Images and Observations from A Sailing Photographer
It is not what you look at…But what you see..
— HD Thoreau
An Introduction..
This is the first post on my new blog and when asked for a name, I decided to call it The Pelagic Lens. The term “Pelagic” signifies to me everything that takes place on, in, and around the water. The word “Lens” is arguably, One of the most important parts of a Camera and something through which a Photographer’s entire world comes into view. So I just put the two together to signify the theme of this blog.
This will be a Blog about Spending time with Friends, Creating Images, Nature, Boat Stuff and the Thoughts and Visual Images that pass across (and sometimes stick) in a Sailing Photographer’s head as I go about my daily Life on the Water. Here you will find it all. Including the stories, trials and triumphs that Nautical Life Invariably entails. In addition, You may pick up some knowledge about Photography and even learn some Nautical terms.
I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Blogging just seems to be a natural extension as an accompaniment to photography, so to tie my most favorite two things together, We’re going to give it a try.
Inside, You’ll find all sorts of stuff. Mainly posts on Photography, Sailing and a lot of the stories that surround the two. For me, that’s two great things about getting older. The Memories in my Hard Drives are many and I get a lot more stories to tell!
Try to be patient.. I’m a far cry from an English major and my punctuation and Grammar will be, well…unique. Part Sailor and Part Photographer. I would prefer to call it being a “Spicy Romantic”. My daughter, Cameron, calls it Frustratingly Charming.
Most of you who already know me know that I am only anal about 3 things.
(1) My Photography
(2) Sailing and My Boat, “Brilliant Cut”
(3) And Bailey, My Dog
It will be most certainly “Not rule conforming”.. I’ll assume First and sometimes even Third person reflections but hey, what’s life without multiple perspectives? But honestly, I’ll do my Southern Best to get the point across with Thoughtful Observations, Humor, Quality Imaging and a dash of Humility. Learning WordPress (this platform) will altogether be a different thing.
As in “Weather Windows” for Sailing, I won’t lock myself into any ridged schedule or deadlines on updates. I’ll post when I’ve got something I think you’d be interested in. In addition, If you ever”hang out” with me, You can probably expect a moment in the Blog spotlight. (I promise I’ll be Gentle). Hopefully, everyone will find something here to enjoy at one time or another. If You’d like, subscribe and Please “Share” below to get notified when I post new updates.
Again, Welcome to The Pelagic Lens. Hope to See You on the Water!
YouTube Sailing Videos: You either Love’em or Hate’em.
To me, YouTube is perhaps one of the biggest marvels (so far) of the early 21st Century.
Nowhere on this Earth can you learn so much, in so little time, about how to do most anything you’d like to do, or learn about how to do, with as little effort, as it takes to just the enter a short search query and the click of a button.
Whether you would like to bake a cake, learn photography or field strip a 1939 Walther P-38. It’s all there.
How about learning to fly or just following Elon Musk on his way to Mars?
Ok. So you’re more down to Earth and you’d like to know how to Camp in extreme weather or learn some new Excel formulas. YouTube has numerous channels for those skills also.
It’s all in there and much more. It has become the “go to” tool for a lot of people. On both sides of the camera.
Including those who use it (or it’s viewers) as a source of income. Your interests, dreams and imagination are the only limit.
Sailing Videos
For me and for some not so small part. It is YouTube Sailing Videos. A (Mostly) 2 hours a week time wasting pastime and something of which most people don’t even care about. Just about everybody that knows their way around the water and boats know that the vast majority of cruising sailors and water people out there don’t have time to create such nonsense because they are busy doing what they set out to do in the first place and that is to work on the water or live out their dreams on the water. Not to make Soap Operas about it. But for some viewers, when winter rolls around and the tired old bones need a good warming up, I’ll settle in and follow many of my favorites as they sail off into Tropic oblivions. I really like a few of them and have even established distant friendships with a few of the creators.
I’m mostly just curious to see how these channels deal with the everyday demands and challenges that living aboard a Sailboat can provide. Everything from learning to work with fiberglass to cooking on a boat. At last count, there were about 800 Sailing Channels on YouTube, of which, I subscribe to about 100. Yes, I suppose that qualifies as being “mildly” addicted.
Normally, most of the videos are about 12-15 minutes long and some channels only post bi-monthly or monthly. But at least I’m not just watching someone else do it. I learn a lot and lead a pretty active onboard lifestyle myself.
Admittedly, I do watch YouTube about 6 hours a week. 2 hours of which are dedicated to sailing related content. The remainder is split between discovering all the ways that the foreign media is trying to convince us that Russia is getting their Ass kicked by Ukraine and watching instructional videos done by the professional photographers I follow. Only TikTok is more entertaining. Thankfully, I haven’t watched even 1 minute of Network TV in over 4 years now. Finally having the time to devote to the growth of my photography business online has provided me the schedule to do so. Where else would someone with an insatiable thirst for knowledge go to learn so much in such a limited time?
The Human Drama
In watching the sailing channels, I’m also interested in the human drama that can and does unfold inside of 40 feet or so of these floating “Peyton Place(s)”. Admittedly, drama can unfold even in the small world of a solo sailor such as myself but more often when two or more personalities are involved. Especially when you throw in the dynamics and challenges of boat ownership, weather and relationships. Watching this weekly reality show starring mostly unskilled, content starved and a few personality disordered individuals is entertaining at times and writing about it is even more fun.
I’ve watched enough to know that I’m sure glad I don’t have to deal with all the depicted drama that sells these videos as “normal” sailing life. That much drama in my life would drive me nuts.
I follow many of the sailing channels on a regular basis and find myself contemplating seriously on a question recently posed by an admin in one of the online Sailing Forums I frequent. That question is what gave birth to this blog installment and one of which I thought merited deeper insight. The question and post on the forum was generally about what everyone’s favorite sailing channel might be and why. (you see.. I’m not the only one that wastes his time on this).
In choosing a favorite, I take a lot of things into consideration and also write about a few things here that I had been noticing more and more of, as late.
For myself personally, I’ve gained a lot of entertainment from watching many of the channels. Primarily because of an appreciation for the growth of technical quality in many of the channels and real-world value received resulting from their content. I admire the photography and story-telling skills of many of these “creators” and I’ve learned a lot about boat-handling, rigging and repair work from experts with more experience than I. I’m just geeky that way and we do have that in common.
A more common interest to everyone I suppose, is the inevitable drama that life brings to every human being. How the individual channels deal with the “human drama” is more interesting to me than the quick video that was shot up or down somebody’s wife’s or girlfriend’s shirt.
“What”??!! You ask…”Did I read that correctly”?
It’s true that there are many channels that snag a viewer’s interest with the more “traditional” methods of scantily clad women, alcohol consumption and sensational attention getting thumb nails (also known as “clickbait”) Curiously, but keep in mind, like many other public social venues, YouTube has built in to it’s algorithm a way to “flag”, suppress or outright bury a channel’s content if the content produced doesn’t align with it’s own tech giant standards or thought think. This is both scary and not surprising when you realize how polarized our society has become.
No doubt the tiny bikinis and barely concealed boat nudity provide some interest and probably result in hundreds of subscriptions, but like sand on a beach, there’s plenty of it out there both on and off the ‘Tube.
After all, that’s the approach of how one of the oldest and most successful channels got it’s start over ten years ago. Displaying a Hedonistic and carefree lifestyle, island hopping their way around the world, The Series, and it’s primary actors, are all grown up now. Having finally put ashore the partying brother and his steady troupe of in and out wayfaring lasses, The Captain and female First mate have found the time (and space) needed to produce some crew of their own in the form of a cute baby girl, They have recently settled into a more believable lifestyle, cruising into US ports of call where they wear a lot more clothing and are better recognized. Last I read, they are hauling down almost $16k per weekly episode now. That ain’t chump change.
New Trends
Personally, and among a few other things I will mention, I’ve lately become disinterested by the current Sailing Channel phenomenon and all the associated “B” roll footage that is being focused in the direction of having and dealing with babies onboard. I love babies and kids. But like a lot of Sailors who once enjoyed the pre-kid videos, I seem to agree that spending 30% or more of a 12 minute video on the eating, sleeping, crapping and behavior habits of a baby is irrelevant in a sailing video and only slightly appeals to a small segment of viewers. It also shifts focus away from the more valuable content I think the majority of sailors prefer. I’ve lost track of the number of channels this has just recently become a focus of. (At least 8 or 10 at last count)
If one follows a lot of channels such as I do, it’s easy to see where patterns start to develop on the various feeds and it is this that interests me and one that has prompted me to write about such an undiscussed topic. Being a regular viewer of all these channels makes one very attune to patterns, trends and sometimes outright plagiarism. between the channels. It’s incredible how the entire culture can take on a life of it’s own. If one popular channel offers up a particular subject, you can be sure others will soon follow, almost in lock step to duplicate a similar scenario, cover the installation/rebuild of a particular piece of equipment or to complain about the same challenges. For example, Covid got way more than it’s share of coverage and blame. I say “more” in this case because a lot of the individual’s complaints stemmed from the result of poor or nonexistent planning on the participant’s part during the Pandemic.
The competition has gotten very fierce for the viewers time and money. The talent for creating consistently good and interesting content has gotten very small in respect to the number of channels that are now out there. It’s surprising to see the number of channels following this latest move and now, how it has extended itself into having babies and other things mentioned later here.
“Keeping up with the Joneses” YouTube style.
In reality, I realize that most of these couples are young, most are still in love and are in their respective child-bearing years just like a lot of their viewers, plus, being in remote, or romantic places certainly helps. After all, Sailing is well known to be 90% boring and 10% sheer terror and that one-sided statistic probably contributes a lot, too.
With the recent “baby explosion” that is now coming to light on many of these channels, I really find myself wondering what the heck is in the water they are drinking or floating in. It’s getting to be as tired a subject as Pig Beach.
Ask, and Ye Shall Receive!
Another interesting (to me) pattern that is just now beginning to become regular fare is the number of channels that are starting to outright ask for money to fund another bigger or better boat. Is this now becoming a new trend too? The comments that accompany these videos and that I see in the forums from the older crowd who watch these videos, (most of whom were chained to a 9 to 5 for decades before earning their retirement), depict having a difficult time identifying with the plight of Young, healthy and in many cases, obviously some well-to-do but “dropped out” couples who regularly show no shame in begging for your hard earned dollar.
They do this mostly by suggesting that you “buy them a beer” or becoming a Patron on their Patreon account where you can “support” their efforts in producing these videos in such “challenging” conditions. There are beginning to be more and more of these channels who are just out right begging for your money. They have no qualms whatsoever in telling you that they need your dollars to help buy that $4000 windvane so that they can continue to provide you “quality” content. What ever happened to working and saving your money to be able to have the things you want? Surely, with some of the highly paid occupations that I hear them brag about abandoning, they would never have had to suffer the corporate world to retirement age. So, unless they are already in their 50’s, their mantra of “Go now” doesn’t cut a lot of mustard for some of us.
Not surprisingly, Covid and the resulting economic conditions seem to have contributed greatly toward these numbers and industry statistics bear that out in no uncertain terms. Many of them justify their asking by consistently trying to convince you into believing how much time goes into the making of these videos, Obviously, some do take quite a bit of time to put together and it’s obvious in their production standards. Or, just maybe they have more talent than a lot of their peers..
Other reasons that are common are equipment needs or how “hard” it is to come up with interesting content week after week. These are all featured in the weekly pleading for your cash.. If it’s that difficult, you can bet that it shows in their quality and my question for them is then why do it? These channels are the ones who rapidly earn an “unsubscribe” click from me and many others.
It used to be that YouTube would allow you to demonstrate your dislike for content in the form of a thumbs down icon that came equipped with a counter so that you could also determine how many other folks felt as you did about the video. Reminds me of the sort of a “rating” system like the Romans used in their Gladiator sporting events when they wanted a defeated combatant killed by his competition at the end of the bloody match. YouTube has tried to change this by making it no longer possible to give a “thumbs down” due to some screwed up “woke” thinking that is now programmed into their algorithm.
However.. It has now become possible to download an extension to your browser that rightfully returns that choice (in a limited) but satisfying way. You can find it here as it is an extension to Google Chrome. I highly recommend it.
A Few Examples of Patterns Emerging and a Few Bones to Pick.
I first noticed the “begging” while watching the drama unfold of the careless passage-making skills of a guy and his girlfriend who came close to losing a poorly prepared, ill equipped and decrepit catamaran in heavy seas off Hawaii. This is probably the reason he lost his girlfriend as well in the process and I don’t blame her for jumping ship at her earliest opportunity. He almost got her killed along with himself. I would have bailed on him too.
