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Fairhaven bay

Sucia Island

Congratulations!  I just popped my sailing blog or any sort of blog cherry that I once had.  Hmmm, where to start in the blogosphere? 

First I would like to dedicate this blog in memory of Gunther Jose Frank world famous photographer and owner of the also late Scumdinger.   For without which, I might have never tasted cheap beer in the middle of Bellingham Bay. 

So now that I’m officially procrastinating and starting a blog, rather that opening a can of polyurethane paint,  and I’d like to start with a small freak out session as my captain and I (will call him Marco) are setting sails for San Diego via Bellingham Washington in only 12 days!

And there is so much to do.  See take the amount of time for every  project de Marco’s, times it by two, and you have the appropriate amount of time it takes for damage control or spill clean ups to have the boat decent.  (I mean decent italicized for emphasis, not for proper title, the boats name is not decent, I mean it’s a fine name, or it will be as soon as we name the boat or agree on a proper name.  I would laugh however if some boat out there was named decent.)   I got lucky this week however because due to work related things Marco will not be aboard for four whole days!  Which means sweeping, cleaning, prepping, painting, staining and maybe… do I dare?? Varnish?  The only set back is not having two extra hands to pull in the dingy, but I’ll see if I can borrow our neighbors which is much “dinkier” haha…eww…sorry.

So were almost off and as our parents take out extra life insurance, the a few inexperienced harbor live aboards tell us were crazy and going to die.  WTF?  I’m sure every cruiser at some point has to face the lameness of pessimistic stick in the reefs (eww) but it really makes you appreciate the life experiences of true  F’in go getters like Montessier and Lin and Larry Pardey.  And if your anything like me you clean out the used book store for all the nautical literature and cruising books and perhaps peruse for a little porn to trade with the kind folk of developing countries. 

A few years ago however, I picked up The Seaworthy Bucket by John Doe.  (Names have been changed, dugh)  Recently while having a few Guinesses at our local Gastro Pub Uisce my friend John had told me I should meet his dad who writes and sailed from South Africa amongst other parts of the world.  Sure enough it was the same John Doe, and after I made an ass of myself at my friend’s X-mas parties by quizzing, questioning and having him sign books (some he didn’t even write) he agreed to meet us at his home to give us any advice and to part with extra charts, books and equipment he no longer needed.   This guy not only rocks, but can tell a good story.  I casually mention that Montessier and it goes a little something like this:

ME:  Well I try to read a lot like Montessier and stuff…

JOHN:  Montessier?  Oh I knew him in Durban…crazy fellow, true bohemian… always falling asleep down below and running aground and such…what I did like though was that he would tie a bloody knot for anything instead of buying some complicated piece of hardware, very much a true sailor in those respects, when I knew him he had Marie Something….

ME: Marie Therese?

JOHN:  Yes, that’s it…and on and on…

And on and on, I couldn’t believe he knew such a sailing legend!  but listen to what he say’s about another nautical author:

ME: …what about a sea anchor?

JOHN:  Sea Anchor?  Oh that’s Pardey Nonesense, you’ll make due with an old  tire if need be.

ME:  You know the Pardey’s?

JOHN:  Well, the thing is they are in it for the business you know, they run a business.

ME:  What’s wrong with that?  What do you mean?”

JOHN:  Nothing,  nothing wrong with making a business of cruising… it’s just my wife and I had them over for dinner once and you could tell they were uncomfortable with our living situation.   You know we were younger and the kids were very new and we didn’t have the means and such we have now, we lived in a little trailer park.  And I don’t think they were accoustomed to that.  We told them they could park in our driveway and refused flatly, you could also see they were put off by us as if we were trailer trash or something , I mean I guess we were or so, but a while later we were at a boat show and saw them signing there books and when we went to go say hello they ignored us completely as if they did not know us.

ME:   They didn’t see you?

JOHN:  No they knew us, we met other times.  I’ve copy edited a few of her books, she’s not a very good writer and  never checks on the correct spelling of brand names and such…

As a side note:  this is funny because the Pardey’s so often write about squandering/saving money, getting invited over for dinners, bumming engines and getting tows.  Here our friend was telling us that they were snubbed by the Pardeys because they were trailer trash.  Ahahaha

P.S. John’s wife makes THEBEST Deviled Eggs