IN MEMORIAM: ROBERT PIRSIG AUTHOR AND SAILOR

Robert Pirsig passed away recently he was 88 and the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance . He was also a sailor and lived on a sailboat for a number of years. He understood what cruising and being on a boat for longer than an afternoon sail was all about as this passage from him shows:

"...Those who see sailing as an escape from reality have got their understanding of both sailing and reality completely backwards. Sailing is not an escape but a return to and a confrontation of a reality from which modern civilization is itself an escape. For centuries, man suffered from the reality of an earth that was too dark or too hot or too cold for his comfort, and to escape this he invented complex systems of lighting, heating and air conditioning. Sailing rejects these and returns to the old realities of dark and heat and cold. Modern civilization has found radio, TV, movies, nightclubs and a huge variety of mechanized entertainment to titillate our senses and help us escape from the apparent boredom of the earth and the sun and wind and stars. Sailing returns to these ancient realities."-Robert Pirsig

Sail on Robert!

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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