Now..months later, he shows up with an older, in need of repair, but much bigger and much more expensive luxury yacht that most people could never afford provided by some sort of Go-Fund-Me program or handout scheme. You can bet that the repairs and refit of this yacht will be handled in the same financial way with the accompanying “clickbait” of unsuspecting and beautiful young ladies to feed the dreams of his naïve and predominately Male Patrons.
This above occurrence was very soon followed by another like minded channel because the Captain’s insurance wouldn’t cover a reported irresponsible recent loss of the use of his yacht. Somehow or another, during the entire debacle that actually occurred in near-coastal waters, which also involved an on-board fire and the risking of lives by the USCG, he managed to get it all on film which he later put out as a $5 Pay-per-View drama. 3 weeks after the rescue, unashamedly asking for over $100k in repair funds so that he can continue his journey toward warmer climes producing the bikini and drinking binge content he is so famous for.
I know Captain Ron said “If it happens, it’ll happen out there” but this sounds like a setup to me and obviously to many others.
And then… just a short time later..one of what used to be a favorite channel of mine, was asking for purchase funds to replace a small but sturdy little “pocket yacht” they have been living on and extensively refitting for the past 4 years for a Pacific crossing because of all things…
Their reason? A Termite infestation.
The entire restoration effort has been extensive and videoed for all to see on dozens of episodes spanning months and months. Did they just now figure out they had bugs?
I don’t mind if you embellish a little. All sailing stories start out with “you’re not gonna believe this.” But seriously….Don’t insult my intelligence and disrespect the hours of time and “likes” I have given to support your channel. Give me a break.
If you follow this channel, it has been obvious for quite some time that the female of the couple has been unhappy with the challenges of living on a small boat and the partner, who is very knowledgeable, ambitious and capable, is finally realizing how foolhardy the idea would be to even consider such a voyage on this boat given the couple’s self-proclaimed limited experience, and the age, condition and size of their boat. It has also been obvious for quite some time that they have been rethinking their bold declaration to cross the world’s largest ocean. Most experienced viewers were pretty confident that it would have been foolhardy to ever follow through with such a poor plan. They are brave, intuitive people and seem to be deeply in love. They just got themselves backed into a corner. But they are not stupid.
A few hours after their “begging” video aired, their pockets had swelled to over $50k and was still climbing. From Rags to Riches in 3 short months. I don’t know, or care how much they finally ended up with. To me, it all just smelled like a “set-up” for cash and I quickly unsubscribed. Termites my ass. At least be truthful with your viewers. By the way, as we read.. Baby #1 is on the way. Just in time to take advantage of the extra space on their new-to-them but very expensive 40 ft. “Blue Water” ocean going yacht.
Does anyone see a pattern here? It’s beginning to reek of just another form of street begging. With a digital cardboard sign. And I think I my YouTube habit is about to run it’s course. . At least of some of the sailing video parts of it. I’m sure that in the comments I will be reminded that “it is my choice to watch” and the unsubscribe button is there for a reason. Thank goodness for that but like I wrote at the outset of this post, watching all this drama unfold and seeing patterns like these emerge in these reality show type settings is fascinating! I guess you could say that it is the sub-culture that attracts and holds my attention.
Even more amazing is watching these channels burn themselves out because of soon discovered unrealistic expectations about living aboard (as they say, it’s not all bikinis and rainbows) Anticipated revenue amounts that can’t sustain the lifestyle or failed relationships that come to light when two people try to unsuccessfully get along aboard only 40 feet of boat. I’ve gotten to the place I can almost pick these out of the pack from the very first series of episodes. That’s why I personally gravitate toward channels that feature older creators that are closer to my own age. Their expectations are lower, they are more established and they seem to realize better the value of a close relationship while still managing to retain an individual personality.
Final Observations
Before anyone accuses or judges me my view, First of all I don’t really care. These are just my own thoughts and musings. But importantly, I don’t consider myself bitter, jealous or a “hater” by any means, because I am very happy, proud and thankful for what I have earned and I have genuinely and wisely learned that always trying to retain a positive attitude pays off in big dividends. In addition, being happy for others always pays back good fortune.
But I am strangely amazed in some way with this trend toward undeserved and what I perceive as instant gratification that some of these channels are applying themselves to. A very surprising fact is that people of all ages and financial standings are participating. On one hand, you have a couple that consistently brags about having “a 5 thousand dollar Craig’s List Boat” and on the other, is a couple sporting a new 54 foot Swedish luxury cruiser that tips the scales at about $800k. Why the Hell do these people need YouTube revenue or a Patreon account? They must have a pretty boring onboard life to devote so much time toward making videos instead of just enjoying the well-to-do life they have built. Would they even notice if I “bought them a beer?”. For the latter couple, they obviously don’t need the money.
I’ve given this some thought and the only thing I can come up with is that these people either have huge egos OR they don’t want to be left out with what the younger crowd is doing. Either way, I am still trying to come to grips with understanding how all this begging under the disguise of putting out quality content is acceptable to so many viewers. The proof is in the phenomenally long lines to “kiss the ring” at the YouTube Sailing Video Booth every year at the United States Sailboat Show in Annapolis. After watching a few channels coverage of the event this year, I get the distinct impression that an invitation to and scheduled placement therein is reflective of “Oscar Night” in Hollywood. Indeed, there were channels whom demonstrated they were a tiny bit bitter about being excluded this year. It was hilarious and quite interesting to see the “Star Struck” look on the faces of many creators, new channel actors and the surrounding mobs of worshippers
My observations, for the purpose here, is what they are. No more, No less. Perhaps it is the “new” way of realizing benefit on the front end of sincere effort, planning and sacrifice. Perhaps it is the result of the present generation of sailors feeling as if they are individually entitled. Perhaps, I have just gotten older and wiser and also more of a Curmudgeon. Like it is said “A Bitchin’ Sailor is a Happy Sailor” but I truly believe that the “paying of real dues” never goes out of style.
I am constantly amazed that there are thousands who agree that a few years (or less) of making videos and the documentation of temporary vacations from their idea of a “normal” life, justifies the plentiful contributions toward financing someone else’s lifestyle. It is even more interesting (and sometimes perplexing) to watch how many very deserved people go without asking of any special help because they lack the technical and social media video skills of some of these YouTube channels or were taught to not rely on anyone but themselves. Asking for, or begging for money is just not in some of these people’s DNA.
Channel Relief
If you’re interested, my list of channels worth a few minutes of your time include Drake Paragon, Eric Aanderaa, (No Bullshit, Just Sailing), Emerald Steel, Sailing Florence and lately. The Sailing Brothers. If you like true, unrehearsed sailing and unpretentious courage, hard earned Seamanship skills and valuable, informative “how-to” episodes gained by many years of hard knock experience, you might enjoy these. All are very respected and experienced Sailors. What they lack in slick salesmanship and an entitled attitude they more than make up for with rolling their sleeves up and attacking their problems with a can do attitude of hard work, smart choices, pride in themselves and of the lifestyle. Principles which all good seafarers have possessed for Millennia. If you like honest, thoughtful, informative and high quality video and story telling skills, Sailing Florence checks all these boxes. Go check them out.
After you watch and before you point out that all these ask for monetary consideration, ask yourself do you consider their efforts compensable. If you’re looking for great content, there are many more out there than the few that are mentioned here.
Channel Suicide
None of the aspects outlined at the front of this post will stop me from at least “checking in” once and awhile on these mentioned and other channels. Happily, I’ll stick around on all of these just for the entertainment value and to see the various circus’ transform themselves in ways I can never imagine happening in my limited world.
Without fail, the introduction or mention of a Political or Social view into their format is enough to make me set sail. And that has been known to happen. The Greta Thunburg case is a good example. A couple of the European and other foreign based channels made an effort to capitalize on her controversial fame by offering her assistance (obviously for more channel exposure) or defending her behavior through Social Media online. I don’t really care about your political or Social views and I won’t take issue with anyone’s. But don’t expect me to support your channel in anyway when you use your influence on Social Media Platforms as your soapbox.
If the channel or it’s authors make the mistake of getting involved in a Political Pissing Match on their channel or one of the many sailing Facebook groups they might be a member of, it can put the death knell into motion for sure in a YouTube Sailing Channel’s life. At the least, it could result in consistent “thumbs down” reactions from viewers to any future episodes they publish who do not agree politically or those viewers who just don’t like politics in their entertainment. Due to the current and sharp divisions within cultures these days, it doesn’t matter which side the the creators take. It could result in a revenue losing situation for the channel.
Supporting a Channel
To be honest, I have contributed a number of times to channels when I was able or felt a sincere need. Most recently to a lady sailor who lost her husband due to Covid while in S. Africa on a circumnavigation. Alone and frightened, I felt that she deserved help. Turns out, that in his absence, she has emerged much stronger and more knowledgeable than first appeared. Most times, I will just make a small purchase from a channel’s merchandise store for a T-Shirt or Amazon purchase through a link in their info column so that they realize a small cut. But will I ever help or contribute hard earned cash to any channel to buy beer, another boat, or finance the operation of the one they have? I don’t think so. Besides, Brilliant Cut takes all of that.
The Gorgeous 23.8m (78’1″) Custom built Buddy Davis Motor Yacht “Plastic Toy” takes at break at Jarrett Bay Industrial Park along the ICW in Core Creek, NC
I’ve always had a love for boats. I think it started when my best buddy in Grade school and myself dragged an old, rotted and wooden skiff out of the woods near the banks of the Tar River in Greenville.
Even though Tom Sawyer was just another book to be read at the time, Mark Twain must have known exactly what the historically strong attraction that young and adventurous boys have always had for boats. Especially boys who had the great fortune of being able to grow up near navigable Rivers, Lakes and Oceans.
The inevitable challenges that boating adventures (and mis-adventures) present to the young minds of boys are just too irresistible for those young minds and I suppose, go a long way toward building the all important self-confidence that would be needed later as they grew into young men and responsible people.
These early challenges and water borne activities may not ever had been experienced or had possibly been forgotten by our parents who, by this time in our growth years, were suspicious but nevertheless mostly unknowing of their offspring’s antics as long as the activities of said offspring didn’t turn life threatening. Besides, They were of “The Greatest Generation” and had much bigger fish to fry as family providers and survivors of a brutal World War.
The dangers and consequences of dragging an old wooden skiff out of the woods to experience a mid-summer, 20 mile trip downstream a narrow, muddy and mostly lazy river was never an issue in our 15 year old minds. Instead, it was the adventure of planning our own expeditions and the accompanying freedom from hot, sticky Summer tobacco jobs that madly drove us in our poorly planned, but (sometimes) successfully executed endeavors.
Of course, as every future Mariner should know, a “shakedown” cruise is absolutely necessary on any newly acquired watercraft and our wooden skiff was no exception. As I much later in life discovered, a shakedown cruise is a very important part of the boat ownership process.
Pushing off from the banks of the muddy Tar River for the first time, we quickly discovered that minor leaks were a part of the wooden boat experience. To remedy that, we made some cut up Clorox bottles to bail out the water if it got deeper than an inch in our vintage watercraft. We didn’t realize it at the time, but these plastic bottles were to be our introduction to the much more sophisticated version of the automatic electric bilge pump we would rely on in the far off upcoming future. Apparently, the saying that “there is no better bilge pump than a scared man with a bucket” still holds true to this day.
Soon after, on our second excursion, we realized that some sort of steering would be needed so we “borrowed” a couple of Cypress Garden water skis from a friend to use as oars or more accurately, as paddles. They did a fair job of keeping our bow pointed downstream but precise steering was yet to be learned as our paddling skills (like 15 yr. old male brains) were not yet quite developed.
The loss of steering control continues to this day, to be one of the most serious emergencies that can occur on any watercraft. The US Coast Guard regularly performs seaborne rescues just off our coast to vessels and Mariners who have lost this vital ability aboard their crafts. We learned this lesson early in our boating lives on the third of our Saturday shakedown series as we pushed to “sea” from our ancient home port on the Tar, known throughout history as Port Terminal.
Port Terminal occupies an important place in Tar River history as it served as a port and warehouse area for the shipping of timber, pine tar and other commodities produced in our area in the early Colonial days
The Tar River gets its name from North Carolina’s history as a naval stores colony, where the dense longleaf pine forests provided much of the tar, turpentine, and pitch needed for shipbuilding and transporting goods throughout the colonies and abroad. Like all coastal rivers, it is also due to this abundance of trees, and the tannins their leaves produce, combined with the stirring and movement of rich sediment during storms that the Tar River gets its brown color.
