How Is Your Soul? Need Nature?

How's your soul?

Today is a blustery sort of day here - a real spring day. The sun is out, but it hailed (hard!) at 4:30 or so this a.m., and the clouds are scudding by - predicted to hit gusts of 60 km today. The water is white with froth as it moves over the tide-flats.

There is something about nature - and being in nature - that improves my soul's well being. I don't thing I'm the only one. I believe there is something we humans intrinsically know ... that we need to be outside in touch with nature. I think we all know we loose something when we are cut off from it.

I ran into the following 7 minute interview with Commander Bill King of the Galloway Blazer II fame. The interview takes place when King is 102, about a year before he died. He was one of the participants in the first Golden Globe race, where Galloway Blazer capsized, and he gave up the race. He returned to the sea a short time later (after a refit) and completed a solo-circumnavigation in 1973.

But listen to his reasons for going out to sea. At the time of the interview his was the only surviving World War II submarine commander alive, and the only one who was commanding submarines at both the start and end of the war (not to mention during). He talks about trying to figure a way to deal with his anxiety ... what we'd probably now call PSD.

I can't help but wonder if re-connecting returned soldiers with nature might be helpful - not only to them, but to the world.

I'll let Wendell Berry's Poem conclude today's meditation.

Blessed Be

Joel

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
~ Wendell Berry

Earth Day - 2013

Happy Earth Day!

Last week I noticed someone had done a yearly carbon footprint for their years travel by sailboat. Primarily they focused upon the carbon fuels they burned. As, at that time, they didn't have an engine, their fuel usage was for cooking/heating and lighting (all kerosene I believe). Rather than engine, they used a yolah (like an oar/sweep off the stern) to move them into an out of harbors.

Doing a carbon footprint inventory is a great way to spend a moment (or longer) reflection on this earth day. Over Christmas/New Years my family fooled around with one. It was interesting to see where we were making huge "earth/environment savings" and where we were making "gains" just by changing some numbers in one category at a time. [Just google/bing "carbon footprint inventory" and you'll find lots of resources.]

But must one give up an engine to have a low carbon footprint (diesel or gas)? And what about "power" yachts?

"Wait a minute, are you going to talk about electric propulsion?"
Yup.

Let me highlight a few things before we start. And before I even mention the caveats below, I should mention that it was how much use our cars got (in total mileage and mpg) that made the difference in our carbon footprint. We made huge gains by simply living on the boat! That said, for those of you who want to lower their boating carbon footprint even more, read on.

The caveats:

1. I highly admire folks like Lin and Larry Pardey and Tim and Pauline Carr, et. al. who sail engine-less. Can it still be done? Absolutely. I'm I there yet? Nope. Although we do try to make passages completely under sail, we've also made passages (gulp. Dare I admit?) under mainly power.

2. I don't have the answers - but I think what's below is interesting for discussion. We still have a highly functioning robust SAAB diesel that burns little fuel (between a pint and a quart an hour), and I'd have to closely do the figures to see how we'd compare between what we have and what would replace it, if we chose to go electric.

3. Lets be honest, if, and as long as, a sailboat has an engine, technically, it is a motor vessel. Yes, our sailboat included.

I've read about electric engines before. They are not a new technology and date back to the same period of history as the internal combustion engines, the concept being roughly 100 years old. Just like the internal combustion engines, they've seen technological advances, too. What has really improved is batteries. Up until recently the easy storage of power to make an engine go (gas, diesel or electric) has been in the favor of the liquid fuels. But now?

And remember, all non-nuclear submarines have run on a hybrid-type technology. Diesel engines generated the electricity while above the service (or at least at snorkel depth - got to get rid of the carbon-monoxide!) while using the batteries to fuel the prop below the service.

Last summer my wife and I won a sunset cruise on Gato Verde (a catamarran operating out of Bellingham). Gato Verde runs on electric engines backed up by a diesel generator. In essence, Gato Verde is a hybrid boat (like a hybrid car - with a major exception being she can run on just wind, and when docked, can be plugged in).

This experience got me thinking.

I didn't much connection together even though we later had a tour of the Blueback (retired diesel electric sub) at the Oregan Musuem of Science and Industry in Portland, and I even had a conversation with a power boater about his wanting to add a little solar-electric outboard to his sailing dinghy.

And upon reflection, I believe WoodenBoat had an article about electric motorboats. Here's one about an electric launch. 

