San Diego: books read while sailing to Guadalupe
Island; unique; neighbor
San Diego: books read while sailing to Guadalupe
Island; unique; neighbor
When I sailed EGREGIOUS around Guadalupe Island forty years ago, I remember that I was reading THE FIRST DAY OF THE SOMME by Martin Middlebrook, an excellent book about the day the British Army took its greatest casualties ever, 60,000 in a few hours, a third of them killed. I read it again last year.
This time I was reading AHAB’S WIFE by Sena Jeter Nausland, which is an original idea diminished by becoming deliberately, no doubt for commercial reasons, a woman’s book.
I have no group loyalties, even to my sex. I only believe in individuals.
The title character, Una, born in Kentucky, but sent to live with an aunt and uncle on an isolated New England island lighthouse to get her away from an abusive religious fanatic father, later disguises herself as a boy and goes to sea, reliving the true experience of the crew of the ESSEX, which was sunk by a whale, and who, afraid of cannibals in nearly islands to leeward, tried to reach the much more distant coast of South America, some becoming cannibals themselves to survive.
Married for a while to a madman, a marriage performed by Ahab as captain of the ship taking the two back to New England, Una ultimately marries Ahab himself, who is a kind and passionate husband, until Moby Dick takes his leg, driving him mad with pain and obsession for revenge.
There are some very good parts to the book, Una’s time on the lighthouse island, scenes of whaling life in New Bedford and Nantucket, when wives saw their husbands sail over the horizon for voyages that lasted two or three years, or eternity.
But a lot of the book is pretentious and irrelevant.
To be certain that all classes of women striving for self-realization are represented, we have, among others, an escaped slave girl and a Boston pseudo-intellectual. There is a conversation with a stranger met while walking through Concord woods that is absurd.
And the book is too long. So is MOBY DICK. But one is a masterpiece and one merely a commercial success, which I’m sure is what Ms. Nausland wanted.
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I raised the mainsail today just to see if I could remember how to lower it.
Well, actually not.
Today was and will continue to be when I go on deck in a few minutes for my evening drink, photo day. A day of taking photographs to illustrate articles already written and some I intend to write.
Of those intended is one about those items unique to GANNET and not, or probably not, found on any of the other 154 Moore 24s. Among these is her fully battened mainsail.
I also wanted to measure the length of line needed to tie down the luff grommet when she is reefed. Fully battened mainsails cannot be pulled low enough to reach the horns on the boom.
For the record, the sail is again down.
If you are curious, here is the unique list:
2 Group 24 AGM batteries
fully battened mainsail
carbon fiber bow sprit
sextant
2 Dartington crystal double old fashioned glasses
Torqeedo electric outboard
2 10’ carbon fiber oars
custom oar lock sockets
3 bluetooth speakers
Blue Sky Solar Boost 2000e regulator
Weems and Plath barometer
bow roller
asymmetrical spinnaker set on gennaker furling gear
complete world coverage C-Map 93 electronic charts
4 GPS receivers
teak paper towel rack
hatch screens
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The photo was not taken with a telephoto lens.
This black-crowned night heron has taken to perching on the pulpit of the boat side-tied just outside of GANNET, about ten feet away.
The picture was taken a few evenings ago, but he was there this morning when I first stood in the companionway.
My sudden appearance close at hand, or claw, did not disturb him.
Friday, August 9, 2013