I can remember, it was a very hot, windless and lazy afternoon. Our afternoon float plan allowed for about an hour or two for fishing for Catfish and just general “skylarking” (a Navy term) as adolescent boys are so well at doing.
Drifting downstream on these shakedown cruises was always an open-ended thing. We never knew exactly where we would end up but were always careful to not stray too far from where we had set off from. The Tar had a swift current. And if not careful, our planned for “passage”, which was still in the planning stages, would get started before we were actually ready for the “Big Day”.
We knew that the Tar became the huge Pamlico River at Little Washington. We also knew that the Pamlico eventually flowed into the vast Pamlico Sound and eventually through Teach’s Hole Channel out into the Great Atlantic Ocean. Never mind the distance. We had already done this first leg (with our parent’s permission) floating along on truck inner tubes. (I won’t go into explaining what they were, just Google it)
The exact place the Tar River becomes The Pamlico River at the Highway 17 bridge (left) in Little Washington, NC
As all 15 year old’s know, we believed we were up to any task and invincible. This was the lofty and overly ambitious route of our future plans and dreams. But we didn’t care. We would make it!
In the time that it would take to get all of this accomplished, we would somehow figure out how to explain how we got so far from home to our parents and they would happily come to get us and our gear in their early ’60’s station wagons. (Google again) The great experience would make all the whippings to our backsides and groundings worth it in the end.
It was on this day that we discovered how important steering was to a well found vessel.
The first sign of trouble was realizing that we had gotten caught mid-stream in the fast current. There had been recent thunderstorms which had brought an abundance of rain which in turn, caused high water and a very fast moving down stream current. We noted that it would be these conditions which would be to our advantage on the first leg of our passage to Little Washington, 20 miles down stream. We also agreed that finding a 16 yr old friend with a driver’s license and access to a car for a ride to get back to Greenville could wait until we got closer to the day of the start of our “circumnavigation”.
Rushing downstream without the aid of propulsion was thrilling. Steering was another matter. We soon found ourselves being pushed to the edges where giant trees overhung their branches into the high water caused by the recent rainstorms.
Unknown to us at the time, really big snakes and water moccasins loved to lay out and sun themselves on the lower branches where they could easily slip back into the water to escape predators or pursue prey.
As we were pushed under one of these leafy branches, the biggest Water Moccasin I’ve ever seen just fell down into our little skiff with us. It MUST have been 6 feet long! The snake dropped in and we all bailed out into the muddy, fast moving water.
We eventually managed to get the boat to a sandy bank where we pulled it from the water and overturned the craft to rid it of the unwanted passenger. We learned a valuable lesson that day that would last a lifetime. A vessel under control is much safer and especially more conducive to pleasant passage making.
Pondering what to do as part of our “great trip”, my lifelong buddy came up with the idea that we could “borrow” his Dad’s outboard motor from his garage to both provide propulsion and steering and would also give us the option of a method for our eventual return. This idea would take time to implement as proper planning for the opportune time to “borrow” it was instrumental to the plan’s success. A few week later, the right moment arrived and we all met down at the sandy beach where our vessel lay in wait for it’s final shakedown and excursion.
Initially, we had a little difficulty in getting the old Evinrude started but being the tinkerers we were, we soon had the old 2 cycle smoking and coughing her way back to life. We had placed it on the transom and were soon ready for shoving off. Thinking back, I believe there were 4 of us who boarded that day.
None of us considered that this day would be our last aboard the old wooden skiff.
We had really come to love our “find” and were even trying to come up with a name for her that all of us could agree on. She had previously provided us with crazy fun, lots of freedom, a new knowledge of watercraft and yes, a few scares which have all developed into one of the lifelong stories that long time friends always share and reminisce about decades later.
Shoving off from the beach in Neutral at a fast idle in a cloud of oil smoke and gasoline fumes, we were modern day versions of Tom Sawyer, Christopher Columbus and Robinson Crusoe. We were 10 feet tall, bulletproof and invisible. Until we kicked the little Evinrude down into gear.
Disregarding that the motor was at a much too high idle to go into gear properly and that our old wooden skiff did have a lot of rot in the transom, we dropped her into a grinding and loud bang forward gear which promptly destroyed the rotted wood on which she was mounted allowing the entire river to rush in and quickly sink our boat along with all of our carefully thought out plans of becoming the first Pitt County natives to successfully cross the Pamlico Sound to the Outer Banks in a 12 foot skiff. The poor motor also sank to the bottom but was eventually recovered albeit with much explanation.
Perhaps the old skiff found it’s own way down the River and eventually became a fixture in a local flower garden.It might have even made it’s way to the Outer Banks where it became a piece of Yard Art in front of an Island Daycare Center. Here, it could inspire the dreams of a much younger crowd. I’d like to think of this ending for the skiff.
It’s crazy, but we learned a lot with that little boat. Knowledge that has unbelievably lasted to this day. Shakedown cruises are important in that they will bring out most of the weak points in a vessel. Never go out without lifejackets and proper safety gear. Boats are always full of challenges, surprises and fun. And finally, as parents.. to never fully trust the judgements of a early teen.
Now that I am older, arguably wiser and a licensed captain, I still have that dream of cruising and passage making. I still enjoy the challenge of single handing my 38 foot sailboat “Brilliant Cut” in all kinds of weather. I can also see the lust for adventure, and sadly, a lack of knowledge and Common Sense and casual disregard for Safety in the eyes and actions of some new and some experienced boat owners. Being around the water everyday and delivering all kinds of boats provide a lot to observe.
In trying to understand some of the craziness I see on the water, I sometimes think that these folks never had the advantage of being raised close to water or the opportunity to learn from the irresponsible behavior that naturally comes with the freedom of adolescence. Most of us, if we are lucky, live through those times to understand that our actions come with consequences. Never as much as they do with time spent around water or boats. Unlike breathing, responsibility and knowledge is not a natural human trait. It must be taught and learned. Hopefully with as much a lack of pain as possible.
Boating is supposed to be fun and a rewarding part of life. As you go about your Boating fun this Summer, make sure you have the proper training and knowledge to safely enjoy one of the greatest pastimes our earth offers. Your life and the lives of those you love may depend upon it.
“Don’t shoot what it looks like.. Shoot what it feels like”
David Alan Harvey
“Hierarchy“
Years ago, when I used to teach Photography and some associated courses at Virginia-Western’s Daleville, Virginia campus, four out of the five courses I designed for the curriculum were of technical nature. Going in, that was the part of photography that most newcomers to the Craft (the students) felt it was that they needed the most help with.
About half way into the very first semester, I learned a valuable lesson as a Photography Instructor.
Technical expertise was what they all needed, to be sure. But more importantly, the technical aspects soon became far outweighed by what it was they actually wanted out of the courses.
So quietly, I adjusted the curriculum to give them what they truly wanted and as a result, became a much better photographer myself in the process.
Like most new photographers, my first few years in photography were spent going around snapping pictures of anything and everything that interested me. I was always “looking” and trying to improve my technical skills. This is admittedly, the “geeky” side of photography and what attracts many “Left Brain” thinkers to The Art.
By technically obtaining better skills in Exposure, Focusing and Composition, I felt it was important for me to shoot everything I saw. This was a real challenge back then as everyone (at least the Professionals and those who wanted to be) were shooting Transparencies (slide film, which were called “Positives”), and using Manual Focus and Exposure cameras and lenses.
Technical skills were especially important to me, because at the time, I managed to secure some side work (another story) shooting College and High School Sports, Landscapes and of course, Sailing.
Because of work, I was also shooting a lot of Black & White. I was as happy as a clam because it was cheaper and I could develop and print my own film at the newspaper that I worked at which kept my processing costs lower.
Even though it was over 35 years ago, I still remember a photograph that stirred up a new awakening in me that I had not experienced before..
Let’s take the instance of trying to capture a high school football player in action for example.
First of all, it’s Friday night. And it’s Dark. Transparency film, in other words, “Slides”, which is what we liked to shoot, had to be properly exposed. And to be properly exposed, you were only allowed 1/3 of a stop either plus or minus either side of absolutely perfect exposure. More latitude than those small fractions could ruin an otherwise great shot. You had to know your camera and more important, you had to know light. (Remember, we were only using manually adjusted cameras).
Transparencies did not have the 5 stop exposure latitude that print film possessed at the time. But Wow! were they ever oh-so-sharp! And the film possessed very little “grain”. (What we now call “digital noise”)
They were so cool! They even seemed to have a 3D effect when viewing them with a lightbox and loupe. Remember looking into the Viewmaster? Those devices used miniature slides on a cardboard wheel.
Next, when shooting any sport played with a ball, you have to make sure the ball gets in the shot. If not, your Sports Editor would just drop all your hard earned work for the night into the waste basket by the side of his desk. Believe me, I know this. Accomplishing this task can only be done by never taking your eyes off that ball, especially when you are looking through the viewfinder. We didn’t have electronic focus-tracking back then either. We only had very fast hands and fingers. (this is why I still keep both eyes open when shooting)
This next part is when it gets really exciting.
Ok. It’s the 4th quarter of a brutal game and “the play” starts. As the quarterback rolls back and hands off the football to someone in the backfield, you realize with glee, that the play is actually coming your way! The closer, the better, Right?
As a matter of fact, in a few hundredth’s of a second later, your glee quickly turns into an “Oh Shit!” moment as you realize that the fast and huge 250 lb. kid with the ball is coming straight at you with an entire team on his heels. All the while, you are manually changing focus, keeping the ball in the frame and being mindful of the stadium lights and their sincere desire to ruin your must-be-perfect exposure.
You’re still looking through the viewfinder and adjusting focus as adrenaline kicks in and you suddenly spring 4 feet straight up into the air. The violent tackle on the sideline passes just beneath you amid a maelstrom of grunts, dirt, screams, sweat and curses. During the ensuing seconds, all you can think about is protecting the only equipment you’re wearing which is your camera. And keeping yourself from winding up inside the rescue vehicle that’s waiting in the Endzone.
After returning safely to Earth and your heart rate finally eases, You hope and pray that everything you did was right. Later that night, time in the darkroom and under the enlarger would bring welcome relief and a great satisfaction for your effort.
This time I got lucky.
A perfectly exposed and focused image.
A frame filled with the “all hallowed” ball, a look of determination in the face of a defensive linebacker and sheer terror in the eyes behind the face mask of the offensive Back.
The Sports Editor was happy that night.
The next edition, which would sit alongside the Sunday morning coffee and breakfast of a few thousand High School sports crazy townspeople, features your photo, in a top dead center, five-column spread in all it’s Black & White glory.
To master all of the technical issues in the above story took a lot of practice. (about 37 thousand prints, to be more accurate) and thousands more Positives (slides) that have never seen the light of day.
To really capture the holy grail of what turned out to be the most important thing to me in that photograph, took much longer for me to actually realize. And it follows me by my being very thankful to this day, many years later, for all that time I had the pleasure to spend in the Black & White world of photography.
Even though that print and slide and the companion article are buried somewhere in a storage shed somewhere with 40 thousand others, I can still remember what it was about that shot that thrilled me the most.
It was not the perfect exposure nor even the perfect focus. I can’t even remember the two schools that were on the field that night. Nor can I remember the color of the jerseys. But I can remember the moment and what struck me the hardest.
It was the look of that football player’s face and eyes behind that face guard.
It was, for lack of a better term, the emotion on his face that told that story best. I have always believed that the best photographs tell a story. And Black & White photographs do much better (for me) to get the emotion I feel into a photograph. More than color does. What I feel when I press the shutter is much more important to me now than in those days when I was simply documenting things that I looked at.
Look at the following images and try to imagine the story they tell. I have placed them individually inline so that each can be examined separately.
“Think it Through”“Wing on Water”“American Truckers”“Salutations”“Howard”
If you notice, the use of color doesn’t support these photographs in any way. Probably, it might instead be the feeling you get in making up your own story or an understanding of the story the photos are trying to tell.
Many of you know the quote from Henry David Thoreau that has long been the credited byline on much of my published work.
“It is not What you look at that Matters, It’s What you see..”
Henry David Thoreau
This quote was expanded upon in 2013 in an article in the Huffington Post by Dennis Merritt Jones, Contributor Award Winning Author, Keynote Speaker, Mentor – Thought Leader
“The gift of conscious perception can be an astounding event that happens whenever we realize that it is we, and we alone, who assign meaning to whatever our eyes fall upon every moment of every day”.
