As a student of Chan ( Zen) we learn of our connection to all life and all its forms. We are interconnected, interdependant. Part of our “path” is about ending suffering for all life. We are responsible for our brothers, sisters, neighbors, as I said all life. From those that walk, crawl, fly to those that swim. We owe them gratitude and respect even if it is only that they give us food so we can live.

As sailors the water to us is more than just something to drink, it is life. Some live on it, we play on it, some make their living from it. We are the caretakers. Mankind are the caretakers of the planet, and we’re are failing, but the sailors are the water specialist, this is our domain, our turf. From the amount of trash that floats around the boats, we are also failing…

Bottled water is convenient. Easy to throw a few bottles on the boat, in the car and head out. Part of the problem is these convenient bottles end up in the water, in our food. The same chemicals (oil) that are used to make these bottles, that leach toxins into the contents of the bottles, drinking water, we drink, then discard and they continue their covert poisoning of the plant and our food source.

As Zen is more than just about sitting and being peaceful, Sailing is more than just floating around on the water, both share a Karma with life, water and the spirit of the earth. If we do not, wake up, step up change our ways, our thoughts our habits, we will be the next dinosaurs of the planet. Fossils on the shore and in the sea ( wrapped in plastic) for the next caretakers to find.

It has not been really sailing weather here around the island. Unlike my bud EVK4 I have not just gone to the swim side of the Bay. I am still here just not yachting much ole bean. With that I felt no need to bore you with stories of whatever else, because unlike some of my blogren this blog is about Sailing or at least Sailing stuff related to my sailing.

I went down to s/v Zen today when there was somewhat a break in the storm that bring, thunder, lighting, hail and major rain to the Island of Alameda. I recalled that sometimes my cockpit does not drain to well and will fill up with water. On top of that I had left the shore power plugged, which is in the cockpit which does not drain quickly… all that well. Hmm not good ! So after I dropped LZ off at the Bart start I dropped by to check on the old floating girl.

I was quite relieved to find her floating contently with a empty but wet cockpit. Ahhhh. Also that everything was still as I left it batten down.  It was all good.

My next stop since I was in the hood was over a the Blue Pelican. I love flea markets, yards sales and the like. The Blue Pelican is like that as a boating consignment store. I have written about them before.

I had not really planned on buying any thing, since I am watching my funds not only for our up coming trip to Japan ( more on that later), but because my EDD benefits are due to run out. I am hopeful that a job is forth coming, perhaps even at the boat yard where I dock  s/v Zen that would be beyond sweet!

I walked around in the Blue Pelican looking at this and that, feeling good that there was nothing I really really needed to buy. Yokatta! I was about to leave when the own says. We have another 1,000 sq ft of space in the back with stuff you can walk around to look at. What?!! I said, you’re joking, right? No he says. When did this happen? I replied. He says, we have had that but it has not been open to the public, now you can check it out. Drat drat drat, he will not let me escape three times without a purchase.

I walked around and checked things out, wow, more stuff, more cool stuff, more big cool stuff. Nice. I made mental notes, again there was nothing I felt I needed to walk out of there with. Yokatta! The good merchant explained that they were growing and opening up more space for more stuff. So if I had stuff to sell, I should bring it on in. Turn my stuff in to cash. Nice, I’ll be back…

I belong to the Islander 36 c fleet club, even though I just own a baby Islander 29. I joined them so I could meet some new folks and go some place where I knew someone sometime on a sail trip as well as pickup some sailing advice. New folks, I would not say I’ve gotten any buds out of it, although LZ has. A homie of her’s and her now best friend. If I had not joined the group they would have never met, so with that and the saving discount I get once a year from a shopping spree at Svendsen, plus wine and snacks, through in the misc adventures. I say it is a well spent 30.00 a yr for the dues. Even with money as tight as it is.

I just received the 2010 Cruise schedule:

They have sails planed for each month starting in April. I will not make them all , I will figure going on  six, if conditions, ie: work, money etc, allow it.

Spring Meeting San Francisco Yacht club  – via Land yacht

Encinal Club cruise and Night @ Svendsen – April – Via Land Yacht

Coyote Point – Aug, via sail

3rd Annual All Islander Rendevous – Sept – via Sail

Ballena Bay Yacht Club – Oct – via Sail

Those will group stuff. With two years left here in the states I have to get cracken on some water time other than teaching for the Big O in Berkeley. I will need to do some on my own stuff. I’m thinking, an Overnight at Angel Isl., and Poke out the gate and back. Also something else but I’m not sure what yet. I trip to half moon bay would be outstanding, I’m up to it, but unsure if my motor is for the trip back, which is not as pleasant as going down. However… it maybe the adventure I need to get ready for the Pacific cup in 2012.