Then I happened across Daniel's Odda Sea blog in which he talks about the hows and the whys of his conversion to electric propulsion. He spends a four part series in the hows and whys (Part 1: Why Electric, Part 2: Installation Tour, Part 3: Power Management, Recharging, and Regeneration, Part 4: Range Anxiety). By the way, Daniel plans on recharging batteries primarily via solar and wind chargers (having a ketch, his wind-generator is mounted on his mizzen mast), via prop regeneration (when sailing at speed, the freely spinning prop can add volts back into the system), and finally, as a last resort, via a gas generator (which he plans on having anyway to power power tools when needed for heavy duty type jobs).

I found his series of articles interesting food for thought.

Having received this gift of God, how do we live that both celebrates, honors and cherishes this wonderful blue planet of ours? I think that's the question, and celebration of Earth Day.

Blessed Be
Joel

The Jellyfish have hatched/returned

This is not the best image (as it was taken with my phone) but the small jellyfish have returned/hatched out. I'm not sure which one. I noticed these on Saturday evening. It is that time of year again. But this year, the return of the jellys had me thinking back on what I had read in Ted Danson's Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and what We Can Do to Save Them. I remembered he had written something regarding jelly fish being one of the only species to benefit from overfishing and climate change, but couldn't remember what he had written. So I looked it up, here it is (below).

As Resurrection People, it makes me wonder what it means to live that out in our world.

Blessed Be,

Joel

[Ted Danson writes]

If the carnage [of industrial overfishing] continues, says the world's leading epert on the topic of overfishing, Daniel Pauly, of the University of British Columbia, we'll eventually see the seafood selections on restaurant's menus dominated by one durable species.
     "We are heading for a world," says Pauly, "where there will be lots of jellyfish soup."
JELLYFISH BLOOMS
Jellyfish are 95 percent water, but these prehistoric creatures may be the hardiest living being in the oceans. They are among the small number of species that benefit from overfishing and climate change, and we're already seeing the effects.
     Anecdotal stories of jellyfish blooms suddenly overwhelming a seaside beach or gumming up fishermen's nets have been growing in recent years, and scientists have confirmed that these tales aren't exaggerations. In fact, in 2006, the African country of Namibia became the first place in the world where scientists proved that a species of five-inch-wide jellies had successfully displaced the country's fish species. The country's once-diverse marine life had been overwhelmed by jellies, which outnumbered seafood species such as sardine and anchovy by a shocking four to one.
     Why do jellyfish thrive in the modern era? It's simple: Overfishing takes away their competition. An area of the Bering Sea - known as America's "fish basket" as it provides more than half of the country's domestic seafood - has become so clogged with jellies that fishermen now call it "Slime Bank." And in an unfortunate twist, jellies feast on fish larvae, making it even more difficult for fish to recover from intense fishing pressure.
     Thanks to climate change, warming waters also allow jellies to expand their range into areas previously off-limits. That's why you are more likely than ever to encounter a collection or "smack" of jellies on your snorkeling vacation - some, but not all, of which can sting painfully or even fatally.
     There is one easy way to combat jellyfish overpopulation: Eating them. Jellies are a delicacy in Asia; imagine if we turned our massive, industrial fishing power to scooping up rather than avoiding jellies. Anyone in the mood for stew?
          (Ted Danson. Oceana. Rodale, 2011: 85-87)

Are You a Time Millionaire?

Drayton Harbor Tide Cycle curtsy of NOAA

Ever have one of those weeks in which a bunch of conversations with a different people all seem to center around one theme? This week has been like that, a lot of the conversations I've had with people have centered around the theme of "time." Add to that, I've read some blog posts dealing with the theme of "time," as well. So, why not write about time? I'll see if I can condense these "conversations."

Time is something that we all possess. We only have so many hours in our lives. If it is worth while to you, you can calculate out how many hours you've already lived and approximately how many you might have left. Time is really the only thing we have some control over in our lives. And most of us spend a part of our time at work, to make money, to spend money, to work. Simplifying our lives (and our out looks) helps us to spend less which in turn means we need to exchange our time for less money, giving us more time. Clear as the tide?

But I think you see what I'm getting at. I hope so.