David Alan Harvey who is an American photojournalist based in North Carolina and New York City, says it very well. He’s been a full member of Magnum Photos since 1997 and he said it the best. In pure and simple tone that is easy for me to understand, and I quote:
“Don’t Shoot what it looks like, Shoot what it feels like.”
In closing, it is my wish that if photography is your “thing” or maybe you just need a way to express yourself in an alternative way than with just words, Black & White Photography can allow that. Shooting what you see rather than what you’re looking at will enlighten and help you grow in so many ways that I haven’t covered here or even have the time or space to do so.
Like many of those students in Virginia, It might turn out to be what you wanted all along.
Our discussion of Living and/or Cruising Aboard continues this week with a look at some of the various alternatives that are available to Cruising and Liveaboard Boaters .
This is only a general discussion as all of the variables are just too numerous to mention here.
Last post we discussed a lot of the questions and considerations that come up in the course of searching for a marina in which you would like to live aboard your boat.
This week, we’ll talk about some alternate options of Living/Cruising on the Hook and we’ll also cover “Living on the Ball” as it is very similar in nature with but a few differences.
As in Living in a marina, there are many advantages and a few disadvantages that most people allow to influence their decision to live at anchor versus living in a marina.
Back to Nature
SouthRiver, NC -2019
Herein lies one of the biggest advantages on living at anchor. Usually causing a second look when Marina Costs are a factor in designing the budget for your live aboard or Cruising lifestyle.
One must first look at the logic of considering this.
Firstly, living at anchor is usually (but not always) looked upon as a temporary alternative when traveling or cruising to different ports and or locations. You won’t be there very long so why decide to incur the extra costs of dockage, electricity and water for such a short stay? Living at anchor is free of charge (most of the time) and you can choose that beautiful, calm and serene cove that is well protected from weather. It also might offer the best vantage points to experience the best sunsets or sunrises. No noise except the birds and the occasional crab pot guy who collects his catch sometime around sunrise.
These fishermen are often friendly and very cognizant of the fact that you value your privacy. As long as you haven’t stirred around with his pots and respect his livelihood, I have found them to be friendly and especially helpful about local knowledge when asked.
When cruising, living on the hook each night also offers some extreme advantages in viewing nature in it’s natural state.
The sound a dolphin makes as it surfaces and “Blows” right next to your boat is an incredible if not surprising experience. Especially after sunset. At twilight, when the water is still and the light is fading.
The sound of an Eagle’s call as they greet the morning or the high-pitched cry of the Osprey when you get too close to their nest.
Have you ever seen a Whale’s tail as it rises above the surface and then hear it slap the water upon reentry?
And the Gulls. Irritating to most… But folklore suggests that they possess the souls of Old Sailors. Here on the waters to live forever. I think that might be really true. They’re nasty, and cause trouble. They’re loud and boisterous. They eat garbage and crap everywhere. Just like some sailors I’ve known.
It is sometimes so quiet, even the smallest of sounds can be noticed and contemplated on. It’s no wonder that many Cruiser’s are into Yoga and Meditation.
Sometimes the sounds can be alarming in that you have no idea what is making it.
One such experience, during a delivery, occurred one night about 02:30. There were 3 of us aboard that evening. It was the absolute dead of February and it was cold. Very cold.
Having gotten the anchor set and squared away in one of many coves along the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) South of the Pamlico River, we settled down to a great meal of broiled steak and all the fixings. After the meal (and a few rum drinks)and being very tired from sailing all day in the cold, we settled in for the night. With one last check about the boat and on the anchor’s holding integrity, we all turned in for a cool but very restful sleep.
About 2:30 am, there came such a loud cacophony of noise under the boat. Wave after wave of something crashing into the underside of the hull. It was very loud and sounded like we were getting thrashed by a thunderstorm from underneath. Being terrified, I arose straight up in my bunk, Upon doing so, I slammed my head into the low overhead and fell out of bed and down onto the deck. Ouch! (I’m not going to mention here what I really said)
The rest of the crew had similar reactions and in a matter of seconds we were all wide awake wondering What the Hell was going on. The noise was coming from under the Boat!
In about 15 seconds the sound and vibrations thru the hull had subsided and things got quiet again. I don’t think any of us went back to sleep that night as we were up discussing aloud what the ruckus could have been and if it was going to come back.
For years after that experience, we searched for answers and received many explanations. That was over 35 years ago and we still talk about that night whenever we get together and toss back a few.
We now refer to that night as being “the attack of the killer shrimp”.
We don’t know to this day exactly what it was that night that crashed into our hull under the cold dark water but one thing for sure now is that each time the story is told, hilarity ensues and we have a good laugh at ourselves.
It is experiences like this that stick in your minds and heart forever. It additionally causes strong ties and lasting memories for the individuals you are with.
Anchors and Balls
The skill of learning how to anchor properly and having the right equipment is essential for any boat.
One never knows when you might be called upon to make use of an anchor and it’s certainly a stress reliever to know that you are comfortable with the procedure. I have even been known to anchor in the middle of a race to keep from being set back because of current and no wind.
I won’t get into the details of proper ground tackle or procedures here as it is not the subject of this post. Nevertheless, It is mandatory that you know how to do it properly before you enter a harbor, cove or anchoring field for the duration of your stay. Other boaters are depending on you to anchor properly and in the right place.
Sometimes, you don’t have a say in where this might be especially if the anchoring field is owned by the marina or city in which case, you will have to go where directed. This is very common when tying up to a buoy (or ball) as they are normally placed at the proper intervals for certain lengths of boats.
When staying in Boot Key Harbor, a very popular, long-term ball anchorage in Marathon, Florida, this is what you’ll find. I think they had 226 Mooring Balls at last count. They do it right and know what Cruisers need.
Mooring fields maintained by municipalities are generally kept in good repair enabling you to have piece-of-mind when leaving your boat or in a storm. Mooring Balls are usually anchored to the bottom using very heavy weight such as iron engine blocks or concrete. (It’s usually the condition of the mooring “pendant” that you need to be concerned about) That’s the line (rope or chain) that connects your boat to the immovable object far below. A certain amount of practice is required in “picking up” these lines which are normally designated by a large, White floating “ball”.
Outside of mooring balls, directed anchoring is a rare instance. Most of the time it is left up to you and your responsibility as to where you drop anchor.
One of the worst experiences you can have while anchoring is to not do it properly and do it in the wrong place. Anchoring “on top” of others is frowned upon as any “dragging” that might occur will leave the two of you (or more) tangled together in a huge mess.
This most always happens during the worst possible times while weathering a squall or storm in the anchorage in the middle of the night.
Usually afterwards, or the next morning, when tempers have calmed and the mess starts to get sorted out is when the Wannabe YouTubers come out with their cameras looking to capture the latest “click-bait” and headlines for their next episode. If it is your desire to be an infamous YouTube Star, you’ll most likely get your chance during these moments.
Transportation
Being at anchor while cruising or as a live aboard also requires that you have suitable transportation to the dock, marina or area in which you plan to stay. If you have pets, this fact is magnified somewhat unless you have spent time to train them to do their business aboard.
She Loves a dinghy ride. Beaufort, NC 2020
There are as many ways to get around and have fun on the water as there are fish in the sea. Dinghies fulfill this role nicely and come in all shapes and forms.
Canoes, Kayaks, Standup Paddleboards (SUP’s), surfboards, nesting, fold up and inflatable and much more.
Rowing Dinghies, Sailing Dinghies and Homemade Dinghies
A reliable “car” (dinghy) is a must. Whether it be the Cadillac version or something more humble. Which like a car, can resemble just a “Beater” that you run errands on and don’t mind the inevitable dents, scrapes and dings they all eventually get.
Taking the time to acquaint yourself with proper “dinghy etiquette” is well worth the time it takes to avoid an embarrassing moment.
Broadcasting yourself as a selfish, inconsiderate dolt among your fellow boaters is not difficult to do. Blasting through a crowded mooring field or anchorage, leaving your outboard motor in the “up” position at the dinghy dock, operating at night without lights and using a short “painter” (dock line) at the dock all qualify for this judgement.
Often, especially in Sailboats, water depths play a big part in the use and ease of using dinghys. In general, the closer you are to shore, the shorter your dinghy ride will be. This will result in less gasoline used, drier clothing and groceries you’ll inevitably have to schlep to get back aboard to re-provision.
Keep in mind that sometimes, water depths or reefs will prohibit close in anchoring. This is when an abundance of horsepower is needed to make short work of long and time consuming dinghy rides.
As you can see, the dinghy plays an important role in the quality of an on-the-water lifestyle. There are lots of styles to choose from and there is no “one size fits all”. Choose yours carefully.
Usually, dinghy docks are present at most localities, some with a small charge, most of which are free.
A “Three Car Garage” for the evening. SouthRiver, Lukens, NC, 2018Near Rockland Harbor, Maine. August, 2010
Off the Grid
Many boats out there today utilize watermakers, wind, solar power and/or generators to minimize the number of times they have to visit Marinas. Equipping your boat so that you can “live off the grid” will give you much freedom and minimize your costs in the long run.
These additions come at a cost but they are well worth it and mandatory in some parts of the world. Solar and /or wind-power have consistently proven to be the most cost-effective means of going “off the grid” on boats. Technological and Electronic advances have taken this to a high level of ingenuity. There is an entire Industry dedicated toward doing this on a boat and is something you would probably need to consider if you plan to cruise at all.
One word about generators, don’t be “that guy” that runs his old generator all night just to keep his reluctant partner and himself comfortable. The noise and fumes are really looked down upon in a crowded or a quiet anchorage.
That being said, Generator technology has come a long way toward easing the aforementioned pain. for everyone. Honda makes some excellent products that excel in fuel efficiency, portability and low noise operation.
Shown Here: Solar Panel Arch serving double duty as a dinghy hoist.
Runs to shore in your dinghy is a commonplace occurrence. The fact that the ride into shore will not always be pleasant must be considered when choosing a spot to anchor.
Lot’s of boaters even make use of folding bicycles to make this job easier. But even folding bicycles take up precious room aboard and can be a real challenge in a dinghy unless you can store them securely ashore.
I have saved for last one of the biggest reasons (for most) to anchor instead of going to a marina for dockage
There be Land! ….and the costs that come with it!
With the rising costs of operating marinas and the subsequent passing on of those costs to boaters, it makes sense that if you value your privacy, are on a limited budget, love nature and solitude or wish to leave a smaller footprint on the environment, then choosing an anchorage or Mooring field might be more to your liking.
Not surprisingly, there is an increasing trend that implies that there are those who might be thinking that living aboard at a marina will be much cheaper than living in a house, I ask you to look again at what you could be responsible for paying for.
It is a known fact that renting a slip in a marina is not an inexpensive proposition.
With slip rents approaching $10-$12 a foot, (here in Eastern NC and much higher elsewhere) a modest live aboard boat can be very expensive to tie up. Add to that:
The cost of Utilities – It is not much cheaper to have electrical service onboard your boat than at your home. In fact, it can and is much more in a lot of cases. Homes built on dirt the past 20 years have reasonable insulation and efficient heating and air conditioning units. Lower than 50 degree water temperature will result in very inefficient use of a boat’s onboard heating system and will undoubtedly need to be supplemented by an additional source. Trying to stay warm using this method will result in long run times for the unit and usually provide only lukewarm comfort.
On the other hand, the same units, (which carry the term “reverse-cycle”) don’t really provide good A/C cooling when water temps go over 80 degrees. And in Marinas, the raw water intakes on these units clog up. (a lot)
These extremes are a fact of life even here in NC where in the Winter, Water temps can reach down to 35 degrees (and I have seen lower) and those same Summertime temps will regularly hover over 90 degrees. It is normal to have water temps reach 83 degrees in the Southeast Summer. Add in the factor that the boat is floating in this water and that fiberglass is a great conductor of heat and cold.
For a 38 foot boat with 3 cabins, utilities can average out to be about $100/ month where the cost of kilowatt hours is currently above $0.12 per kwh. Plus, most marinas charge a “Pedestal Fee” of $15-$20/Month. That is here in this part of North Carolina. This usage figure is an average for all 12 months of the year even though there are some months I do not even have the unit activated. I have also improved the insulation in the hull and refrigeration unit. Shading properties of the hull and cabintop can make as much of a difference as 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit inside the cabin in the Summer.
If you’re reading this and are located elsewhere I know what you’re thinking.
You are probably amazed at how cheap it is here in Eastern North Carolina. And you are mostly correct. But not in most cases. It takes diligent research and time to find the “hidden jewels” of economic utilities out there. Even here.