Wow,  i just jumped right to 2012 interesting, Innit!?

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger

Akemaste Omedeto Gozaimasu

Happy New Year!!  May you have fair winds and following sea…and love, and a job! (^_^)

Today I had planned on going down to s/v Zen and getting a getting New Years sail in. The wind gods laughed.

Sigh, oh well.

Today was the annual New Year sail around the island of Alameda day. I forgot, not that I had planned on going myself, but I could have taken some pictures  from the dock. However I spent most of the morning sleeping of the aches and pains from shooting 108 Kyudo Arrows for New Year purification and ceremony. Today I had 108 pains, that training is no joke. Anyway I woke up on the sofa after I had gotten up at 6:00am for Zazen and taken a nap. LZ ran the lunch bell and while sitting at the table I recalled the Island circumnavigaion. I caught somewhere near the last of the trekkers off in the distance from our Lanai.

After LZ’s Oishii New Years lunch I headed off to the marina. I figured sailing was out with no wind, the little rain was nothing, but no winds is a stopper.

Instead I spent the afternoon, organizing and getting things ship shape for the New Year. It is a Japanese custom to have things clean and organized for the New Year, it bring good luck.  I could use some this year, last year sucked. Perhaps being born in the year of the Tiger, will help. I am a metal Tiger this is a Metal Tiger year. If I was wood it would not be good. However at least I will not the cards stacked against me…If you believe in that kind of thing. I hear we sailors are a superstitious lot. There is that no setting out on a journey on Friday thing…

Anyway, I put up my unbreakable drinking vessels, cleaned off the table and put some things away. It was a cloudy day, with no wind, but it was a good day. I said a little prayer of gratitude, things could be lot worse.

May your sails of life be filled with fair winds in 2010.

Happy New Year from the Zen crew. See you on the water.

_/)

All the leaves are brown

and the sky is gray

I went for a sail

on a winter’s day…

Sometimes words are not needed.

 

Wow, yesterday at the Berkelgate there was serious winds. SO much that the Big OC cancelled classes. They had to send a rescue boat out for one boat that was out on charter that was overwelmed with the winds. It was wild windy. I ended up giving lectures all afternoon since my class on the water was cancelled. Today, Sunday, it was about 5 knots of wind in the morning, quiet and peaceful.

Barley enough for even the J24’s to move. So Peaceful almost too peaceful. We had an easy class in the morning then had lunch. Mine was the only BKII class running this weekend, It was kind of weird it was so quiet. There was some other things happening, private classes, some review that sort of thing, but over all quiet…so different from the summer.

I had noticed that the Berkeley marina has indeed replaced the docks they took out aka the floating ghetto. The former homeslip place of the former great ocean crossing super blogger polka dot racing team captain dude turn swimmer Dad. They have filled in the vacant space now with all nice new shiny clean docks, I think they are cement. Can you say raise in slip fees…

Meanwhile over at O dock…

The rest of the afternoon with my class pretty easy. We motored out far enough into the slot to pickup some winds. Some where around 12-15 knots, enough for a nice sail and some MOB drill which they catch on to fairly quick. I tried to steer clear of the racers that were out for the afternoon, and did pretty well over all.

It was a good day to be out of the water, warm enough to be comfortable, later enough wind to be fun, but not stressful for newbe sailors. We headed back to the Marina on the late side since the guys wanted to get a little bit more practice time in.

On our way back in we have to go by O -dock…the only movement were the seagulls catching dinner…

Just after we came back to our dock, the winds calmed again it was good timing. The winds calmed and it got chilly, the fire they had earlier in the day in the club house would have been great, but it had burned out by that time, so we settled for hot ccoco to end a good day on the water.

Menawhile back at O-Dock…

I’m not sure how much many more boating post I’ll have before the end of the …maybe one, maybe none.  Ether way have a great holiday…peace out… remember be grateful

Even if you just have a little, some have less… _/|\_

In the world of Chan/Zen, Kyudo, Kung Fu and other related arts we have the thought, life, as we know it exists on three levels, Mental, Physical and Spiritual. I suppose relationships, love, many things can be broken into those realms, including sailing as well, since everything from the Chan thought is one, we are everything, everything is us, we are all each other. So like Kyudo, Kung fu, Tai Chi, Yoga can be broken into three levels,  Sailing, ca be as well, which I’m sure I have touched on in other post, such as inner sailing, and others.

