Opua: half sailed
Opua: half sailed
As is evident from the photo, it wasn’t the greatest of days. A low is approaching, but not supposed to be here until tomorrow. Not a serious storm. Just rain for a couple of days and twenty to thirty knot winds. Today the wind was predicted to be ten to fifteen knots; and I really wanted to go sailing, so I did.
I timed myself and it took 25 minutes to get the boat ready: loose objects such as camera, computer and books secured; instruments on; boat speed impeller in through-hull fitting--it is not kept in place all the time so it won’t foul; tiller pilot and winch handles taken onto deck; solar panels, oars, companionway Plexiglas insert, and dinghy removed from deck or water and stowed on quarterberths.
This was the first time I’ve stowed the new dinghy below. I’ve decided I like the floorboards, which make it easier to stand when climbing in or out, keep your feet and any bags or backpack a bit drier, and may make the dinghy row better. They should and they may, but I’m not really sure. However they definitely do make the dinghy less compact and more difficult to stow.
Dropped my mooring around noon and powered north. Within a few minutes the wind began to increase and settled at twenty knots on the nose. I continued for an hour in hope that it would ease, but just beyond Russell I turned around and had a fine sail back under jib alone. The main never did get set. So I sailed half the way and set half the sails. Better than nothing.
If the forecast is correct, my next chance is Friday.
In the photo THE HAWKE OF TUONELA is sailing south. The bow is pointing directly toward Opua, which is about a mile distant. The tiller pilot, which is just out of the picture, is steering
It is sunnier now in late afternoon than it was earlier, so I may be able to enjoy my drink on deck. Last evening I did so while listening to Faure’s REQUIEM.
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From movies for adults, I have gone to movies for children. While I was back in Evanston one of the movie channels showed all six Star Wars movies and I brought them with me.
I saw the original back in 1977 or 78 and enjoyed it and have seen two or three of the others, but not all and never in sequence. I had not ever seen Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which I watched last night.
I learned that Luke Skywalker is the product of a virgin birth, which seems imitative and in poor taste. I don’t believe in the Christian one and I don’t in this one either.
Also the entire series is based on what is to my mind a dangerously false premise: that nothing happens by chance.
My experience of life and the world is the same as that of the author of Ecclesiastes: “And I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happenth to them all.”
Still the movie was enjoyable enough so that I’ll watch Episode II tonight. Not yet certain if I’m up to all six in succession. That’s a lot of light sword duels.
Thursday, September 20, 2007