There are alternate sources of heat which involve electric cabin heaters, Fans (both 120vac and 12vdc) and fossil fuel fired bulkhead mounted heaters which can stand alone as a heat source or supplement your boat’s main unit. While not as expensive as operating the boat’s built in environmental system, there still remains a cost to be realized.
Having your boat in a more temperate climate helps a lot during any season but temperate climates cost more in the marinas where they are located (Florida and Maine for example)
St Petersburg Municipal Marina in the distance – Florida. July, 2017
The following is a short list of things to consider about Marinas and is in no way indigenous to any area.
Property Taxes (in a Marina) Yes.. if you liveaboard at a Marina in some places, the local Government wants it’s pound of flesh as well. Just like a house.
Going out for or accessibility to restaurants, entertainment and/or drinks – As you make friends around you in Marinas, you will no doubt make use of nearby shore restaurants, bars and entertainment facilities.
Fees. Pedestal Fees, “Convenience” Fees, “Envionmental” Fees, Membership Fees, Parking Fees, Trash Fees, Liveaboard Fees, Historical District Fees (No kidding) and more. Seriously.
Internet and cable. These are sometimes offered as “perks” in a Marina but guess what.. You are paying for them anyway (In your slip or transit rent) and oftentimes they don’t even work, requiring you to contract with a local cable provider. Talk to current marina dwellers.
Ground transportation – Especially if you and/or your spouse/partner still work. It’s tough to find nearby work at most Marinas.
Regular and in/consistent rate hikes. These can be significant. In rebuttal, What’s the difference in going up on rates $0.50/ft/year and going up $2.00/ft/every 4 years? Personally, I prefer the first option, if they must.
And the latest thing…“Discreet” Slip Charges. For long-term (over 1 month) renters. (Marinas have a plethora of excuses ready to combat the “designed to confuse” argument on this) Don’t get me started.
Face It. The “Upscale”, City-centric, or “Resort” type places practice some (if not all) of the above business models.
Huge, “conglomerate” type marinas are fast becoming the norm and are the worst culprits in my experience for the obvious reasons of cost, impersonal business relationships, inexperienced, underpaid and burned out overworked staff. And last but not least, greedy property owners, so called real-estate tycoons and shareholders all see opportunities here.
It reminds me of exactly what happened to truckstops in a life far away and long ago.
My advice (if you want to stay in a Marina), is to find that “Mom and Pop” type place that sits in those beautiful, out-of-the-way quiet areas where the living is much easier and respect/kindness from experienced and caring staff is a two-way street. Disclaimer: This JUST my advice. And it’s Free. So let that be your guiding light on this matter.
Many of these smaller (and more remote) places still hold to the notion that every single convenience and necessity doesn’t have to be charged for, but yet, they are still in business and know what it takes to be run profitably.
I know a few that come to mind, but be aware, they are sometimes closely guarded secrets because they don’t do a lot of Marketing hype and the residents don’t like a lot of publicity. Do your research.
Sure, you may have to put up with bicycles on the dock, being another mile or two from your favorite ice-cream bar or laundry hung out to dry on lifelines. There might even be a few derelict boats waiting for their owners to return. But you won’t go broke Jones’in with the crowd and very often, these places have much cleaner facilities, better quality water you float in and a small, but hard working staff on hand.
Rest assured. You’ll also run into all of the “different” people that populate all marinas. Sometimes that’s the best part!
So, the argument for anchoring or ballin’ out (as the case may be) seems to be a much less costly decision to make. Do Your homework and realistically assess your needs and likes.
But it doesn’t come without it’s own considerations.
As pointed out before, anchoring out is generally free. Some municipalities have jumped on the bandwagon and are now charging for an anchorage on their waterfront albeit for a much more reasonable cost than tying up to a dock.
A fine line is present here in the fact that most Boaters bring much needed commerce into many remote coastal areas in the forms of Fuel and Maintenance purchases.
Small Business, Professional Services, local grocery and other shopping venues also benefit. Incredibly, Many towns/cities don’t seem to care about this.
As more and more people take to the water and these areas become more crowded, expect the inevitable ordinances to follow. Behaving as good citizens in these areas will go a long way towards the welcome you’ll get when going ashore to explore, shop or provision.
Loud, late night parties, trashy vessel appearances, disregard for local laws and pumping waste overboard into No Discharge Zones by only an irresponsible few can totally ruin it for the rest of us. By and large, It has always been my observation that the long-term cruiser or liveaboard are very good environmental stewards. We can’t believe it when we find out reasonable sized municipalities have no provision for recycling.
Beside being highly illegal to do so, would you want someone to dump their oil, trash or human waste in your front yard?
Thankfully, more and more shore-side businesses and towns are seeing the logic in investing in equipment that is made available to all boaters for a reasonable fee.
In our area, The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality maintains a helpful list of facility locations for sewage pump-outs and their related charges. Many facilities do this free of charge because they see the advantage in doing so. It’s always a good idea to “tip” the personnel that get handed this job. Being there and a willingness to help (if needed) is also a “good neighbor” thing to do.
In this Author’s opinion, costs incurred from operating these facilities should be kept at an affordable level for Everyone. To do otherwise and use it as a profit center only encourages disregard for surrounding waters in weaker individuals.
I am certainly no advocate for big government but if need be, City and County governments should be pressed to be involved in the procurement, operation and pricing structure of using such facilities. I’ve seen pump-out prices range from Free to upwards of $40 per tank (most cruising boats have two) locally.
A great example of good stewardship on the part of a municipality to encourage conservation and clean water nearby is one of which is located at the Washington Town Docks in Washington, NC.
The following statement outlines how Federal, State and Local Governments cooperate to offer these services.
“The NC Division of Coastal Management (DCM) believes boaters should be able to get a sewage pumpout for your boat as easily as they can get other common boating services, such as fuel. So DCM is working to make pumpout and dump stations readily available through the Marine Sewage Pumpout and Dump Station Grant Program.
Using funding from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, DCM has made grants of up to $15,000 available on a yearly basis to private and commercial marinas, gas/service docks, fish houses/seafood dealers and other boat docking facilities in the 20 coastal counties. Beginning Oct. 1, 2013, the grant amount has increased to $20,000. A 25 percent match is required of the marinas. A 25 percent match also is required of local governments installing pumpouts at public docks.”
The program, established as a result of the federal Clean Vessel Act of 1992, provides financial assistance to marinas and other boat-docking facilities for the installation and renovation of pumpout and dump stations in North Carolina.
“Pump-out boats” will normally be in presence at many marinas. Making rounds to offer their services in the Mooring field. Quite often, there is no charge for the service.
Mooring Field at Bristol Yacht Club, Bristol R.I. October, 2017
Comfort on the Hook
You still have to stay warm in Winter and Cool in Summer. At anchor or on a Ball, Staying comfortable is possible especially if you are using one of the many types of fuel heating devices. Staying cool is a different story. Most folks just get used to it but in some cases, you might find yourself moored close to “that guy” again who will crank up his generator to run his A/C. All night.
These are some of the reasons that many boaters migrate to Florida each Winter Season. Especially North Florida. It’s costly to keep a boat there for the average boater and the opportunities are dwindling (especially for anchoring) fast. But the climate is certainly more bearable in the winter and the costs are not as high as in points further South. Remember, Wintertime in Florida is the “High” Season. Likewise in the more Northern climes in the Summer.
Recent advances in battery technology and more efficient solar panels are finally making it possible to stay cool from just the energy that the Sun provides.
As the population gets older and the influx of new boaters get more accustomed and concerned about their comfort, marinas offer the “necessary” amenities that most people now cannot or will not live without.
Everything gets to be more of a challenge while at anchor. Laundry, (unless you do your own) provisioning, access to land because of the needs of a pet. Access to water for drinking and washing and electricity. If you don’t make your own, sooner or later you have to go in and don’t forget trash disposal. Dinghy rides into shore can be a cold, wet and miserable proposition.
What about Mail?
Getting mail while living “on the hook” and cruising is entirely doable. very easy in fact thanks to traveler’s mail services like St. Brendan’s Isle, Dockside Mail or Earth Class Mail. In a nutshell, the services provided include scanning, forwarding and shredding. In some cases, certain ones will help you to establish a bonafide land-based address (In a tax free state to preserve income or help you keep your Driver’s License). It is important to note here that the restrictions on having a residential address placed by financial institutions are getting tighter as a result of The Patriot Act passed some years ago. Information about the individual services and rates vary quite a bit and bears a small amount of time to research what is best for you.
More on Traveling and Cruising
Sometimes during the peak seasons of transit on the ICW, anchoring out might be the only option due to limited space at marinas. After all, Peace and Solitude while anchoring allows the perfect environment for us to really understand and comprehend our place in the world. Being close to Mother Nature helps us to gain insight and knowledge about the world around us that we would never get a chance to experience otherwise. And the views can’t be beat.
While cruising, anchoring out or tying up to a mooring ball is the natural choice for a lot of people.
Keep in mind that during violent weather, most cruisers will head for the perceived safety and convenience of a marina. Again, there are different schools of thought on this. Remaining aboard during Hurricanes is asking for trouble. Having the proper ground tackle, equipment and training will go a long way towards helping you to feel confident about your anchoring skills.
If you find that social companionship with having close-by neighbors is more to your liking or the convenience of accessibility to land for all that it offers and the cost is a secondary issue, then a marina may be just what you need. Only you can answer that question.
If, on the other hand, it is the tranquility, the solitude of early morning in the cockpit with your coffee and an expanded sense of freedom you desire, then an anchor or a ball might be your best option.
In closing, research and more research will go a long way toward your ultimate happiness. Ask around too. Most boaters will be blatantly honest about discussing their individual likes and dislikes. Make sure you ask experienced cruisers and marina dwellers to get the down low.
Word of mouth travels fast and deep in the cruising and boating community. It won’t be difficult to find out who/what/when and where best fits your budget and lifestyle.
Of great help, are Mobile Applications such as Active Captain, Navionics and Aquamaps. These are primarily navigational programs but they also employ complete listings in the shape of Icons that offer all the information you need to find just the right Marina, Mooring field or Anchorage. They offer applications for Android, Ios and various popular chartplotters.
Navionics Boating. Sample – Marinas and Anchorages Circled
Waterway Guide is offered both as a stand alone print version as well as a “plug-in” for various programs such as iNavX, Apple’s outstanding proprietary mobile navigational application that uses US Government NOAA charts.
Beware of Cruising and Boating Forums on the Internet. There is some great advice there but it takes diligence to separate the chaff from the good stuff.
OUPV is the Coast Guard’s acronym for Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels. It is also widely known as a “6 Pack” license among boaters and Mariners. It is the most popular Coast Guard License. This License allows qualified individuals to operate a commercial vessel with up to six paying passengers and crew.
The necessity of a Captain’s License to legally operate your boat is unrelated to the size of your boat. However, some insurance companies require a captain’s license for moving yachts over a certain size. This was for me, a particular reason for obtaining my license.
There are many details involving the securement of the licensing procedure and I will touch on but a few of them here. The rest, and much more detail can be found at The Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center website. The entire process is lengthy, detailed and expensive. Thanks to Carteret’s excellent program, it becomes a much more affordable affair as it is a State Supported School and the cost of the course is much lower than local private instruction schools.
Lastly, with that last statement in mind and all things considered, it is doubtful that one could find better quality instruction, more experience and knowledge or a better venue that is brought to bear by Carteret to get this course out to the public.
The OUPV License comes in three different forms and carries many upgrades as endorsements. The three forms are:
The Inland Captain’s License– Allows the holder to operate commercially on bays, sounds rivers and lakes.
The Great Lakes & Inland License– Allows you to operate on both the Great Lakes and inland waterways
The Near Coastal Captain’s License– Permits you to operate on both inland waterways as well as Near Coastal waters (out to 100 miles offshore)
The basic minimum requirements, the boating experience for each version of the private boat captain’s license vary slightly.. but to be brief, some of the basic requirements are listed below.
Be at least 18 yrs. old
Have a minimum of 360 days boating experience. Ninety of these days must have occurred in the last three years.
Be a US citizen or be able to show lawful admittance to the US for permanent residence if not a citizen
Pass a physical exam and drug test.
Hold a valid CPR and Basic First Aid Card
Obtain a Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC Card) which includes a background check done by Homeland Security.
Pass a USCG approved OUPV/Six Pack course like the one offered at Carteret Community College.
You can use an online course to study for your OUPV license but are required to attend a proctored exam in person to complete your license. Testing Centers are widespread and not that difficult to find.
Some Tools of the Skills. A Compass, Chart, Dividers and Clock.
