picks up, they whoop and holler and set off again. Sure it’s a race! But if they beat me to the camp, they can start the fire.

    I am so happy in Texas. You couldn’t pay me enough to live anywhere else, especially now that Matt and I have found a place in town that serves really good gyros. This place needs a Waffle House, though. And a Steak ‘n’ Shake would be nice.

  • Strictly Sail Chicago — February 3-6, 2005

    If there’s one thing I miss about Illinois, it’s being able to attend the Strictly Sail Boat Show in Chicago.

    During the cold, snowy, and often icy months between December and February, the only consolation for small inland lake sailors (aside from ice-sailing) is getting to browse sailboats and gear (and pick up free stuff and advice) at this annual event.

    The closest thing to a winter boat show here in Texas is the Houston International Boat Show that is currently going on (Jan 7-16, 2005). However, the Houston Boat Show does not solely showcase sailboats and sailing gear. In fact, very few exhibitors are sailboat companies.

    If you’re in the Midwest, and you haven’t seen the Strictly Sail Boat Show at Chicago’s Navy Pier — a huge indoor conference area, in which they can fit sailboats with their masts down, and also showcase larger yachts outside on the docks — take advantage of what I cannot and go! There are few times in one’s life when one can step inside a $100,000 vessel without either having to 1) schmooze or 2) go broke. Tickets cost less than it would be to see a movie in Los Angeles. Be ready to take off your shoes on deck.

    One thing I am enjoying about Texas, though, is that I can actually contemplate sailing in January. If only I weren’t so busy!


    http://www.sailamerica.com/strictlysail/shows/chicago.asp?show=chicago

  • Opportunity

    Opportunity
    by Edward Rowland Sill

    This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:
    There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
    And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
    A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
    Shocked upon swords and shields.
      A prince’s banner
    Wavered, then staggered backward,
      hemmed by foes.
    A craven hung along the battle’s edge
    And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel –
    That blue blade that the king’s son bears —
      but this
    Blunt thing –!” He snapt and flung it from
      his hand,
    And lowering, crept away and left the field.
    Then came the king’s son, wounded,
      sore bestead,
    And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
    Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
    And ran and snatched it, and with
      battle-shout
    Lifted afresh, he hewed his enemy down,
    And saved a great cause that heroic day.

  • Captain of Your Life

    Sometimes I just have to sit and scratch my head, at all my old high school classmates who ended up in places and situations that make them unhappy.

    I don’t know, but when someone tells me how jealous they are of my life, and make it sound as if I just got supremely lucky, I don’t know that this person will ever make it in life. They will always find a reason to claim failure, or they look for someone to blame for the mess they’re in. And a result, they never self-examine, and they will never change what got them there in the first place.

    Few things I’ve ever done have been easy, and perhaps only I know that. I always ended up taking the hard route, and not always by choice.

    When I give my friends advice, they scoff and say I’m “silly.”

    But if I’m silly, at least I’m happy, and I’m where I want to be. There’s only so much sympathy I can have for people who ignore my advice. It’s too painful to watch people make the same mistakes I’ve made, by not listening to me (and others who give the same advice).

    Sometimes I just have to ignore old friends who have repeated troubles — almost always of the relationship or financial kind — not because I don’t care, but because there really isn’t much I can do. Everyone is the captain of their own life, and I’m busy manning my own ship. I can’t decide for someone else to which port they want to sail, nor can I steer their ship from mine. I would hope no one would want someone else to steer their lives at all!

    There are always hurricanes that blow you off course. So what? You ride out the storms, find a place to rest and repair, and wallow in self-pity for a few days. Then you grab your compass and a sextant, and you head back out again. Life is too short to spend it being boring and afraid.