19°20' N
40°39' W
0645 UT
26.2.08
___________________________________________
today's big epiphany about the sea:
i am filled with not-envy for the particular one of the seven chinese brothers who had the ability to swallow the ocean. it tastes bad.
the comparison test:
a) in la grande motte, the mediterranean tastes bad. of course i was skin diving in a marina.
b) in the atlantic, even in the middle of the middle, tastes bad. i took a mouthful when i was dragging behind the boat. (recreationally).
this afternoon we stopped the boat, in order that the crew could actually swim (and shower afterward). a nice diversion. captain matt was teasing me that i am afraid of sharks, but mostly i was sittin' on the bimini enjoying the sudden lack of purpose.
something about the boat inexorably moving toward its destination. every second of every day, and if the sails aren't making 7 knots the engine goes on.
and then dove off the bimini and i swam a little. even drifting, the flying cloud lives up to its name. if you think about that the 'average' canoe goes around 3 knots - around 3 mph, trying to swim after a canoe that is moving away from you is difficult. it's unlikely that you'd catch up. at 7 knots, there's no way to even consider catching up, sprinting for everything you're worth. we were drifting close to 3 knots i think.
one thing rose e. mentioned was that in her goal-setting process, she considered weighing the value of having commitment and security versus more freedom and less stability. this is a theme of mine. when flying cloud takes a break, i like to as well. all of a sudden, it's just the feeling of being adrift. a rest from the purposeful advance to the next mooring. that's something i respond to well. and then i like swimming and all that, but if it's actually a break, then a break it shall be.
ha ha. rose's ma marilyn said in conversation that in antigua there are plenty of restaurants to work at. somehow i think i didn't hesitate to suggest that i didn't want to work in a restaurant. though i certainly would be happy to work in the week i have there after flying cloud splits on charter. plan is that the boat leaves about 10 days before my flight. a fate i resist: work in a restaurant. i believe i'd much rather work in or on a boat. and perhaps i'll sit in the shade with my guitar for a day or two. working in the right restaurant wouldn't be so bad. it's just a lot of work. as marilyn well knows, she and rose are part of a team that runs one, and they're busy busy.
i still really like working for a block of time and then hiding at the cabin for a week with a book and the espresso machine. and living mostly off the grid. earn less, spend less. and then there's the music part, which depends on nebulous factors; and is a terribly inefficient way in which to eke out an existence, but occasionally has great reward for all the unpaid, nonlinear, non-directed study / practice / creative endeavour. and then the cabin for a week.
'no wait, i want to go to china.
or vietnam.
i'm a commitment-phobic man'
-jacques lussier, from shed your skin
Back in the water again at last!
2 years ago