The “Eye Opener”
Personally, I can legally document more than 43 years experience on the water which includes much more than the required offshore experience I needed to obtain my license. I keep my hours current with the many deliveries I have done in the past three years both alone and under the license of my good friend of 42 years, Captain Joe Sizemore.
When Capt. Joe first encouraged me to get my own license, I was truthfully, not all that interested. I had a “lot going on” as most of us do and our deliveries together, which started out as just two sailors enjoying the water, fit rather nicely into my busy schedule. More responsibility at that time in my life was not needed nor required. I was just happy being a Deck Hand, and the occasional First Mate on longer passages.
If there is anything you know about me, then you know how much I crave knowledge, and understanding about the things I get interested in.
So…during all these years as a Boat Owner (I think I’m working on having owned 10 or 11 boats right now), Delivery Skipper, Yacht Racer, Fleet Captain and Commodore of The Pamlico Sailing Club, Yard Manager, and Dock Manager, I studied.
I studied everything I could get my hands on. I bought a lot of books and spent dozens if not hundreds of hours online. Studying Navigation, Pilotage, Boat Repair, Seamanship and Boathandling Skills, Rules of the Road and even cooking at sea! (I’ve got some great recipes in my logbook).
When I retired and found more time to spend on other things other than where and when somebody wanted me to be someplace I didn’t want to be, I finally made my decision. Capt. Joe never gave up on encouraging me to get my license and recently, I pulled the trigger (so to speak) on making my interest official.
Feeling that this program would be a “walk-in-the-park” for me, I did my customary research after which I called Captain Scott Leahy (who happened to be the Marine Program Director) at Carteret Community College.
Scott was prompt in answering my emails, calls and texts and was very easy to talk to. Upon signing up for the two week, full time course, I was encouraged even more. Let’s get this done!
Was I in for a big surprise!
In a nutshell, I was humbled. The approved USCG course presented by Scott himself, for me, an experienced skipper and Boater, was more like trying to walk on water rather than a stroll in the park.
I thought I knew a lot. (and I did). But that didn’t help much. Commitment, constant attention, copious notes and nightly study were the order of every day. Exams.. there were five.. were HARD! I learned skills that I never even knew I would need as a Licensed Captain.
Captain Leahy’s credentials and experience are impeccable. Both as a modern instructor and knowledge of subject matter. But he didn’t pull any punches. No exam was “open book” and he takes his responsibilities very seriously. You are expected to “hold-up” your end of things with promptness, nightly study and attention in class.
I was not alone in my thinking. There were 7 other classmates who all breathed a sigh of relief each time their exams were graded. They consisted of experienced marine fishing business owners, Hopeful charter boat operators and Engineering students still in school. Even a young, family brewery operator and a 30 yr. experienced and successful Financial Advisor were included in the diverse mix. I think it’s fair to say that we were all challenged.
You Don’t Know What You Don’t know
Chart Plotter On “Brilliant Cut”
I’ll admit. Using modern day electronic Navigation equipment runs the risk of making one lazy. Why would I ever need to know how to compute a compass’ deviation, a chart’s variation or Speed/Distance/Time in Nautical miles instead of just regular (statute) miles? The chartplotter does all that for me. Jeez.. I haven’t used basic algebra in years…
Why did I have to learn the many parts of the term “Tide”? I know the difference between high and low tide and how to find out the time/difference information, wasn’t that “enough”? Did I ever know the numerous forces at work that influenced the tide where I happened to be at the time?
A Local Tide Table used aboard “Brilliant Cut”+
The answer to these and many more questions was a big “NO” But thanks to Capt. Leahy’s Patience, Knowledge and Experience, I do now.
I cannot recommend the OUPV and Marine related courses at Carteret Community College highly enough. And as it turned out, it was really convenient when it came to obtaining some other credentials that are needed for the license. You can get a TWIC card right around the corner from the school and there is a FastMed close by to get the needed Physical. An approved First Aid Course is also included at the end of the course.
In fact, I plan to return as time progresses. I kinda have an interest in Boat Building (an old but thriving Coastal NC tradition) and strangely, Big Outboard Motor Repair. (Go figure)
I have personally instructed at 2 Community Colleges in my past. Both of which were in different states, and I can attest to the Thought and Quality that has gone into establishing the program here in Beaufort. Captain Scott Leahy is to be commended for his efforts and care. I am especially glad I stopped by their booth at the Annapolis Boat Show, 2 years ago, where I first learned of Carteret’s OUPV Program. If you’re interested in gaining your OUPV or would like to gain more endorsements on an existing license, I encourage you to check it out
In thinking about all of this, and being a US Navy veteran, I think I better understand an interesting observation. And that made it alright with me. The US Navy, The Merchant Marine, and The US Coast Guard all thrive upon tradition. A tradition of being on the Sea. A proud tradition that originally attracted me back in ’72 and continues to run deep to this day. Yes. sometimes it becomes a PITA. But as a tradition, it remains. Unlike so many temporary things that continually surround us these days.
The Ocean has it's silent caves,
Deep, quiet and alone;
Though there be fury on the waves,
Beneath them there is none.
The awful spirits of the deep
Hold their communions there;
And there are those for whom we weep,
The young, the bright, the fair.
Calmly the wearied seamen rest
Beneath their own blue sea.
The ocean solitudes are blest,
For there is purity.
The earth has guilt, the earth has care,
Unquiet are it's graves;
But peaceful sleep is ever there,
Beneath the dark blue waves.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Early One Morning at Sea
Being a Mariner is something I am proud of. The Ocean, both wild and calm, dangerous and beautiful is made up of many contradictions and mystery. It is both intimately personal and vastly universal.
The knowledge gained by obtaining my OUPV license continues in that proud tradition for me.
I have many people to thank now, and during all the years of my “Nautical Education”. Many more than I have room to list here. To all those Schools/Authors/Friends/Instructors/Captains/Business Owners and Mentors, I thank You. I will always do my best to not ever let you down
UNDERWAY IS THE ONLY WAY
An old Navy adage, repeated aboard US Navy Attack Destroyer, USS Blandy DD-943. Somewhere along the Gunline, Quang Tri, N.Vietnam, 1972
Nowhere better but at Sea can the difference between photographing a Sunrise and a Sunset be realized. Especially in my case because a boat makes for a poor platform to rest a tripod…a necessity when using slower shutter speeds. Using a higher shutter speed, while recommended for a longer lens (or “zoom”) for cell phone cameras, often results in excessive “noise” in photos which in turn lowers the quality somewhat.
(Note: Electronic “Noise” is much more prevalent in the dark, or shadow areas of the photograph and is mitagated to an extent in colder weather or climes in digital cameras.) Visualizing this is normally not a concern when posting to Social Media or The Web because poor resolution is normally unseeable in small image file sizes and pixel counts. Keep this in mind if you ever plan to reproduce an image into any kind of Print Media.
Here (below) is another Sunrise, captured very close to the same time of day (my Metadata tells me the upper and lower photos are about 15 minutes apart, taking into consideration seasonal time change). In this image, my “platform” was the hood of my 4-Runner. I was able to steady the camera on the hood surface, allowing a much slower shutter speed which also resulted in much less noise in the dark areas. If you are looking at this on a cell phone, it will require you to “Zoom In” tightly on the dark areas to discern any difference. Even though the Sun was a few degrees higher than in the first image, the presence of a morning cloud cover kept the light in the Foreground low. This is further evidenced by the shadow from a street light, on Captain Harm’s Tartan 33, “Harm’s Way”, in the foreground. Using the hood as a tripod, I was able to come up with an acceptable photograph. The clouds doubled as a “diffuser” against harsh Sunlight and also added interest to the image.
Sunrise Over The Neuse River. New Bern, NC
While the “Twilight Period” is much the same between the two times of day, (Dusk and Dawn) the time period you have of catching the “perfect light” is much shorter during Sunrise.
It was explained to me years ago by a well known Professional with 2 simple phrases.
“Think of the time you have…During Sunrise, the “Perfect Light” comes toward you very quickly, (like a speeding car on a collision course)
During Sunset, the light is moving away at a gradual, albeit steady pace…giving you much more time to choose your moment”
There is a couple of other factors to consider about differences in The Light.
The Morning Light, while not as colorful in most instances, is more on the “cooler” side (visually) of the Kelvin Scale and is a much softer light and a more subtle light. “White Balance” comes into play here as a camera setting and will be discussed in another post. This softer Light is favored mostly by Wildlife, a few Landscape and some “Urban” photographers because the animals are more active, Landscape features more pronounced and most city people are not yet out in force.
The Late Afternoon Light, gives us an abundance of what is popularily called “Golden Light” and is a major choice for Wedding, Portrait, Engagement and Event Photographers for a couple of reasons.
It’s warming effect on skin tones and foliage.
They have more time to shoot, with the Light slowly fading away.
And Yes.. there is one more… Most People won’t get out of bed early enough to get prepared and then move fast enough to get photographed in a quickly arriving light.
Port Call at Sunset New Bern, NC
For Me..I still like photographing Sunrises the best. Especially when I have that 0400-0800 Morning Watch and I am already in place (with my coffee) to witness and greet the birth of another day in Paradise.
Now having discovered that the idea of living aboard a boat might be a possible dream or desire for you, let’s explore a few ways that can be accomplished.
The subject of living aboard continues this week with some points on living in a Marina versus being a liveaboard cruiser.
Many people who go into the joy and challenge of living aboard wrestle with the decision to either live at a marina, live aboard while cruising or live “on the hook”, aka being “anchored out”.
There are many reasons why people choose to do either or both and both styles of living aboard have their respective advantages and drawbacks.
If the decision is made to cruise and see the world while living aboard, living on the hook (or “the ball”) is a definite thing you might consider but which is also something that is not mandatory in any sense of the word. Cruising as well as living at a marina sometimes go hand-in-hand. Mostly, it just depends on your own comfort level, finances, family’s needs and last but not least, Your Dream.
Currently, there are thousands of people around the world , and especially here in the Southeastern U.S. who practice these varied lifestyles as they travel or go about their daily activities.
Today, we will talk a little about living in a marina, be it short-term or long-term. Planning to liveaboard in a Marina has many advantages and in this post today we’ll discuss some of the things you might face or need to know before “Plugging In”
Socially Speaking..
If you are new to the lifestyle, Living in a Marina is a great way to”ease” you into the boating community as it is not that much different than living in a neighborhood or apartment/townhouse environment. The equipment required and knowledge needed of how to live off the grid are not especially depended upon and this will also give you the time to consider such options and how they might affect your future cruising plans. Plus, as a side benefit and if you’re careful in choosing, you will start out inside a safer haven from extreme weather and it’s consequences.
You will still have neighbors, (plus or minus), you still can get your mail at a central location (normally) and you get to keep your car (or bike) for the inevitable trips to the grocery, restaurants or to see land-locked family and friends.
Friends Enjoying An Afternoon “Stroll” in the Marina’s Fairway.
In my experience, you will also find plenty of help and advice from those more accustomed to the challenge and more knowledgeable about everything having to do with sailing and living on the water. This help is really important when just starting out as there are many choices that must be considered. For example,
What are, and how do you determine, the best Marina’s for you to practice being a liveaboard in the geographical area you choose to live?
That Depends..
Which of those Marinas allow liveaboards? (Many do not)
If you have kids, or if you really like to socialize, and who doesn’t….(Sailors are a Partying bunch), are there any organized activities? Many marinas have Playgrounds, Dog Parks, Yoga Classes, Sailing Clubs, Lending libraries, office facilities, Pot-luck or catered gatherings. Some have classes in seamanship, weather safety and boat handling. In some places, the list is endless. Indeed, this would be a great topic for another post sometime in the future.
Financial Matters…
How is the slip rent (or dockage) handled and what will be the cost of your little 15’ X 40’ piece of it? Normally, there is a set charge per foot of boat. There is sometimes a discount if you belong to certain boating organizations. BoatUS is popular for this reason. Does the Marina charge by the actual length of the boat or do they charge according to the slip length that you will go into?. (This is a favorite way for Marinas to maximize their collections from you and the method is gaining in popularity) In this case, Instead of charging by the actual length of the boat, slips will be presented in pre-determined sizes. A 30 ft. Slip, A 40 ft. Slip, A 45 ft. Slip etc. etc.
So in my case, A 38 foot boat would require a 40 ft. or larger slip and I am charged accordingly. (40 ft. slip X $rate per foot). Are there any “hidden” fees? Such as “Environmental” fees, Electric Pedestal rentals or “pump out” fees just for slip renters?
