LONG ISLAND SOUND A FIELD GUIDE TO IT'S NATURE AND HISTORY

One of the great pleasures of being on board is to climb into the bunk on BIANKA with a good book. Usually it pertains to sailing or nature. My current read is a recently published book called A FIELD GUIDE TO LONG ISLAND SOUND by Patrick J. Lynch

It is a very informative book that encompasses all types of interesting information regarding the waters and shoreline of Long Island Sound. The book delves into the geological history of how the sound was formed. The various types of shorelines that borders the waters as well as the plants and animals that are part of it's ecology. It's a fascinating book and nicely illustrated with photos and maps. If you sail Long Island Sound as I do or are planning a visit to the area it is a great companion to many of the things you will see and places that you will visit. I recommend it.

SHOWTIME ON THE BEACH

You never know what will happen when you head down to the boatyard to work on the boat. You might get distracted in an extended gam with another boat owner talking about various boat projects or other such boat related items. Sometimes a little local knowledge or scuttlebutt piece of info might come your way. That's what happened recently after I had finished the first phase of my stove conversion project. I was putting the ladder away in the car when another sailor asked me if I was going to head over to the beach to see the seal release. I had not heard about this event but, since it was taken place just across the road from the boatyard I thought why not stop and check it out:



 The seal named Steve was rescued and released by The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research & Preservation

BIRDS: Black Crowned Night Heron

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I've not been able to find a good reason to have a TV on board  because nature provides an entertaining mix of things to see. Sometimes it's the weather and sometimes it's the creatures that come into view. Like when I spotted this Black Crowned Night Heron keeping watch near the docks:

The bird is only usually seen at dusk or at night hence the name Night Heron. I'm amused when I see them because they seem to have the demeanor of a night watchman. A few nights ago I took BIANKA to the dock to refill the water tanks.  A Black Crowned Night Heron flew onto the dock and then proceeded to waddle around the dock like he owned it. Then jumping on the pontoon of an inflatable dingy to get in better position to ambush his prey in the marina waters. Even at night there are things to see on board a boat that you will miss if you go below and pop in a DVD to watch TV. I have never become bored enough to do that.
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A FEW MINUTES OF NATURE: DOLPHINS

A few years ago I was on a freighter heading from Houston to Mexico and South America. Every morning I would take a walk around the ship. One morning in the Gulf of Mexico I peered over the bow and found a pod of  Dolphins hitching a ride on the bow wave. I must have watched them for twenty minutes here is a small sample of that magical moment:

HARBOR EARTHQUAKE

I got a call from my girlfriend who was in Washington D.C. She started the call with  "I'm alright." O.K What happened? I replied. Didn't you hear about the earthquake about twenty minutes ago? she asked.  I had not though I was busy at the dock filling the water tanks and putting stuff away before heading out on a mini cruise. But, thinking about it more. I did feel it. Though from where I was down below it felt like some powerboat with some very heavy horsepower on board was starting up nearby. So I really did not notice it as an earthquake. Now if the harbor had started to empty out pre Tsunami like. Now that would have got my attention.

WHAT A LITTLE MOONLIGHT CAN DO

Tonight I was once again reminded why being on a boat is different from the normal routine. When on land many people may not notice a lot of things around them as they  shuffle from cars, trains etc... into rooms with artifical lights and wall size LCD TV screens . BIANKA does not have such distractions so when the full moon comes up over the harbor as it did tonight it really gets my attention:

and this passage from The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles always comes to mind:

“... we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.” 

and this night I'm also reminded I need to download some Old and In The Way tunes  which has also come to mind on a night like this.

MONSTERS & THE PROJECT BOX

I was thinking about the late Spalding Grey recently. He used to perform a monologue on stage called MONSTER IN A BOX which was about a cardboard box in which he put in scraps of paper with writings and thoughts to use in future performances. It sounds like it eventually became so full that it must have terrified him to begin to go through it.  I don't have a "monster in a box" on board but, I do have a "project box" that holds items for various projects in one place so I can find the easily and that box is now over flowing.

