SATURDAY NIGHT AT SEA: Mystic Sea Music Festival.

Due to a lot of land based issues and schedules BIANKA is still not in the water and won't be until after next weekend. I've only been able to spend weekends on board prepping and taken care of some projects that did not get done over the brutal winter. Today I plan an extended stay working on the boat. One that should continue into the evening hours. This is because it's the last concert night of the Mystic Sea Music Festival. It has become somewhat of a tradition to be on board the boat in the evening listening to the live broadcast of the festival concert which is broadcast on WPKN 89.5 from Bridgeport Connecticut (also streaming on line) . No matter that the boat is still in the boatyard I will enjoy the evening's music as I putter around getting things ready for launching. The concert runs from 7 pm to 10pm.

DOWNSIZING SOUNDS GOOD

The entertainment system on board BIANKA is not elaborate. For over decade it was a Panasonic RX-DS7 boom box. The unit had a CD player, AM/FM radio and even a cassette player. Yes, I still have some cassettes. Unfortunately, the unit over the years has gotten a little beat up which included a few falls to the cabin floor.

It's got a couple of dents in the speaker grill. The CD had also become non functional and developed a raspy sound in it's speakers. The reason why I found out on closer inspection is that one of the speakers  had broken away from it's mounting:

Obviously after ten plus years it was time for a new unit.  So the other day I made an impulse buy and bought a new "entertainment center" for the boat. It is a GPX CD/Radio/MP3  Boombox   .
It is a basic unit that has no cassette player but, does have a line input so I could plug in my MP3 player or even a cassette player if I ever wanted too. It also has a digital tuner as compared to the old Panasonic unit which had a linear tuning system:

The GPX CD/Radio/MP3 input Boombox   is also much smaller that the Panasonic it is replacing:

On a thirty foot boat like BIANKA having smaller items in the cabin is a good thing. I also modified the GPX so I could hook it into the 12 volt to 9 volt power supply I built to power the Panasonic unit:

I also added Anderson Powerpole connectors to the GPX  unit and power supply making it easy to disconnect and secure the box while underway:

. The unit sounds good and fits easily on the shelf I built for the Panasonic unit:

While I tend to not play the radio or CD too often on board preferring to keep an ear out for the cry of the Osprey or other sounds. Still it's nice to have some tunes available from time to time. The first CD I played on the unit was John Renbourn's The Hermit which is an excellent CD for listening to on board on a tranquil summer evening. Hopefully this unit will last as long as the previous "entertainment center" on board.

A LITTLE SEA MUSIC

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to be on board and listen to the Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival which happens over three days. This year it is from June 6th to June 9th 2013. I often think to take BIANKA there and be there in person but, there is also something very pleasant to be in a secluded anchorage and hear how sailors use to entertain themselves on deck in the evenings in the days before electronic devices like radios and IPODS. It is usually broadcast live on WPKN 89.5 FM out of Bridgeport Connecticut. 

SONGS FOR SAILING: Pata Pata

I was reminded today that it is Miriam Makeba's  81st birthday and thought why yes her hit from the 1960's Pata Pata  would make a great addition to the MP3 music collection on BIANKA.

ANOTHER MAGICAL EVENING

 I was a little bummed as I finished cooking some Chicken Tika Marsala for which I forget to buy some cream to finish it off so I had to use non fat milk instead.  Oh well. As I sat down in the cockpit to enjoy it along with a nice glass of red wine, I heard from across the channel the channel the jolly sound of a Concertina  being played. The delightful sound of sea shanties one after another were drifting across the water in the still night air providing me with great joy as I dined. The sound was coming from a raft up of two boats where some people were enjoying themselves sans electronics. It reminded me of a recent book I had read of a journey along the New England coast in the 1840's. The author described being at anchor somewhere in New England and hearing the singing and playing of Sea Shanties coming from one of the other ships in the harbor. For me it's was one of those special evenings that elude those on land or get off their boats after a short day sail. It also made me imagine what it must have been like that evening in that harbor in New England back in the 1840'S. Just another magical evening on board the BIANKA.

WHO CARES ABOUT THE GRAMMYS?

Screw the Grammys! This is what I'm listening to tonight:


You know Capt. Mike has got his toe tappin' tonight!

SHORELINE: Good Intentions

Hanging out on a boat just offshore offers a unique view of the shoreline and how the people and other creatures use it. With the fishing pole by his side I'm sure this fellow came to the harbor with good intentions to do some fishing but, somehow the washed up piece of dock looked like a good place to take a nap instead:

It also reminds me I need to put this Otis Redding tune onto my IPOD SHUFFLE.