Dockage or cost is heavily weighted according to location. You have all heard the Real-estate Agent’s mantra about location and value. Also, there is the “Jones” factor. Yes.. Even “keeping up with the Jones’s” is a factor for some in choosing a marina.. Do you have to have a Golf Course?, Tennis Club or a Club House that serves only top shelf liquors and craft beer?. Will you need a 5 star restaurant or Olympic pool to entertain your guests? Don’t laugh. That is certainly a part of the scene even right here in ‘good ole” NC and many other places. Sometimes, and often, these amenities will even trump location in costs to be considered. I can think of one marina that comes to mind locally. It’s one of the most expensive marinas to stay at in Eastern NC but it’s 30 miles from nowhere geographically. If you need anything more than a quart of milk, be prepared for an hour’s drive or go without.
How accessible to great sailing is the Marina? Will you have to motor-sail 10 miles to deeper water or a wider inland area before you can stretch your boat’s sailing legs? Motoring on a sailboat is usually something sailors don’t like to do. It’s generally noisy, It costs money, It takes more time and leaves a bigger carbon footprint. Seasonally dominant wind direction plays a part here as well. Especially if you own a sailboat. In general, the closer you are to the Ocean or inlets along the East Coast of the U.S., the more you will pay for dockage.
If you are located near a city, are there any city or local taxes that must be paid? Example. New Bern’s Grand Marina is located downtown in it’s Historical District. If you live here, You will be assessed a “Historical District Fee” along with the property taxes on your vehicle and your vessel.
What about Utilities, (Water and Electric), Internet, WiFi and Cable? Are these metered or are they just a “set” cost? If you are still working and lucky enough to telecommute for your source of income, this becomes an important aspect of amenities that might be offered.
Will your choice of marinas be satisfactory to your insurance company? This is a “biggie” if you plan to call a marina “home.” Does it have. “Safe Harbor” designation? Does the Marina have a mandatory evacuation policy in the event of Tropical Storms or Hurricanes?
Unprotected Marinas and Boats can take a beating during Hurricanes and Bad Weather Trent River Marina and Boat Yard One Aftermath of Hurricane Florence, September 2018
Are the docks normally protected by a security guard, cameras or a locked and coded gate? Will your boat insurance even allow you to live on board? Here again, many insurance companys do not. (Go figure) Even though it is illegal in the Real Estate market to discriminate, there are a lot of cities and towns that do just that when it comes to judging liveaboards and where they are allowed to stay. But it should be noted here that all boaters should practice responsible behavior and obey the laws of the surrounding community. to prevent such instances. In Florida and Charleston for example, the abandonment of boats has become a real problem. And one that has not gone unnoticed by the public and their elected representatives.
What other amenities are offered in exchange for your hard-earned dollars? Are there reciprocal privileges or discounts available with other nearby businesses associated with your slip rent? Will you be provided assistance (if needed) in getting docked safely after a long day of sailing? Is fuel and/or gasoline available dockside? How about Propane for cooking? Is there a boatyard or haul out facility nearby?
Is a laundry available on-site? If not, where and how far away is the nearest laundromat?, grocery store? major highways? One thing that has made quite a big difference is the growing use of technology to help provide these provincial needs. Here in New Bern and at many places elsewhere, online grocery shopping and delivery are popular with the boating crowd as is pick up and delivery laundry services. The use of Uber and other ridesharing options has almost circumvented the reason to even have a car if your marina is close to where you want to go.
Does the marina provide garbage collection? How often is it picked up?
Are dock carts available when you must get 7 bags of groceries down a 500 ft. pier to your boat?
How do You get your mail? ( there are a variety of ways to do this which I’ll cover in a later post)
Are shore side bath facilities available? Are they kept clean? (You might need this if you expect friends or family onboard for a visit)
Do they have an ice machine? This is important if you have a smaller boat with limited refrigeration capacity and all your friends are coming over (with beer) for a day of sailing.
What is the procedure and who do you call when help with any of the above is needed?
As you can see.. there are many questions to be asked and things to ponder about living aboard at a Marina. I’ve only scratched the surface here.
From my experience in the past, I did not enter into this process clueless. But I will readily admit that there were many questions I just didn’t know to ask.
You don’t know what you don’t know.
How to know for sure…or at least get a good idea
The absolute best way to get many of these questions answered is to pay a visit to the Marina that you have in mind. Walk around and spend some time getting a “feel” for the place. Don’t forget to stop by the dock manager’s office and ask permission for access. They will greatly appreciate that gesture and it might save you some embarrassment. Note the time of year you are there and notice from what direction the wind and current is from. Is is the wind Northeast or Southwest? Is the current at the edge of a river or is it as a result of tide movement? Imagine yourself trying to dock your vessel in that breeze with an adverse tide or current running. Sailboats are notorious for poor backing maneuverability. Municipal type marinas are often built wherever they could find cheap land or on a town or city’s waterfront where current, wakes and crime sometimes exist.
Speaking of tides.. What is the water depth in the approach to the marina and at dockside? I had to plow through a foot of mud almost every time I went out and came back when “Brilliant Cut” was stored in her first marina.
What about bridges that stand in the way of going out? Are they Swing, Bascule or Fixed? Fixed bridges can be especially problematic if your mast height is 65 feet and the MLW (Mean Low Water) bridge clearance is only 45 feet. “Movable” bridges have opening schedules. The State and some local towns and Counties can get very creative with these schedules so that you will constantly stay confused about when they might be opened.
Alfred Cunningham Bridge Trent and Neuse River Confluence at New Bern Grand Marina
At the marina, notice the condition of the docks and other resident’s boats. Are they clean, and in good repair? Is junk allowed to accumulate on the boats or on the docks? Look at how the boats are secured. Do they have lines of adequate length and condition? Are the docks “floating” or fixed? Floating docks are especially important in areas of astronomical or wind-driven tide. It will make a huge difference in how you board, disembark and the amount of time and attention you have to give to how the boat is tied up.
Neighbors.. Gotta Love ’em.
Do not be fooled into thinking that someone’s net worth is in any way related to how nice or terrible their boat looks to the eye. One mark of a neighbor’s habits is how clean, tidy and “squared away” their boat is. Remember. You’ll be living only about 10 feet away. Going down on a visit to your prospective marina for a weekend, during boating season is best. Maybe your neighbor throws parties well into the evening, ignoring the “quiet-time” hours and has the most annoyingly loud cackle of a laugh that you can imagine. They might like their music to be played at such a high volume that EVERYONE IN THE MARINA can enjoy it. Believe me, this has nothing to do with age, either. It is rare that live aboards are a source of this. Rather, it most likely will originate from “Weekenders” that come down and need to just “blow-off” a little stress from their past work week.
Talking to Marina residents will often shed a lot of light on these and other things you haven’t even thought of. Then later, stop by and talk to the Marina Management (if you can find them). They might be out on the dock, pounding nails or emptying someone’s holding tank so grab a beer or a coffee and wait. Find out who the marina owner is and where they are located. (Many large marinas these days are owned and operated by investment groups located far, far away.) After these conversations, you will no doubt come away with knowledge about the level of professionalism you can expect, how the Marina is managed and how approachable the staff is. Ask for a brochure or application that outlines the marina’s policies and rates on living there. Many Marinas maintain a website where you may find a lot of information. Some marinas have online or Facebook “Groups” that are helpful in determining the overall “happiness factor” of the residents you are about to call neighbors. It’s unavoidable that you will most likely find a “Grumpy-Gus” here and there. Take it for what it is. Some people just feel more comfortable courting drama wherever it is that they go.
Don’t just rely on “scuttlebutt” (gossip) to get your answers. Every sailor has an opinion on most everything and that kind of advice is worth exactly what it costs.
I hope I’ve covered a few things that might help. As you can see, some of the considerations are not that much different than living “on the dirt”.
Of course, there is much more to this and the correct answers for you are as varied as there are different kinds of boats and the people who live on them. But don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by what you don’t know. We were all there once upon a time.
One last thing to remember. If you change your mind, make a mistake or don’t like something after you’ve been there a little while, You can always unplug, just “sail away” and move! Quite easily in fact.
Coquina Harbor During a Rainstorm Little River, SC May, 2019
Hold Fast. And Stay tuned… Next.. Living on the “Hook”
I have been living aboard “Brilliant Cut”, a Catalina 380 Sailboat, now for almost 2 years. I discovered that deciding to Live on the Water is something that was a major thought process for me and many others. Before I was to cut ties with landside living, cast off the lines and get underway, I had a lot of soul seaching to do. In making the preparations to change my lifestyle, there was also a lot on my plate to consider. I had a lot to think about.
“Lost in Thought”
Street Kid Nikon D700, Baltimore Harbour, 2010
Why, in God’s name did I ever consider doing such a thing at this stage of life?
All along, I had Dreams and Motivation that promoted and influenced the final decision.
There were Dreams of Freedom. Adventure and Challenge. Going places I’ve never been and seeing things I’ve never seen. Learning and doing things I’ve never done. Getting to know people I had yet to meet. And there would be better opportunities for the personal development of my Photography. All of this and more was in my thoughts.
Sure, it is true that having been a Professional driver and Instructor for a number of years, I had traveled and spent time in every state and major city in the US and Canada except for two. That time certainly provided the need for Adventure, Challenge and Travel. Didn’t that effort at “death by vehicle” purge those needs from my system?
Misery on Wheels Samsung Galaxy S4 Toronto, 2007
Happily, I can now give a definitive answer of “No” to that question. I had not yet done it by way of the water. However, I spent many sleepless nights pondering the new direction I was about to embark on.
Then, there were the inevitable things that were in place that most everyone wants to naturally escape from that motivated me from a negative pespective. For example and to name one, The Great “Rat Race” as it is so often referrred to.
I was tired of having to live on someone else’s schedule to just live my life. Go here. Go there. Be there at this time. Be there at that time. I was just tired of the 18 hour a day grind. Jobs are really good at that. Especially for a Professional Driver back during those “glory” days. During that time, “Big Brother” wasn’t infringing upon the industry as much as he does now. That “Living Hell” is a topic for another conversation at another time. And there was always that traffic. All of which “went with the territory”, as they said. Small headaches you might say. Unless you’ve done it you have no idea how it effects your health and “Mental Hygiene” every single day you live it. Take my word for it. It’s a slow death if you don’t kill yourself and others along with you first.
There were a few other “Negative” points to drive me too.
Perhaps, it was living in places I had to live because of one reason or another that didn’t sit well with me. Mean or Nosey (or anti-social) neighbors come to mind. Or another, Maybe I was there living someone else’s dream, which was not something I wanted to do.(I was really good at this and not being true to myself). Maybe it was just that job that I was committed to that kept me there.
All of the above was motivation in one way or another toward “My Dream”
Then, there were other questions that demanded answers.
The Freedom. What would I do with THAT? Think about that. Think deeply. What would you do? As I recalled those long weeks and months on the road and not having had much freedom before, except just the occasional weekend and holidays that I was able to steal, even more questions were raised.
How about facing the fact that I was going to have to give up most all of my worldly possessions? That was a Big One. Being the sentimental and nostalgic person I am made the thought of getting rid of most everything I owned, a painful one.
“There is no greater sin than desire, No greater curse than discontent, No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself. Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”– Lao Tzu
Holding on to possessions are a strong deterrant toward totally “freeing” yourself in life. Sometimes, and in this instance, Faith and Self-Confidence was called upon to play a huge part in the thought process. Then there is the Ginormous effort of putting forth the thought to truely think about what is really important to you. This is not an easy task, especially for those who have always cared for others and/or worked hard.
I knew it would be a challenge. Heck, it was even a challenge to even think about. It quickly became “The 800 lb.Gorilla in the Room” for me. Had all the years gone by sucked the need and physical ability for this change out of my soul? I was surely not getting any younger.
There was more.
If someone came into my life as a Partner, what would they want? If they wanted to join in the fun, How would I go about handling theirs and my own “Personal Space” at times aboard a 38 foot Sailboat?
Even though I do not have small children that depend upon me, probably one of my biggest concerns was: What about Family? Would they think I had gone completely crazy? I can only imagine how tough this would be for those with children that must be schooled and cared for. But I found out that there are many who do it. Quite successfully.
Next, it was of the more “Organic” type of explorations.
Did I want to just live aboard at a Marina? Or did I want to Cruise? If so, would it be Part time or Full time? There are separate budgets and other considerations for both. Vastly different.
I touch on all of this (and much more) in some upcoming posts and to let you know what it was like for me and possibly to help you decide if living full time on a boat might one day be for you. If not, that’s perfectly understandable but maybe you’ve considered it. I know a lot of people who are doing it or are contemplating doing so. Others are just curious. And if that’s your thinking, I hope I can help.
