Solo Ventures

today, wishing to avoid strong winds by the coast,  went inland to my local lake.  there i received a great geographical & meteorological surprise.  the forecast 25 knot north easterlies (sea breeze) not only failed to reach us, we experienced winds in the opposite direction.      the clue to what was happening arrived later. as the coastal winds were due to reach their maximum force,  our wind eased to mostly calm conditions.  apparently the land breezes were being stalled by the steering opposite flow offshore. our sailing was quite majestic,  no other sails.  in fact only one other boat that motored into the ramp ahead of us.   fearful of the winds to come,  i set of under main alone and kept the decks tidy ensuring everything was securely stowed.  after a while of boring light weather sailing i went forward and set the headsail.  immediately Lurgurina burst life across the sparkling waters, leaving a swirling wake in her path.   being quite hot,  the black angus cattle made for

a few days a ago i was totally blindsided by an odd little boat for sale locally.   she's a perfect crossing boat in lynn & larry pardy way.; 24 feet & timber construction.  down below she looks very traditional & comfortable.  she had international registration, heavy groundtackle, parachute sea anchor & east coast charts. everything & more that i would want in such a dream boat.  

Through the haze the waterway opened out like an inland sea.  Fish chopped the surface,  larger tailor smashing whitebait. Approaching the bay,  took an admiring view of the volcanic sentinels before turning for the long run home.  The promised change in wind direction did not eventuate, but the predictable tide was behind us all day. Even beating home saw us making good way over the ground and through the water. 

It is an unfortunate reality that at the moment I can afford time for only one weekly ride.  There are two reasons,  one is that I own an ageing Land Rover &,last week alone i lost two days chasing parts and fitting them up.  With my day job being seasonally hectic,  in energy-sapping heat & humidity, i have less free time. The other issue is,  that I live atop a steep hill and along a 400m drive which is too rough to ride on,  so a "quick ride" requires me to load the trike into the car & drive 2 km before and after each ride. It would be much easier to just scoot out the door and ride off.  Well,  anyway I got away at dawn today & avoided the midday heat.  Carrying my new to me Camelback for the first time,  I tucked a spare tube and multitool in my bum bag and travelled light.   There are quite a few hills on the Vacy Loop,  but I managed them well & was actually looking forward to them once I got my head on straight.  I could do better with a smaller f

Well,  i would say "go for a sail,  walk,  paddle or ride". But yeh,  be your best self,  have highs & lows,  share your experiences. 

the weekend passed saw no sailing and i am deeply unhappy about letting myself down.   there were things happening that i thought required my presence and i bumped sailing from my list thinking i could venture out fore an extra day this coming weekend.  but of course it's not about making the days,  it's about keeping the candle burning at a regular height.  i recall when i had my first trailer sailer,  i would sail perhaps both days of a weekend and miss a few.  I began to hate missing a week because i was out of time with the boat.  with the momentum comes a familiarity,  a oneness with the boat that heightens the fun.  The opposite is true as well,  and its a frustrating feeling,  fumbling about,  making mistakes,  not feeling the magic that comes with a deeper relationship with ones boat.  even at my age i am still learning about myself and coming to terms with the need to stick with a plan.