About Me

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Sacramento, California, United States
so salty pieces of coral from surfing Hawaii in the 60's and 70's getting reef pounded living in my body fall through my skin from time to time!

sailing to Oahu

Jimi Hendrix was playing on Oahu. I had never sailed. Surfed Mexico, California, Hawaii! Aw, how hard could it be to sail 90-110 miles from Kauai to Oahu? Piece of cake, right? Remember it was the 60's! This is so bad. We thought we were looking at Kaiena Point,Ohau, knowing we weren't going to make the concert! But at least we were in site of Oahu-wrong! Coy, who had never sailed before, me,who had never sailed before, jeff and Abbott etc. We were looking at the sleeping giant on Kauai! We had done three-sixty's in the night! We sailed on the only tri-marran I've ever sailed on ( except later ) in my life, missed the concert! It was at the Waikiki Shell Ampitheater ( Moon eclipsed . We finally made Nawilwili Harbor! The Skipper tried to give us his boat saying, " It's trying to kill me"! We watched him go stark raving mad not even realising that had we got caught in the channel current we were on our way to Japan! Remember it was the 60's and we were going to see Hendrix. I left out some of the good stuff but I will make up for it later!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Truth, Embelishment Or an OutRight Lie?

All the boats with sails I have sailed kept a log. All the sailboats I have sailed on I have written or recorded my watch; as all other crew members recorded their watch. Signed/ witnessed by the " Skipper", the hourly occurrences of day by day moments of import, events that are important when your life is at sea. Some of the ships I've sailed on keep a log but it is not my business to know what is in those logs because of my position or rank on that particular vessel. Fishing boats I have sailed on keep a log and some of their logs I am party to because of my position on that vessel and some I am not. Historically, sailing logs are more accurate than even the records of the greatest historians. All good sailors are story-tellers because they have a wealth of experiences to draw upon and have had all the time in the world to shape change ( in the telling and re-telling ) of special " Happenings "! A story is good because not only his self but his shipmates experienced it also! Witnesses!! Like how many sailors have seen " St Elmo's Fire "? Mermaids? The " Green Spot " on the oceans horizon line as the sun sinks off the face of the earth? Truth or embellishment never matters when a sailor is telling tales! Read " The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner ", and tell me it couldn't have happened! Read " Moby Dick ", I know it's based on truth! But an outright lie has nothing to do with what is mentioned above. Why would a sailor lie? To impress a land lubber? I think not! A true sailor has such a vast wealth of experiences to draw upon that I am absolutely certain that if anything he must play down the wonders, (whores) horrors and majesties of what he has witnessed and been subjected to so that maybe just a few will believe that while he embellished his story it is based on truth and it was pleasant to the mind in the hearing of it! But I will tell you the truth now! If a sailor ever tells the black and white of it not only will it sound like a lie but the understanding of it will miss the mark! It will sound so unbelievable to anyone who isn't comfortable away from land that the romance and illusion you have allowed to exist in your Hollywood imagination will be forever excised from your thoughts! Remember what the movie, "Jaws " did to your relationship with sharks and the ocean? So I say now to all of you that this may concern. If anyone is within hearing distance of a story that comes out of my mouth, pay attention! I don't waste my time or yours with a lie! However, I will embellish the truth but only with anything I can use to color in the harsh realities of an uncrossed "T" or an undotted "Aye" matie! I only lie to ' Customs Officers ", I try not to! But sometimes you gotta! Tell um I said so!

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