Following the Geese

Good morning everyone. I sat in the door yard yesterday and watched the last of the geese heading south. The crew have departed and life is beginning to settle in to a winter routine (if you will call it that). This morning I leave for a very busy 10 days windjamming in Texas aboard the barque Elissa. The ship will be sailing to Corpus Christi with a stop in Port Aransas. To feel the roll of the ship under my feet will be pleasing, no doubt. But it is bittersweet. I will miss the two little cherubs upstairs asleep in their beds. And I will miss Jen. So be patient with the blog for next 10 days. I will do my best to send along the news. I will not have a camera so Jen will have to fill in the blanks and she will keep you informed of schooner doings here in Maine. It feels like we have scarcely had time to slow down since we stopped sailing and to be leaving this morning seems crazy. Such is the hectic pace of our lives but I wouldn't trade it for anything. While I am in Texas I will be greeting the first arriving geese that summered here in Camden. I will be looking north to the pole star knowing that Jen and the kids will be doing the same. While geese have wings we have hearts that will easily span the distance.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Comments

Anonymous said…

It truly is a small world. Sharon and I saw the Elissa when we were in Galveston in 2005 when we were there for a Carnival Cruise. At the time I thought how great it would be to sail on a cruise on a tall ship. Norbert and Sharon Stager

October 21, 2007 at 6:32 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