SATURDAY NIGHT AT SEA

There are some things that I find that are just better to experience on my boat. One of the real treats for me in the beginning of the season is to listen to the  live broadcasts of the annual  Sea Music Festival held at Mystic Seaport Museum . This weekend was the 32nd one held. It is broadcast live on WPKN 89.5 FM in Bridgeport Connecticut. While being at the site does have some advantages as they have various workshops and concerts during the four days of the of the festival. I still find listening to the evening concerts on board BIANKA with a glass of some libation in my hand as the boat swings around in the breeze and my toe tapping in the cockpit to be another one of those pinch me moments. 

YACHT ROCK: A musical history.

If you remember or survived the seventies and eighties like I did you might know of a unique music phenomena know as "Yacht Rock" aka "smooth music". Like pornography you will know it when you see it, er hear it. What you may not know is the history behind some of the songs of this era.  Viewing the following episodes will show the behind the scenes machinations behind the music.

CAPT MIKE WARNING: Many of the episodes contain "salty" language and violence!


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NOTE: Episode 3 contains no sound but, is included for those who can lip read or are too mellow to care.




The meaning of the music of TOTO is explained in Episode 4
 
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In Episode 5 Michael Jackson explores his dark side seduced by Eddie Van Halen until rescued by TOTO, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins and Vincent Price.




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The legend of Jethro Tull comes alive in Episode 6.




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Smooth sailing out of Compton with Dr. Dre.

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Episode 8: The Captain & Tennielle and the rise of Gene Balboa

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The war between Steely Dan and the Eagles comes to life in Episode 10

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A nefarious Jimmy Buffet will stop at nothing to get his movie produced in Episode 11.


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SONGS OF A SAILOR: VAHEVALA

For some reason the song VAHEVALA by Loggins and Messina popped into my head yesterday. It got me thinking why don't I have that on my IPOD shuffle to have in my sailing mix. Why not indeed? And while I'm at it how about Sailin' The wind too!

WINTERLUDE 2011

I came back from the Maldives having missed two snow storms but, still had a foot of snow in the driveway to deal with. I had just finished shoveling that when another storm hit the next day putting another 18 inches back on the ground. Needless to say all those plans for winter projects on the boat have taken a back seat recently.  Yes, welcome to Winterlude 2011:

Somehow this winter seems worse than others of recent memory. Especially when I go check on the boat and see how bleak and barren the harbor looks this time of year:

But when I look back to  WINTERLUDE 2010 well it does not seem all that bad and the good news is spring is just a month away.  Though somehow I still have that  waltzing winter tune of Bob Dylan  playing in head.

NOW WESTLIN' WINDS

New Years Eve and the playing of Auld Lang Syne got me thinking of  Robert Burns.  Jesse Ferguson aka the Bard of Cornwall does a nice rendition of a Robert Burns poem that sounds like it would make for nice listening after dinner while kicking back in the cockpit to watch the stars at some nice little anchorage :

DOCK MUSIC

BIANKA is usually on a mooring or at anchor and that's where I like to be. I will occasionally tie up to a dock but, not often. I was reminded the other day another reason to avoid them. I was working on the boat which was still on the hard in the boatyard.  There were a few power boaters gathered on the dock about 100 feet away drinking and having a little afternoon party. Then someone thought it was a good idea to bring out a Karaoke machine. This was bad enough but, then some thought it would be cute to have their children start singing. You have not lived until you've heard a pre teenager sing the Four Seasons hit Sherry three or four times in a row. Luckily,  I had enough work to do down below which I did until someone decide to pull the plug on the Karaoke device.

A LITTLE SAILING MUSIC PLEASE!

As the temperature dipped again to the point where lighting the fireplace was in order. I needed a little sailing music to get me back in a watery mood. I went on You Tube to listen to one of my favorite musical artists who many have never heard of. Jesse Ferguson (aka The Bard of Cornwall) lives up in Canada and performs both contemporary and traditional songs on various instruments. For example here he plays a mean Bodhran when performing Stan Roger's Barrett's Privateers:



Jesse also has a self produced CD that you purchase by the song or as a complete CD or MP3 here. This fellow has some real musical talent and that's why I enjoy his performances. I hope you do too.

A LITTLE SAILING MUSIC PLEASE!

While I often sail just listening to the sounds of the natural world around me. I am always looking for music that will sound good when sailing for those times when I want to have some tunes in the background. This song performed by Genki Sudo with music written by Heigo Tani is one of those tunes. I can imagine listening to it on board while making five or six knots under sail. It's not a song about sailing but, I really like the music and it's an interesting music video too! Maybe you'll like it also!