The real issue regarding time I see many people talking about is the difference between chronos time and kairos time. These two words for time come from the Greek. Chronos is chronological or sequential time with a quantitative nature. Chronos time has a sense of also coming form the Greek god (Zeus' father) who eats his children.
Kairos, on the other hand, signifies the time between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens. Kairos has a more qualitative nature. With in Christian Theology there is also a sense of the appointed time or crucial time for God to act. Kairos, then, caries a sense of the eternal time frame.

When I hear people complain about not having enough time, I often wonder if they are really complaining about being swallowed up in chronos time and longing for a sense of kairos time: wanting a time of rejuvenation.

A friend of mine is reading a book about Edward Curtis, who took as his life work photographing as many of the indigenous peoples of the Western United States and Canada before their cultures disappeared forever. One of the things that struck him, was the reason why Curtis saw the reservations not working. The indigenous peoples had a culture of leisure: of kiaros time. This isn't to say that they didn't work, they worked extremely hard when it was time to do so, but that their culture was dependent upon having lots of leisure to visit family and friends, to pray and participate in ritual, to be gracious and grateful. They saw themselves living in a land of abundance with plenty for all, so had no need to hoard.

When we head out upon the waters, isn't that what we long for? Don't we long to remember that we can move to the pace of the universe, rather than the industrial steam engine and factory? And what have we culturally lost along the way by moving leisure to an activity pursued only by the rich?

I'll conclude by quoting from a blog post titled: "Time Millionaires" (link below - italics are my emphasis).

May you make time to allow yourselves to follow the rhythms of the universe - and find yourselves in tune with God's Blessings and Actions.

Blessed Be

Joel

Time Millionaires                           Friday, May 28, 2010

The cure for "Time Poverty" is to slow down, be less productive and enjoy every minute of the day. As a sailor I have come more and more appreciative of the concept of time being the only true possession that we can be in control of. Pursuing the dream of becoming a long distance sailor allows for true focus on what is really important in life.

How does one start to accumulate time and become a time millionaire? Stop, sit down, and assess what you are doing while sailing. Do you have all the gadgets and toys on board? Are they making your life simpler or part of the competitive accumulative lifestyle of the modern Western culture?

Take control now! Less is more except when it relates to time. What does 'Slow Living' represent?

Slow living is not doing less. It is pursuing a life with an eye for details. Goals are attained in a less aggressive fashion. Each individual enjoying what they do and interacting with people and live in harmony with both man and nature. The core motives of the slow living include re-inventing the art of simple living, re-establishing family ties, reviving family values and creating leisure time.

For those setting out on the passage of slow living consider building your own boat. While it may not be a great saving in money over the purchase of a used boat, it will be the first slow passage that you will make. [...] Don't have the skills or initiative to build a boat? Find one that you can afford with your savings, leaving at least half to set out with as a nest egg, then go sailing sooner.

We set out on Easy Go with only the minimum of electronics, no engine, no generated electricity and with less accomplished our goals in crossing the Atlantic Ocean from North America to Europe, Africa and returned with a fresh perspective on what is really necessary for sailing. No motor meant we needed to improve our sailing skills and find alternative modes of propulsion for entering tight harbours and anchorages. Perfecting the use of the yuloh sculling oar allows us to manouever silently in the tightest of harbours. A little breeze makes sculling difficult? Get to know your kedge anchor and work up into that spot you would never have tried with a motor. Setting or retrieving an anchor in absolute silence that sailing on or off the anchor provides many of the most pleasurable moments we have experienced. On passage the wind strengthens and weakens but seldom do we get becalmed. We seldom make a record breaking passage by today's standards, but reading about the passages during the historic period of sail makes us very much the norm. I've always preferred a few extra day at sea enjoying the ocean wilderness and picking up an extra fish than be stuck in an anchorage. Slowing down and assessing the perfect tide and time to come into a harbour or anchorage allows one to transform from the passage maker to the more sedentary life of the harbour community. For us the passage is the destination and when it is over the new place and people we have found are equally important.

The developers of the high-tech world have devised endless "time-saving" devices that range from electronic navigation devices to automated weather reports. These really do reduce chore time for some people, but how do they spend those saved hours? They give them away on the phone or texting friends with inane updates. Not to mention all the time wasted looking for parts or people to repair all these time saving conveniences

We don't have a cell phone. Cell phones were seen by many as the biggest time-waster until texting came along, and now that seems to consume every moment. Studies continue to demonstrate the time wasting that texting causes with thousands of momentary thoughts being transmitted every minute. Who cares? Are we so insecure that we need to tell our 200 closest friends everything we do?  We use email to advise our friends and relatives when we have arrived in a new place. To minimize their worry and give them more time to slow down we keep our information flow to a minimum.

