GIFT FOR SAILORS: TIDES: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean

Holiday gift giving time is just around the corner and if you are looking for a gift to give to a sailor   I have a great suggestion.
A book called TIDES: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and learning about tides all over the world and what makes the depth and current values different in various locations. It is a fascinating and informative read that I'm sure anyone who sails or just enjoys the sea will enjoy reading.

 In Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, writer, sailor, and surfer Jonathan White takes readers across the globe to discover the science and spirit of ocean tides. In the Arctic, White shimmies under the ice with an Inuit elder to hunt for mussels in the dark cavities left behind at low tide; in China, he races the Silver Dragon, a twenty-five-foot tidal bore that crashes eighty miles up the Qiantang River; in France, he interviews the monks that live in the tide-wrapped monastery of Mont Saint-Michel; in Chile and Scotland, he investigates the growth of tidal power generation; and in Panama and Venice, he delves into how the threat of sea level rise is changing human culture—the very old and very new. Tides combines lyrical prose, colorful adventure travel, and provocative scientific inquiry into the elemental, mysterious paradox that keeps our planet’s waters in constant motion. Photographs, scientific figures, line drawings, and sixteen color photos dramatically illustrate this engaging, expert tour of the tides.

FROM BIANKA'S BOOK SHELF: ELDRIDGE TIDE AND PILOT BOOK

One of the things that signals the start of the sailing season for me is buying a nice fresh copy of the Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book 2013   .  If you are sailing through the waters anywhere from Maine to the Chesapeake this is the one book to have on board. Just make sure you have this years edition. By the end of the season my copy of this book will be well dog eared and beat up from the crisp pristine condition it is now in. That is because I use just about every time I leave the harbor. It is one of the items I bring into the cockpit before heading out along with items like binoculars, horn and the handheld VHF radio. I will refer to it a number of times on just about every sail trip I take. The Eldridge has most of the tide and current information you will ever need to transit the waters of the northeast coast of the U.S. and has been providing that information for well over 100 years. Yes, you can get some of the same information on many chart plotters and computer programs. But, the  Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book 2013 being a paper publication will always work and allows you to quickly find the information you need without going through a bunch of menu screens. It also contains various interesting articles concerning tides, currents, fishing, astronomy and seafaring history. I often bring it down to my cabin and peruse it when planning for the next days journey before nodding off to sleep. If you know of a northeast sailor or someone who will be sailing in the northeast U.S. waters who does not have a copy on board  it would make a great gift.

HURRICANE SANDY: DAY TWO

I woke up after a restful sleep and things were pretty quiet. But, that's because of triple pane argon filled windows can insulate the sounds pretty good. not like being on the boat where your senses are well aware of what's going on with the weather.  Looking at the trees through the window I could see things were starting to blow a  harder than last night as Hurricane Sandy approaches. I went to the dentists office where of course I found out that the dentist would not be in because of the storm so I decided to drive to the harbor where BIANKA was moored. Since it was 9 AM I thought there was a pretty good chance I could get there since high tide was not until 12 noon. But, I was wrong:

There use to be a road underneath that rising water.  Notice the sign on the left. The bad news is this was taken at 9:30 am and high tide would be at 12 noon. I turned around and took another route. But, that was starting to flood too! However, I took a chance and after I got through parts that were starting to flood. I found the road to the boatyard blocked by town vehicles. I was able to park and get a glimpse of BIANKA which was still floating in the same place I left her last night despite the increase in winds. I could not stay long as the waters were rising and I had to get the car out of there before I would be trapped. Here is a little look of what it was like heading back along the harbor road. Again, this was two hours before the days high tide:


Here is some video I took of  Long Island Sound raging like an ocean. The beach was entirely covered and water was lapping at the parking lot. Again, this was two and half hours BEFORE high tide:



The bad news is this is just the start of the major part of the storm. I don't know when I'll be able to get back near BIANKA I just hope she is floating somewhere in the harbor when I do.

BLOG UPDATE MONDAY 5:45PM:
I've tried contact the boatyard several times today and there is no answer. That's not good news as they maybe busy trying to save the docks, boats etc... I was hoping they might get a visual on BIANKA and let me know if she is still where she is supposed to be. The flooding this morning was not a good sign. Then this "Special Weather Statement" came from NOAA:

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED WINDS UP TO 110 MPH
BETWEEN 1500 AND 3000 FEET. SOME OF THESE VERY STRONG...DAMAGING
WINDS WILL OCCASIONALLY REACH THE SURFACE...PRODUCING GUSTS OF
70-90 MPH ACROSS THE NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA...LONG
ISLAND...AND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT THROUGH 8 PM. THE GUSTS TO THESE
LEVELS WILL BE MORE FREQUENT OVER SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT AND 

LONG ISLAND THAN OVER THE NEW YORK CITY METRO AREA. 

Uh oh just lost power again!  I keep thinking that BIANKA with it's wind turbine has all the power I would need. Better sign off for now and save my laptop power.