Monday, May 30, 2016
Memorial Day Weekend....
Here are some videos from the trip with the Hobie Getaway Cat. My new roommate, Jack, and another San Juan employee that has his sh...stuff together took the Hobie out night sailing last night. Definitely not a great idea given all of our conditions, but I love a challenge. So, at 9pm in complete darkness the decision was made to go sailing. I had bought some LED lights for the boat so we had those, that was a start, and safety wise, it was pretty much the end. NOT really, but it kind of felt that way. I briefed Jack and Bruce on how to help me "right" the boat should we capsize. I gave them a little spiel on what to avoid hitting as the boat went on its side. The Hobie doesn't really actually capsize, it just goes on a side because the mast has this floaty thing on the top that keeps it from going totally upside down. The winds were pretty much at the top of the range for day sailing, but it was pitch black, not even the moon was out. I told Bruce to steer us NW as we left the sand at Camp Hamilton. We were moving pretty good without any of the sails actually engaged. After hooking up the main sail we screamed out to the lagoon completely clueless. At night there aren't really any boats running except for the Ferry to Ebeye, which we stayed well out of its lanes. There are, however, these huge green marker buoys that weigh more than the boat we were on and are unlit. Hitting them as fast as we were going would have been ugly. We didn't hit anything. It all worked out. We came close, but we had a flashlight, and the buoys have some kind of reflective tape on them that helped at the last moments. Not one of my brighter decisions that night, but its going to happen again, just not under such windy conditions. We were within the regulations being out there, because we did have the necessary lights, and we stayed within the designated area. :)
Friday, May 27, 2016
I met a guy in our laundry out in the Space Camp the other day. He maybe was from Hawaii, but maybe Guam. Not sure how we got on the subject of people complaining about things here, mainly in our "man camp". My friend Joe calls it Space Camp. He cooly has a different phrase or word for everything and everyone out here. Space Fence Man Camp becomes Space Camp, Jobe and Amber become Jamber, the sandbar near Ebeye becomes Ebar....It's pretty creative, until you realize he's just trying to keep up with an old buddy of his that is a great song writer...Joe Pugg ? Back to the guy in the laundry, we basically agreed, that sooo many people only wish for half of what we have here. Normally, I'm good with names, not that day.
So, full of endorphins from running like an idiot tonight in the total lack of wind at ultimate, and then with a few beers with great people after, life has left me feeling even better, even more grateful, yep euphoric.
I talked mostly with Aaron tonight about the Hobie Getaway that my friend is kinda letting me use. One of the fireman J and his wife M sailed it up 18 miles into the lagoon last weekend. Pretty calm on the way up. We spent the night, then got up in the morning and headed back. Heading back wasn't quite as simple as coming into the island.
So, full of endorphins from running like an idiot tonight in the total lack of wind at ultimate, and then with a few beers with great people after, life has left me feeling even better, even more grateful, yep euphoric.
I talked mostly with Aaron tonight about the Hobie Getaway that my friend is kinda letting me use. One of the fireman J and his wife M sailed it up 18 miles into the lagoon last weekend. Pretty calm on the way up. We spent the night, then got up in the morning and headed back. Heading back wasn't quite as simple as coming into the island.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
May 11, 2015
Its' one of my Sisters Bday! I called her yesterday 'cause it actually ...crap its the twelf here today....anyhow...I'm old they're old and they don't give two licks about their birthdays...other than knowing that their brother remembered them!
Ok...so I haven't been posting on here for a while, mainly cause life in Paradise has gotten mundanely perfect and to post would be a mere repetition of the same perfect stories already posted. 20 to 25 minute bicycle rides less than mile into town because everyone you run across you know and want to talk to. Perfect surf because after a year of getting drowned and hit against the reef and rolling over in the middle of the night and having salt water pour out of some mysterious nasal cavity and soak your pillow.......lead to actually catching waves and riding them like a surfer would kinda. Learning to sail nearly everything the island has to offer....Sunfish....Hobie Cats....Mono Hulls. Its been good.
