Friday, March 30, 2007

Sunday at St. Herman's

So this is last Sunday in St. Herman harbor. Days like this, and there have been a lot of them this winter, convince me that though we might sail the world over we’ll never find a place that compares with Alaska.

Which isn’t to say that I’m not excited at the idea of looking. We’re about two, two and a half months out from departure and I can already feel some part of me taking on the form of a cruising sailor. My concerns are changing. I can already feel the routine satisfactions and occasional cold sweats of a life that is lived in communion with, for instance, the daily practice of anchoring. As I fix items on the boat I feel myself withdrawing from the concerns of my recent life in Kodiak. Who cares if Science rejects my manuscript? We’re going to Bora Bora!



Here’s our friend Paul, who has a great way with the practicalities of boats. He and Kim came down from Anchorage last week to help us knock off a few jobs from the list. Doesn’t this look like a boat that’s about to head out for Australia? Yes, it does.

Paul’s help really built my momentum, and I’m getting optimistic at my chances of having the barky ready to go, no more than a week or two after our target date.

3 comments:

  1. Good luck with the punch list. Who cares if you're a week late? You're going to Bora Bora!

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  2. Bora Bora - is that somewhere up the Buskin? Like the photos and especially like the writing. Who cares about Science Magazine - more people will read your blog.
    Patrick

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  3. You need to enlist Eli if you want to get out of town on time. There wasn't a boat I ever worked on that didn't dream of having a deckhand under three feet tall ...

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