It's not terrifying just sometimes hard to get started. I think it is easier to work on these projects in the off season because when one is on board with the boat in the water it is easy to get distracted by things.   I  might have some good intentions to start a project but, while having my coffee I might spend twenty minutes watching an Osprey hovering around the harbor looking to snag an unsuspecting fish from above. Only to see it get chased off by a small black bird when the Osprey got a little to close to it's territory.  Then the lines of a Ketch sailing by might get my attention as a fine looking craft:

Then a I might decide to spend some time to checking emails and posting to this blog. All of sudden a swim might seem like a good idea, followed by lunch, a nap and another swim. Pretty soon it's too late to start on the project as it's time for some afternoon boat drinks, prepare dinner and to watch the sunset.  As the refrain from Bruce Hornsby song goes "It's just the way it is."

FOURTH OF JULY 2011

"The fireworks are hailin' over Little Eden tonight"- Bruce Springsteen

 

While the firworks were pretty impressive from my view in the cockpit. I could not help thinking about the sunset show that nature put on before the man made event last night which was also impressive:

While a man made rocket will dazzle our senses for a few seconds before rapidly fading. The show that nature puts on lasts for a long time and the best thing is I never have to wait for one day a year to enjoy it.

BOATWORK & SUNSETS

After spending the afternoon working on the boat I just had to stop and take a few minutes and watch the sun go down before heading home:

Being on or close to the water I just never get tired of this daily ritual. So many miss this view once you are further in land. Let others turn on their TV. I find sights like this the best entertainment value.

A MARVELOUS NIGHT FOR A MOONDANCE!

 On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years.
"The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. "I'd say it's worth a look."

and there is another reason to enjoy this entertainment from the universe as Paul Bowles reminds us:

“... we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.”

YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM BIRDS

You can learn a lot from birds

You can learn a lot from birds

But, the meaning is not obvious
- Frank Tedesso

I was silently motoring BIANKA up Mattituck Inlet the other day here on the Isle of Long. Looking and listening to the sounds as I made the journey. Since I converted to electric propulsion I am really enjoying such trips. You can actually hear the things going on around you instead of being masked by the noise and vibration of a diesel engine. The laughter of children at a house on the shore or squawk of a Great Blue Heron as it questions a Night Heron that he thinks might be in his territory. About three quarters of the way up to the anchorage. I heard the calling of an Osprey. It's good to see the Osprey still around. It means it's still summer. If you want to find a real snow bird the Osprey might fit that bill. They don't stay around much after September in these parts but, head south much like the Osprey in the photo above which I took on a small motu in Belize.  As I passed the tree to the boats port where I heard the call I could see there was not one but, two Osprey and they seemed to be alternating  in making the calls. Strange I thought Osprey usually mate for life and each of these birds were no more than ten feet from each other. Why are they alternating making the calls when they can obviously see each other? As I motored onward a  little ways the answer became obvious. Off to starboard  was an Osprey nest with three young adult Osprey posed and waiting. They were full feathered and seemed anxious and hesitant at the same time. It then dawned on me that the parents were the birds I heard calling from the tree. They were trying to coax the young birds to fly and leave the nest. It was time for them to fly in preparation to leave the nest for good and start heading south.  The next morning I was having my coffee. I saw an Osprey on the shore nearby. Strange I thought. I have never seen an Osprey walking along on the shore before. I've seen them in trees, on the nest or flying. Then the bird waded into the water until it's legs were underwater. Then I realized it was one of the  young Osprey literally getting it's feet wet for the first time. It seemed to be exploring the feeling and then one of the adult Osprey did several fly bys and the Osprey in the water flew off to follow. When I was leaving later that day I passed the same Osprey nest and there was only one young Osprey left there waiting to fly.
Yes, you can learn a lot from birds