Navigation in the Sea of Life

Good Morning Everyone. Happy Monday morning to you all. OK so the clocks might have changed but my body is going to take a few days to get used to this. Here is the almanac here on the Maine coast for the week. Monday High tides at 0513 and 1803. Low tides at 1147 and 2354. Sunrise at 0700 and sunset at 1844.

I include for your navigational efforts this week a chart of Penobscot Bay just off Camden (the dent in the land on the lower left). While you may think this whole place has been charted accurately, such may not always be the case. As the cartographer said who created this thing…”the prudent mariner will not rely solely on any single aid to navigation” including this chart. So while life may seem clear at times, remember that like this chart, some of the assumptions made about what is out there and where it is are based on very old data from the 1800s. Goodness knows that the winter ice or the congressional knife may have removed even the guideposts we leave for other humans venturing across deep water. So take care out there in the world this week. Print this chart out to guide you on your way. But also pack along your wit and wisdom, a good compass, a coastal pilot book filled with wisdom to help keep your spirits buoyant, glasses for seeing things up close, binoculars for seeing things far away, a good leadline to get a measure for how deep you are getting yourself in to things, an intuitive radar to sense what may there in the fog, and a good crew at your side. If you get lost stop before you hit the rocks. Don’t just do something, sit there. Take a deep breathe, listen carefully, get your bearings, and then continue on. The best navigation in the sea of life is performed with a vigilant heart filled with respect for all the possibilities. We wish your fair winds and following seas. We can’t wait to read your logbook when you return safely to harbor.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Comments

ANNEOFMA said…

Your blogs sound JUST like you being philisophical .I love them !!! ANNE

March 12, 2007 at 7:51 AM

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui

Swimming Anyone?

Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se

Fall Maintenance

Good morning everyone. The sun has been kind to us these past few days and the crew has been spending much time aloft prepping and painting the mast heads and tarring the rig as part of our annual fall maintenance schedule. They were a little silly on tar fumes by the end of the day hence the rat board dance moves. Am I the only one who is reminded of Willy Wonka's little friends at the sight of the crew in their tyvek suits? Schoona-loompas? The smell of tar, after all, is what we sailors live for. Extracted from the stumps and roots of pine trees through dry distillation pine tar will cure what ails you especially some skin conditions and any emotional maladies from being too long away from the sea. All we know for sure is that Mary Day’s rigging is kept hail and hearty by coats of tar mixed with boiled linseed oil. Notice that I specified boiled linseed oil and not raw linseed oil. Tar mix with raw linseed oil will not “kick”. Don’t ask me how I know this… just take my wo

Sailing Vacations
A Maine Windjammer

Search This Blog