A few days, well weeks now ago , I was reading an article from the site of John Vigor on Sex and small boats. He said that small boats were not built for that, the v-berth was too uncomfortble as was the rest of the boat. I got a good laugh from that. I thought back on my single days when I had a floating pad, the love boat…However I will not go there with this post as my wife and other friends and family read this…as they say ,… that is another story.

Recently the Blogfather commanded, that our new task was a story on Love and Sailing. Sex and Sailing in some cases is not about Love, and some cases it is. Once again that is another story and i’m not going there with this post. I was somewhat reluctant on doing this project as I did not think I could do it justice. I still do not, however this is not a competition, it is just sharing thoughts on a topic…and whatever it means, whatever it brings to mind for you.

With that in mind, I will go there… it has been shown on some studies that couples that sail together have a better relationship. Of course that depends on the couple, but in some cases, it makes/helps  them communicate better. An ex girl friend and I use to fight a lot on land, who’s the boss, but on the boat, it was clearly Zen is in charge… yeah baby.   We had our roles, tasks, and both of us carried them out and were respectful of the other. No conflict, no problems, no crossing of roles, no bickering. It is said that part of the problem with modern relationships is there is no clearly defined  roles, too many cross role jumping. In the old days men did this, women did that, things were clear and define. Now men are suppose to sensitive, strong, nuturing, considerate, help with the housework,  yet manly. Which is fine… Women on the other hand want to join the boys scouts, not be told they are pretty, not have the doors held for them, and still be thought of as sexy, soft, yet, man equal. The gender issues, misunderstanding, complexities have risen to a new level. Both sexs are unsure what their roles are. On a Boat, it is clear, who does what. It is not about gender ( ok sometimes) it is about clearness of function, of sailing the boat, captain does this and that, the crew does that and this. yeah yeah, there are cross overs, but the ultimate responsibility is on the captain, who could be man or woman. Things are defined, unlike relationships on land, the relationships on a boat are defined and like a land relationship, the sail will fail if not in harmony. In the case of a land relationship, divorce , in the case of a ship, a crash, sinking, or the like.

So all this means is, in the case of Love and Sailing it can be helpful, if done correctly, in the right spirit, in saving a marriage. Love and Sailing can go together, Love and Sailing can bind a couple together better than a land bound couple’s bowling on Tues interest, or bingo on Friday.

When LZ and I were dating and even now after marriage, it was/is part of the quality time we share, working on the boat, making it our boat. Sharing adventures together, weekends trips, little luncheon forays. She was not all that into the thought of being on the ocean alone for all that time making a cross to Japan. That is until it came to her that, she would have a captive listener all that time

It would be our time together, sharing and adventure and travel unlike we would have on land with my other tasks and projects…Kyudo, Kung Fu, Music, Ceramics, Graphics, Facebook

Some of those would still be in the mix , but more time would be just us…sharing Love and Sailing.

It was a chilly Sat morning, It was a full day of teaching for me. I had a Tai Chi/Kung Fu class in the early am 7:30, from there off to The Big OC Berkeley. I was feeling something weird… not physically, but that “zen sense’ thing I get when something is not going to go that smooth.

The Tai Chi class went well, only one student, no biggie, there is only two, so half the class was there

Afterward I head to Berkeley. Things are very quiet at the OC. very quiet, I am the only one teaching BKII, there are a few others doing misc charters, private class, review, BKI. Still even with those it was slow. The weather called for 11 knots of winds, picking up to 13 knots. Not bad. For the slot comfortable sailing.

I have only two students another sign it is a slow day. I give them a briefing , tide instruction, etc, etc. and we head out. I’m noticing the wind picking up. I have one guy do a couple of docking and casting off for some practice. now it is the second re-docking and the wind has pickedup more, I did not want the docking tried with a new coming under this wind. So I say, let just go out, head down the fairway. Today the wind is coming from the north, which is different, so we head down the side channel to raise the sail facing the wind as it it too strong to do it from the main fairway, which would put the wind across our beam. There are also several others there trying to raise their sails. I’m not liking it! I have the crew do several circles to see how the traffic is going to settle. Finally I say now and they try to raise the sail. It goes only about 1/4 of the way up, but the guy is pulling pulling pulling. OK belay that something is wrong. I check and the halyard has come loose and is caught in the spreaders. Sigh, ok, I take over and head back to dock. It was a very unpleasant docking with a boat on our lee getting into the slip was hairy! I made it with no damage, a small bump but no damage.