Keeping expenses low and have no preconceptions of where we were going along with a flexible and open itinerary allowed us visit places in depth and get to know the people and cultures. The rewards were greater than visiting more places fleetingly.

We made a few trips inland. We found the best way was to see what was available locally through our new found friends and with contacts in local tour companies we have never been disappointed. Other travellers, whether they are sailors or other long term travellers are the best source of advice in every place we have travelled. Being open, honest and interested in other peoples viewpoints along with a spontaneity and a positive sense of following your instincts will provide just the adventure you were looking for.

Forget the private car. Travel on public transport, chat up the locals, make contact with Taxi drivers and get a "guy" to be your local fixer.

If you don't feel good about the town or anchorage that you are in move along to somewhere that you feel would be better. It is amazing how your perspective of a place can change! If you really like a place and feel sad to be leaving soon, stay a little longer even if it means skipping another destination. Its your time. Use it to acquire the best memories you can. This is capital the we time millionaires collect.

'We are what we eat' goes the adage. The 'Slow Food' culture takes us one step further. It lays emphasis on the belief that 'we are how we eat'.

Slow Food afficinados consider mealtime as a quality time to be spent in the company of  family and friend. We encourage people to take time to prepare their meals and to relish it, by eating slowly. Nnothing can be worse than wolfing down junk food and washing it down with empty calories. This ruins our metabolism and promotes obesity.

Slow food promotes a 'back to nature' culture and persuades people to grow veggies and fruits in their back yard , support local produce and promote organic products. We find this aspect of 'Slow Living to not be possible with the exception of growing sprouts on our boat. We do however visit many places both urban and remote that have exceptional local fresh food markets. Fish fresh from the sea, vegetables with soil adhering and meat that was freshly butchered in the morning are all experiences we have had. Staying long enough in one place allows a personal relationship to develop between the market vendor and yourself. More than once an item for a special customer has found its way into our grocery bag. We've also been advised to come back tomorrow as there will be better produce coming in then. Need a special item? No problem, just ask.

Cooking slow also adds to the quality of our life. A slow cooker on the stove all day provides an aromatic ambience. Using a pressure cooker can speed up the cooking process, when necessary, and also adds an element of safety when at sea in a lumpy seaway.

There's no question that the stress of modern life is causing numerous health problems, but much of that stress is self-inflicted. Many people are just trying to do too much, trying to fill every moment with "stuff," and it's killing them. These people are suffering time poverty.

Sailing is, by its very nature, a Slow Movement.  Whether you're going out for a couple of hours or a couple of years, it's a fine way to reduce the stress of our everyday lives.

During a long passage, Slow Books are prized and you actually have the time to enjoy several chapters at one sitting. Once you arrive at your destination, trading books and doing more reading takes the place of mindless television and video games. Looking for the local library is always a high priority for us. Slow Living allows us to sit back and enjoy the sunrise and the sunset, without feeling that we need to be accomplishing something else.

When we're offshore, there are no video games or cell phones or other distractions to erode "family time."  We work together to make the boat go … we trim sails and set courses and check the windvane steering to ensure that it is steering the boat properly. Its not as easy as pressing the starter in the car and going for a drive, but its far, far better.

In these changing economic times, we need to rethink our priorities and return to the values of a simpler time. Inexpensive sources of energy are being getting harder to find. Wind is one of the few sources of energy that cannot increase in price. Its always had the same price...free. Wind is there for the taking by those who have the time.

Let's start a Time Millionaires Movement, but let's do it slowly and build our own time equity as Time Millionaires!

Posted by Easy Go Adventures - Bob and Kathy Groves

Easter Monday, 2013 (Luke 24:13-35)

Happy Easter Monday.

While Mark's Gospel ends by pointing us back to the beginning, Luke's accounts of the resurrection continue. Mark leaves us with a promise that once again Jesus is walking, traveling, out a head of us, leading us along the way, inviting us to continue to journey, always anew.

I find it fitting then, that Luke's Emmaus story accounts an experience of those who are traveling. These disciples traveling then find themselves unexpectedly face-to-face with the risen Christ. In the process, these disciples are changed.

May we, too, who are traveling find ourselves encounting the risen Christ.
May we, too, be willing to be transformed, be changed, by the experience.

Blessed Be

Joel