However, this post begins a new dawn. The dawn of Ben/Kevin Costner in a low budget waterworld. His boat was maybe thirty foot. Mine, and I say mine because well its mine! I kinda sorta am borrowing, leasing, buying, paying to rent, trading favors, or just plain using maybe possibly a boat out here. Its a Hobie Getaway. A new cool more stable version of the Hobie Cat 16. I've been told by my sailing instructor and the guy who may or may not have sold it to me or leased it or loaned it to me that its a beast. They say that, but they haven't taken it to the places I am planning on next .well the weekend after next weekend. I am going to RULE the lagoon. If the "smokers" come...I will smoke them. Yes, I recently looked up "WaterWorld" on Netflix only to find I had to pay extra to see it.
This my friends (ok friend because only one person reads this) is a new dawn. The new dawn will be full of GoPro videos that you really can't see because I'm a terrible videographer and I am the guy that will get in way over his head at the drop of a hat when it comes to sailing a #350 boat into the south pacific. I will be the same over confident moron that lied to the local guy at the hangliding spot telling him that "yes, I am a level two pilot" right before running off a thousand foot hill in PA....heading the exact wrong way and crashing into the trees 600 ft before the actual landing zone and tumbling down thru them but managing to survive with only a few herpes likes injuries on his lips.
I suppose its a little more serious out here because one could be swept out to Sea, rather than just hit a big ass tree or come barreling out of the sky from a few thousand feet. Obviously, though, I've been living on an island, surrounded by water, which automatically makes me kinda Pirate like and a great sailor.
Recently (last weekend) a guy who had been doing the responsible deal and planning a "Circumnavigate" the Atoll trip in a kayak to raise awareness and money I believe for the Marshallese schools on Ebeye,....made it like a quarter of the way before turning back. He was in a mere kayak...I have ...well...ok...what amounts to two kayaks with a sail. Yep I can do this
Ok...so I haven't been posting on here for a while, mainly cause life in Paradise has gotten mundanely perfect and to post would be a mere repetition of the same perfect stories already posted. 20 to 25 minute bicycle rides less than mile into town because everyone you run across you know and want to talk to. Perfect surf because after a year of getting drowned and hit against the reef and rolling over in the middle of the night and having salt water pour out of some mysterious nasal cavity and soak your pillow.......lead to actually catching waves and riding them like a surfer would kinda. Learning to sail nearly everything the island has to offer....Sunfish....Hobie Cats....Mono Hulls. Its been good.
However, this post begins a new dawn. The dawn of Ben/Kevin Costner in a low budget waterworld. His boat was maybe thirty foot. Mine, and I say mine because well its mine! I kinda sorta am borrowing, leasing, buying, paying to rent, trading favors, or just plain using maybe possibly a boat out here. Its a Hobie Getaway. A new cool more stable version of the Hobie Cat 16. I've been told by my sailing instructor and the guy who may or may not have sold it to me or leased it or loaned it to me that its a beast. They say that, but they haven't taken it to the places I am planning on next .well the weekend after next weekend. I am going to RULE the lagoon. If the "smokers" come...I will smoke them. Yes, I recently looked up "WaterWorld" on Netflix only to find I had to pay extra to see it.
This my friends (ok friend because only one person reads this) is a new dawn. The new dawn will be full of GoPro videos that you really can't see because I'm a terrible videographer and I am the guy that will get in way over his head at the drop of a hat when it comes to sailing a #350 boat into the south pacific. I will be the same over confident moron that lied to the local guy at the hangliding spot telling him that "yes, I am a level two pilot" right before running off a thousand foot hill in PA....heading the exact wrong way and crashing into the trees 600 ft before the actual landing zone and tumbling down thru them but managing to survive with only a few herpes likes injuries on his lips.
I suppose its a little more serious out here because one could be swept out to Sea, rather than just hit a big ass tree or come barreling out of the sky from a few thousand feet. Obviously, though, I've been living on an island, surrounded by water, which automatically makes me kinda Pirate like and a great sailor.
Recently (last weekend) a guy who had been doing the responsible deal and planning a "Circumnavigate" the Atoll trip in a kayak to raise awareness and money I believe for the Marshallese schools on Ebeye,....made it like a quarter of the way before turning back. He was in a mere kayak...I have ...well...ok...what amounts to two kayaks with a sail. Yep I can do this
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