One of the staff comes by I tell him about the halyard, he gets help. In short time it is repaired. Turns out the student did not close the shackle tight enough. Ok, no damage, no problem. One of the students asks me how much do you think the wind speed is now. I say about 15-18 knots. just before we are ready to re-launch, which I was having concerns about.  The office guy comes by and says, all the boats here are suspended. We are reading 30 knots of wind in the office. Wow, does not seems as bad in the valley of the boats, but out of the bay, serious winds.

So I shift gears, I do a demo on reefing then we head for lunch. The rest of the afternoon, I give a lecture and discussion on Rules of the road, and navigation, which is not what I do there, so I had to wing a lot since i did not know how they run that part. We watch the winds increase from the comfort of the classroom overlooking the boat yard. I breathe a sigh of relief I do not have to deal with 30 plus knots of wind on the water with new students on those little J24’s. It was a different kind of day.

I wonder what is up in the cosmos for tomorrow…

Time moves on with the voyage preparations. Part of that Prep work is preparing my library, not only for afloat but for the final landing. I love books. I will be building a book shelf on s/v zen, or perhaps installing a bookshelf is a better phrase. I guess it does not matter the 5 or so who read this will know what I’m saying. My yachting reference collection is almost done. I think I have gathered a great selection of resource reference books and just reading novels for the passage.

I have one more sailing book I want to complete my technical library: Storm Tactics Handbook: by Sailing’s Royal couple the Pardey’s

My tech books for on-board are:

Chapman’s Piloting

Sensible Cruising – The Thoreau Approach

The Sailing Handbook

This OLD boat

Landfalls of the Paradise

Celestial Navigation

Voyaging on a Small Income

Sailing Directions : Pub 158, 159, 120 ( The Pacific and Asia)

The Pacific Crossing guide

World Cruising Routes

Sailboat Electrics Simplified

100 Fast & Easy Boat Improvements

Desirable and Undesirable  Characteristics of Offshore Yachts

The Tao Of Sailing ( not really a tech/ref book, but…)

One hand for yourself , One for the Ship,

Wind and Tide

The 12 volt Doctors’s Practical Handbook

First aid afloat

Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen

Where there is no Doctor

The Floating Harpsichord ( a novel plus medical advise by a doctor)

Sailing the Farm

Self-Steering for the sailing craft

Cost Conscious Cruiser

The Self-Sufficient Sailor

The Care and Feeding of the Offshore Crew

Practical Seamanship

Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia

The Marlinspike Sailor

The Time -Life Library of Boating:

- Cruising Grounds

- Seamanship

- Navigation

- Offshore

Any other suggestions? However, I do not want to overdue it and get weighed down, I need to save space for ohhhhh , let see … water and food.

Okkkk, The Blogfather started something Pottery Tues, which became officially recognized on Weds, by the Prophet of O-Dock on Weds. as Pottery on Weds. So to honor the movement. Here is my humble contribution which expands things to the Universal realms of Art. In this case ceramic marine art.

As an artist I notice that there are many representations of marine art in Paintings and Photos, even song. However in the Pottery or in the more general artist form know as Ceramics, there is only a small amount. Once upon a time, not so long ago when I was working in Clay I felt the need to express the marine dimension of Boats and water. There were some works of boat hulls in wood, some models of course in plywood, even a couple in ceramics but not a lot. Rarely a full boat even more rarely a sailboat.

I undertook one on a whim and worked on an abstract ceramic yacht.

Some people liked it, I laughed, I was not that pleased, but it was something. It was a challenge and MESSY!! It looks heavy , but it is not, it is all hollow. Which made it hard to do. Formed by covering some shaped foam with a slip soaked gaze. It was messy! Let me stress that MESSY. It was my first and last piece in that medium, it was too messy! Ceramics are messy anyway, but a fun kind of messy getting ones hands in the soft wet clay, but this was Messy, slip and drips everywhere, yuk.

My next pieces of marine expression came not in the form of something on the water but the water itself. I was much more pleased with the results.

The Sea Dragon.

Water and the moon

The wave

Not yacht  or boat art, but where would a boat be without water. Water is the source of life. No water, a yacht is just another abandoned vehicle on the land, same as a car, tractor, trailer on blocks.  Without water, there would be no boats, there would be no us since we are mostly made of water. As made of water, we are an extension of water, a boat is an extension of water and ourselves. Perhaps this is the draw, the real connection, the lure of boats. Boats are an expression of our oneness with water,  a Yang to the Yin of our water nature.

Now that that is done…who the heck is Glen Beck… and why is the Blogfather saying those things about him..er her?