on the hard in thunderbolt...

well, it's 89 degrees and humid. the noceums are out in full force, and the air is heavy with jasmine. we got here a week ago after the navy closed ft. lauderdale for a day while a carrier got by. that put us too late for a tidal entrance up to savannah, so we slowed to a bump just inside the gulf stream after booking it to squeeze in the day before. once inside, we then had to contend with some draft issues, as the sediment buildup has killed the dredge from a few years back. we again squeaked in 12 hrs late on a spring tide and went to work. little things back up on you, like last minute hangups and generators dying and electrical fires and t-storms. but you carry onward and it's a healthy reminder that you're nature's bitch.

on the upside, we moved into a crew house. lovely little salty thing with a white picket fence, a grill in the back and huge bathrooms with tubs. we are walking distance from tubby's, our local bar complete with porch rocking chairs and grits with your burger. an easy walk to the piggly wiggly and thai food (!). we are 8 miles from downtown savannah with one minivan to use. granted we have the usual partridge family/real world living issues, but it's sure nice to get offa the boat for a bit.

right now our schedge's in flux. we are hoping a buyer comes thru, which may push our crossing back or cancel it outright. whatever comes, we are getting a good look around georgia. low country boils, line dancing and tybee island.

next weekend (schedule permitting): charleston harborfest!

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catching up and moving on...

hi there - just getting my breath after a couple long work weeks in prep for savannah shipyard haulout. our sails came mighty late from the sail loft because north sail was understaffed. we are sans chef but fully staffed sometimes feeling understaffed.

for example, i think we're 160 ft on deck(w two levels abovedeck and two below) and lots less futzing with sails but only two deckies to clean the boat daily. in fact at one point i was the only one cleaning the hull for a couple rounds! that being said, the more times you go round the big boat, the smaller it seems. so it's becoming much easier...

saw some familiar faces in florida. ryan from pride just got his 100 ton ticket and got to hang w him which was good. also saw biff from kings point for a minute. makes me pine for the good ole days occasionally but am looking fwd to the future. we are most likely heading to the med end of may. crossing to arrive in june and doing at least one trip around monaco, corsica, sardinia and mallorca.

i've decided i can't afford the lifestyle. lauderdale is incredibly stratified and image conscious, most of the women are blonde and have boob jobs, the men are slick and flash their cash. had the best sushi of my life but our tab came out to $700 (!), everyone has iphones and gizmos, suvs and goes to these weird parties with ginormous catering spreads, open bars with blue drinks and posed models on platforms. i have a feeling this is going to be the case in europe but with the dollar falling it's gonna be even crazier.

curious but pining for a simpler life. hoping to see some cool places save some money and then have options.

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red white black and blue...

am recovering from a crew party last night.  pretty big blowout complete with wizard of oz theme, sushi bar, and willy wonka chocolate fountains.  anyhow, taking it easy today and contemplating...

over the past week or so, i've become aware that racism is back.  well, actually it never left, it's just that pc-ness has faded, so people are just not censoring themselves anymore or think that it's ok to say the n-word in dinner conversation. 

i kid you not.  i can count on both hands the occasions: "black man" jokes have supplanted the "dead baby" ones and are equally as unfunny.  one woman spoke to me in a broad chinese accent, complete with buck teeth, saying i should know about chopsticks (i was stunned).  i also get asked where i'm from in every introduction, with the assumption that i couldn't possibly be from the states looking like i do. and gosh, i speak really good english.  other times, in casual conversation, the terms "chinkies" and "beaners" were used to refer to groups of people.  all from the mouths of angelic-looking twenty-somethings who obviously see no harm in saying things like this and have probably never been on the receiving or witnessing end of hate crimes or discrimination.

this nation is a simmering cesspool of anger and entitlement, of inequality and misunderstanding.  the population is rapidly changing, and immigration, whether you like it or not, is what makes this nation complete.  perhaps i'm being thin-skinned (um, not).  perhaps because of the environment i'm working in (which is very rich and white) i'm getting it from all sides. but i don't need to be a good sport about this.  i think this world is slowly going away and being replaced with loud chaotic groups from other countries and of mixed heritage.  babel exists today, with people talking at each other and not making sense.

hey barack, if you win this one, good luck.  for the nation will go kicking and screaming ... 