At any rate, and after two years… One sure fact remains. I still don’t have all the answers. And I do not know if I ever will. I’m long since past needing that to live my life. But at this stage, I just know I made the right decision for Me. And that’s OK for now.
As always, Your comments, thoughts and questions are very welcome and important to me.. If you’d like to converse on the “down-low”, there is a Contact Form in the blog Menu area that you can use to reach me privately.
At the least, I’ll try to make it interesting and worth your time to read.
Most of you that know me know that I spent few years of my time in Western Virginia as a Photography Instructor at Virginia-Western Community College, Greenfield Campus.
Greenfield Campus, Daleville, VA Nightshot, 5 separate images stacked. Nikon D700
The position at Virginia-Western was created out of a desire on my part to find a suitable venue for a local photography club that a few friends and I were trying to get started in the Roanoke Valley. Due to that and the vision of a school administrator, I was approached about establishing a curriculum and teaching it to prospective students. More on this later but I wanted to “lay some groundwork” for the start of this week’s Post.
I still maintain contact with a few of the many students who eventually attended my classes. About a month ago, I was contacted by one to inquire as to whether or not I could offer any advice to someone who is just starting out in Photography.. What would that advice be?
After some careful thought, the answer to her question came out of me that learning to Pre-visualize your image is something I wished I had known and put into practice years ago. In other words, the point I was trying to get across was to try to know what story you are trying to tell with your images before you take the shot.
Visualize what it is you would like your image to say.
Years before the “teaching gig”, I had the opportunity to study with a very respected lifestyle Pro-photographer. During my study with him he had drilled into me that a “good” photograph always “tells a story”. That small statement ties in well to the Pre-visualization concept and I use that nugget of advice to this day, every time I frame a shot.
There are questions that serve to get the Pre-visualization process started and they should be asked and answered in the mind before the actual technical process can begin.
Before I present these questions to you I will warn you at the outset that it takes a huge commitment of your time and mindful resources to get to the point of even asking yourself. That is, that they require the 3 “P’s” (Practice, Practice, Practice) in copious amounts. And many failures before the results start to show in your work and becomes an automatic process.
Do I still struggle with this? The answer is “Of course I do!” I can prove it in the amount of images I cull from every shoot I do.
Thankfully, with the advent of digital photography, which also enables almost everyone to walk around with a high quality camera disguised as a Cell phone, the learning curve has been greatly reduced in time and financial commitment.
Moving ahead. If you’re interested enough to have read this far, the following questions compose the process you should be practicing if you want to improve the number and Quality of your “keepers”.
What did you see? What did you hear? What did you experience there in that moment when you had the original urge to take the shot? When it comes to portrait photography, What do you truly know, sense and feel about that living thing or person in your viewfinder? Portraits are especially indicative of a wide range of strong thoughts and emotions.. And those qualities are (or should be) manifested everyday in photography.
“American Trucker” Valley Business Front, Roanoke. Nikon D2H, 2011
But you say.. After I See, Hear, Experience and Feel…how can I reach past those tangible senses and get to the parts about “knowing” and “feeling”?
Believe this… You can count on the fact that most everyone else will know and feel these elements when they view your images. They may not know (or tell you) what it is they feel.. but they will know they feel something. This cannot help but be. It was once said that “the eyes are the windows into the soul”. I firmly believe and live by the fact that our viewfinders and lenses as well as our actions are the eyes into OUR souls manifested by the above process.
“Carly’s Eyes” Nikon D2h, Summerfield, 2007
For me, approaching the proper mindset to achieve all of this starts before my camera comes out of it’s case and doesn’t end until final processing is done. Now to what brings us to the dual-topic of this post.
The Law of Attraction
If you’ve ever read the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, you know already what this visualization thing is all about. Using The Law of Attraction to help bring the process into focus is considerable in helping me to achieve the “Plane of Thought” level that I hope to when creating a meaningful image.
“What’s the Secret?” Brookings Wedding, George & Beth. Nikon D700 Bayview NC 2017
Using Ms. Byrne’s thoughts and my words…
Previsualize first, what it is you want to say or do and the way you feel about your subject. Next, previsualize what you would like to have your viewer or yourself to experience when observing your work or progress
Learning to Be Still
Learning to be Still.. will enable your thoughts and senses to freely flow into and through your mind. Speaking from my own experience, learning to approach my challenges from a holistic and spiritual perspective created for me a major turning point that caused me to see improvements in what I wanted to accomplish.
While giving this much thought and trying to sort it all out, I find that it is helpful to remember the words an old Eagles song, (Learn to be Still) One that I replay in my mind or listen to from time to time to help me toward the visualization goal I hope to reach.
The last verse of the song goes like this:
There are so many contradictions
In all these messages we send
(We keep asking)
How do I get out of here
Where do I fit in?
Though the world is torn and shaken
Even if your heart is breakin’
It’s waiting for you to awaken
And someday you will-
Learn to be still
The Eagles, Album: Hell Freezes Over, 1994
If one takes the time to read, study and research, you will find that learning to be still (and the practice thereof) has been a premise that many of the world’s religions advocate.
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and many others teach this.
Two major examples are.. the act of Meditation as a part of some Eastern religions such as Buddhism
“Look within. Be still. Free from fear and attachment, know the sweet joy of the way.”
Buddha
And again in Christianity, The Bible. (KJV)
”Be Still and know that I am God”
Psalms 46:10
…and there are others…all that seem to have the same thing in common.
Self-Portrait, 3 Cameras, 3 Locations. 3 Captures merged to produce 1 composite image Florida, 2018
Learning to be Still has been a first step that has caused those elements and qualities of Inner peace to ultimately pave the way toward finding a path to follow in the creation of my images and enriching My life in general.
I hope that some parts of this is of some help if you are struggling to improve or just become happier with your images. practice the above and you will see. You can do this.
….Friendships and a little more on getting started..
“There are wooden ships; there are sailing ships; there are ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships—and may they always be.”
Former Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney’s eulogy for George HW Bush.
I debated at some length on whether or not to start this new project. After all, We are all just really too busy with Life, Aren’t we? Building and Maintaining my Photography Web Site can be a very time consuming affair. Especially with my self-taught ways! Add to that, Another Hosting Service to maintain and write, A Journal of sorts, A Blog….And it becomes a monumental affair. You can actually learn most anything about how to do something on the Internet, so Thankfully, that certainly makes it easier.
With all the images yet to be captured and destinations not yet sailed to, Why Do It?
Throughout the thought process during the “self debate” I described above, I kept returning to the fact of how much I love doing these two crafts known as Photography and Sailing.
Admittedly, and After-all, “Taking pictures”and Sailing has for me, been a lifetime labor of Love. At least for about 35 years now.
Long ago, In a Sport’s Editor’s office far away…., I figured out.. that for me, they would be inextricably entertwined.
When I was much younger, I didn’t start out wanting to do either. It all started first with the birth of my daughter, Cameron and a $25 Minolta XD11 Manual 35mm film camera from a Memphis pawnshop. Her Mother and I wanted to document special moments with our newly minted “Social Wonder” and the crazy amount of water skiing and camping we did for years on the Corps of Enginneer Lakes in N. Mississippi.
As the years moved on, We discovered more time on the water with an introduction to sailing that involved both our Kids. (soon we added Logan to the family) With all the new “picture moments” that presented themselves, I’m sure you know where this is going…And back in those days it didn’t help the film budget that they were always a “natural” in front of my lens! (They still are)
My Daughter Cameron, Here, from a Print. Nikon 4004s, About 5 Yrs. Young. Sailing in the Pamlico Sound, about 1989
A little later, (much later) another significant person that came into my life led me to get really serious about my photography. And I have never since been just content to keep my Camera in a locker. . More about that in another post sometime.
As the thought process continued, I realized that there are many things I love about Photography and Sailing and that I would like to share with you.. Maybe you can identify.
For one, They both satisfy that “geek’ factor I think I have when I try (covet) a new piece of sailing gear or Camera equipment. (More budget woes)
Both addictions challenge me. Rigging for a Spinnaker set, plotting a course (in the dark) to an unknown anchorage or figuring out the dozens of menus on Sony’s latest Pro Camera to get “The Shot” just right, Lighting Ratios and Positions… can all be intimidating. And let’s not forget Weather. And The Sea. And Brides. And their Mothers. OMG.
Running from A Squall. Sony a9, Offshore, 2018
For another thing, (and since I am detrimentally sentimental) they both serve and exist to create and document memories, challenges and adventures that would otherwise be lost, unrealized or not experienced.
And the there is “The Fear”. Even though it doesn’t run in my genes, I’ve always had this nagging concern (mostly brought on by 3 years service in a long term care facility) that I could succumb to the inevitable dementia that might surely come with growing older and forget it ALL. (This is something different than just losing your mind, which is only temporary)
At least I would have images to answer the inevitable questions and remind me of Where I’ve been, When was I there? Who I was with, and What did it look like? . And maybe one more.. Why?
Note: Sometimes the last question’s answer can change with Afterthought, Experience and/or Age.
A recent Meme that I saw some months back pretty well sums it up for me.
Finally, with more reflection, Something else came to wine mind.
The thing that has overwhelmingly meant the most to me about why I love Photography and Sailing so much. Is that it is something that encourages me to “Live in the Now” as Tolle so nailed it.
FRIENDSHIPS
It came to me how My life has been enriched by the many Friendships that have resulted because of these two Giant Addictions in my life..
Real, Great and Lasting Friendships.
Friendships I never would have had otherwise.
L to R Eric, Me and and JJ (John). Friends. iPhone X. On the Roof at Capatain Rattys, New Bern, 2019
Friendships with Nature, Clients, Students, Sports Heros, Famous People, Everyday People, Families, Other Photographers, Sailors, Cruisers and Artists from all walks of life and from all over The Planet.
“We Be Saggin”, Nikon D700, Greensboro, 2007
Not surprisingly, and what seemed like a lifetime later, it even caused the start of a 3 year relationship with someone (whom I thought bore the features of a “model”) and who just loved having her picture taken. Thinking that I was the Man for the job, I just “dived right in”!
A “Victim” of My Camera, “Miss Miami” Actually, A Jersey Girl., Nikon D2H ,Greensboro, 2006
You may not recognize the Good looking young man on the right, But the Guy on the left is The famous and very likeable Coach, Mike Ditka, of the NFL Football team, The Chicago Bears. Chicago, July, 2007 Nikon N90, Photo Credit: Cameron Heinsohn
With the aforementioned in mind.. No..I’m not talking about “The Relationship”…
Rather The Friendships.. I was moved to embark on the task of documenting some of these experiences in the hopes that it will undoubtedly lead to even more friendships in the future. Besides, like the old practice of passing around prints, I can tell you much more about an image here, than on Facebook or Instagram.
To have a Friend, You must be a Friend.
By far, I feel that Cultivating, Experiencing and Forming new friendships is the most important of the benefits I enjoy about Photography and Sailing. What could be better than that? (Okay.. I admit it..Another “Model” might come along and that would be nice!)
Yennifer, Model. Nikon D700, Roanoke 2010
Seriously. The last time I checked, No one has “too many” friends!
Wedding Afterparty, Nikon D700, Roanoke, 2012
So. It is my hope that you will come here so that we can get to know each other better. Your visits, Your Hellos and Your Comments along with any “CC” (that’s Constructive Criticism” in Photographerspeak) that you might have are also Welcome and Appreciated. I see it as another way to improve my craft. You may use the “comment” section below and by the way.. Please Share! I would really appreciate it.
It is also an excellent way for you to get to know me, along with these two long-lasting loves of mine called Photography and Sailing. It also might make you more comfortable when, on a sunny day that we “hang out” on a beautiful sail or when you or your soon-to-be-wedded kids end up in front of my lens (as do most of my friends and many others).
As an added benefit, and as another subject of this Blog, on the articles I post about Sailing, I will try and offer insight on Travel Destinations, Mariner”s Concerns and How-to’s for the “Swabs” out there. All complete with Photos for your Enjoyment.
In respect of your time, You also have my promise to (try) and keep these entries brief and readable.
Who knows..You might just make a new friend!
Bailey The Boatdog. iPhone X, New Bern, 2018
How Cool would that be?!!
Comparatively, only a very small fraction of my photography work has been “people” pictures. But as I seek to always improve it, I find that it is the most interesting genre. I hope to get around to sharing lots more about People, Places, Friends, Life on the Water, Life in the Mountains, Boat Tech, Camera Tech and Just about anything else that comes to mind.
Next Week: Learn to Be Still… and Learning the Law of Attraction.
The Pelagic Lens Blog 