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be thankful...

for each day and the next.

went to new york and boston for a few days, took care of some business, saw some friends and played a show.

forgot how cold it can be in april.  forgot how much i missed the city.  forgot how glad i am that i left.  always keep in the back of my mind plans for another return...

visited my friend scotty who’s recuperating from a car accident.  he is currently partially paralyzed and uninsured, but fighting the good fight.  amazing guy - read his story at http://www.scottyhardtrust.com/.

cars may be necessary but cars are evil.  only in the states do people rely so heavily on this method of transport.  they allow us to go where we want, when we want, on our own, etc.  but they are corroding the environment and also so dangerous.  a friend of my sister’s lost his wife and one of his kids in a hit-and-run; then the scotty thing.  it only takes a second; a distraction; or a chance meeting with a drunk driver. 

be careful out there. 

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back in the usa and a farewell...

i’ve been back in u. s. and a. since tuesday, but working pretty solid since.  it’s nice getting back into maintenance mode (8 hr. workdays, wknds. off) after 20 days more or less at sea (10 - 16 hr. days).

but frantically catching up on practical things like mail and bank and phone.  lauderdale is a little like miami without the cubano vibe and more yachtiness (read, snootiness).  we’re here for a month until we head up for savannah, and again, this depends on if the boat sells.

i heard and confirmed that an old friend has passed.  krunch will always win, even from the grave, and he lives on in people’s minds and hearts and all the crazy stories we share.  he’s gone on to valhalla, where all the local beauties have kids with jewfros.

resquieat en pax, matzo balls. vaya con dios...

Currently listening : Ten By Kate Rusby Release date: 07 January, 2003

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first trip thru canal...

am here on nightwatch, alongside in shelter bay marina, colon, panama.  they are shooting the new bond movie here, and apparently daniel craig zoomed right by me and i didn’t notice, as we were in full cleaning mode.

it’s been a good trip.  am getting my sea legs back.  more like readjusting to watches, flurries of activity and hours in the hot sun.  figuring out where stuff is kept and learning new vocabulary.  looking out over the water to see islands and patches of hopefully still-untouched land.  falling into my rack dead tired to catch a couple hours rest.

the trip thru the canal was interesting.  there was a serious backlog to get thru and they are currently working on expanding the canal to fit megatankers and increase the flow of traffic.  the pilot boards and then a bunch of linehandlers.  they hook you up to four mules (trains) that tow you along to the locks.  you usually share space with a tanker or cruise ship and they seal you in.  then the water floods in, raising you a grand total of 90 feet so that you can meet the level of the lake.  folks step off and you get into some spellbinding territory, meeting ro-ros and other traffic.  then more locks bring you back down again. 

once we hit the atlantic, we got a welcome back of 30 knots out of the east - northeast and some bump.  yep, this is the water i know and love.  the week on the pacific was dreamy and calm with occasional breeze.  would love to spend more time on that side....

that’s all for now.  happy st. pat’s. 

a.

Currently listening : Panama: A Millennium Tribute to Van Halen By Van Halen Release date: 21 November, 2006

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and now for a brief message...

well, brief considering the extent of the subject matter.

Currently listening : Some People Have Real Problems By Sia Release date: 08 January, 2008

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back online in the gap...

so i was thinking, okay, i'll be sailing offshore and without signal for three weeks.  psych!  i'm on a megayacht with satellite linkup and a wireless network. 

after stopping in las perlas for a minute, we are currently anchored off bahia pinas, in panama near the columbian border.  shoreside, it's known as the darien gap, infamous for being the bermuda triangle of land, where man dares not tread. 

strangely enough, there's a five star sport fishing resort there, amongst the indigenous villages and FARC guerillas.  today, some natives came by in their canoa with baskets to sell.  soon, word got out and there were a swarm of vendors with jewelry, baskets and handicrafts hoping to make some money to feed their families. 

this is so not a tall ship.  the days are long and we do work in the outside, but it's more like shining and cleaning and shammying everything within five clicks.  there are two tenders, and we use a hydraulic winch to lift and stow it in a space age compartment with a magic disappearing door on deck.  all the sails are operated by joystick. 

everything's still new and i'm still finding my feet, but folks are nice and unpretentious, the owner is a sweetheart and on the top ten of forbes 500.  lots of brits and aussies here, but a few yanks as well. 

so will broadcast when able.

Currently listening : Sailing & Whaling Songs of 19th Century By Paul Clayton Release date: 18 July, 1994

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i´m outtie... for a bit

Currently listening : Going Somewhere By Colin Hay Release date: 31 May, 2005

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we interrupt this newscast....

for a brief announcement.  i am suspending my giggage in antigua for a possible job opportunity.  total 180....

more details soon...

alice

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