Sweet Bluesette

Return to Luce

2012-02-11T16:12:00.013+09:00

We hadn't been out to eat since January 1st - about which I'll post soon - so as we found ourselves in Kamisu City around 13:00 we decided to have lunch at our favorite seafood/Italian restaurant; Wordsworth. Being Saturday and a national holiday (Foundation Day), they were packed, so rather than wait, we decided to try "Luce" again which some readers may recall is where we had lunch last March sixteen days after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. At the time, they had no water service but were making due with paper plates and using bottled water for cooking.
March 27, 2011 - an empty parking lot

We found them fairly busy this time, but no waiting, and of course, offering a full menu. We shared pasta with tomato sauce and crab, and a four cheese pizza. The main room seats about 40 people, though there were not nearly that many there for lunch today. The back room appeared to be full though. The furnishings are light woods with tables of knotty pine. In one corner there is a large screen playing a travelogue of Venice while a voice that sounded to me like Astrud Gilberto sang in the background. It was a most relaxed ambiance. I could see the owner/chef working in the kitchen through an arched pass through.

I didn't have my camera, so K took a photo of the crab pasta with her cell phone:

The flavor of the crab was infused throughout the pasta. Yum.

They first served a nice salad in a sweet balsamic vinaigrette dressing, minestrone soup, and bread with seasoned tomato on top. It was all very fresh and flavorful.

The pizza was amazing. Crisp yet tender crust and the right amount of cheeses and herbs - ie not too much cheese as one finds all to often and which tends to ruin the crust - and the cheeses used were excellent. This is one of two restaurants in the Kashima-Kamisu area which gets pizza right.

Desert was also "not too much" - a cup of panna cotta with diced strawberry on top and a small wedge of spongecake on a bit of whipped cream.

Sorry I didn't have my camera with me. Ah, well, I volunteer to go back again just to get more pics. Last year, the tsunami waters came within one block of the restaurant and along with the quake literally sank that street. It was nice to see that their perseverance through the tough time paid off and business is apparently good again. It should be. The food is great.

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Google Limits

2012-02-05T21:41:00.010+09:00

There is nothing wrong with your computer terminal. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling this blog. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. If we so choose, we will make this blog unavailable. You have entered Google Blogger.

The hell of it is, when I went to leave a comment on other blogs - Proper Course and My Life in the Florida Keys as it happens - and was required to log in. I was then told that gmail (google) had detected "suspicious activity" on my account and therefore I needed to jump through some hoops. In the meantime, my email and blogs were "frozen".

Suspicious activity? Like the fact I often log in to gmail on my wife's computer and forget to log out before logging in on my own computer? The multiple BCC emails I send to friends and family? Or perhaps it is the complaints I made about how sucky the new universal look and feel of the "new" Google empire is, as they move toward making all of their web applications look the same in name of corporate unity and to hell with functionality? In addition, the new "privacy policy" (sic) basically combines all data gathered about you from any of Google's apps - gmail, blogger, youtube, google, google+, etc. - and puts them into one database... to "enhance" your Google experience of course!

Whatever. I apologize to my readers for any inconvenience. It was, of course, for my own security, in the same way TSA strip searches grandmas and children in the name of security, while allowing the food service and cleaning personnel access to aircraft with no check points save swiping a magnetic card at the door. Welcome to the new corporate internet world order.

I had already set up a new email account when Google announced the coming changes. I also don't do Facebook or Google+. You can bet I will find an alternative to blogger - or stop blogging. I am not one to put my whole life on the internet (I think I do plenty of that already, thank you very much), and making some young jerks filthy rich by providing my personal details for them to exploit, with advertising revenue and IPOs, doesn't thrill me. I'll be happy to do that (maybe) when they cut me a fair percentage to pay for my content - which they have yet to offer to do.

To add insult to injury, when I attempted to comply with their requests I found myself faced with a page asking for my phone provider, so that they could text me a message or a verbal one by landline. Um. I don't own a phone. No one told me that was a requirement for using Gmail or Blogger. I very rarely use a phone and when I do it is K's landline and occasionally Skype. I then was asked to provide an alternate email address. I gave them three, one of which is the one I will be using instead of Gmail from here on.

So if anyone is wondering, that is why my email and two blogs have been off line for a while. I was happy that they contacted me within a few hours and restored my blogs. They neglected to inform me why this happened so I don't know how to prevent from reoccurring.

As I told Odocker recently, I am buying a manual type writer (true). I'm trying to figure out a way to stay online and maintain my blogs, but if I can't maintain control over my own content, I may go "analog". Perhaps an old fashioned snail mail newsletter would do as well - and would be self limiting to people who really were interested. Never forget that they need us more than we need them. Prophetic clip:

Please stay tuned. Sorry, I forgot. Your other mind control machine - TV - is probably tuned to a sporting event this weekend. Perhaps I'll address how to free yourself from that as well in a future post.

Until next, sweet sailing.

End of rant transmission.
1 - The Outer Limits http://youtu.be/8CtjhWhw2I8
2- The Prisoner (1967)

A B C D Goldfish?

2012-01-21T18:13:00.007+09:00

L M N O Goldfish!

O S A R Goldfish! C M?

O I C D Goldfish!

Or do you?

(full screen highly recommended)

Painting a cross section of goldfish between each layer of resin, artist Riusuke Fukahori creates three dimensional images, much in the way 3D printers work. The result, as you can see, is a stunning illusion.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Power Play

2012-01-19T05:03:00.000+09:00

Stop SOPA

Censorship

2012-01-18T08:08:00.000+09:00

Stop SOPA

Withdrawal Symptoms

2012-01-14T12:38:00.005+09:00

What becomes of guys who abruptly give up sailing...

Don't wait until it's too late. Help is available.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Hat tip to Jason Maitland at Yoyo Market .

It Is To Laugh

2012-01-07T18:08:00.000+09:00

According to ancient mythology, Japan's Sun Goddess, Amaterasu Omikami, went into hiding in a cave after an argument with her brother that had resulted in the death of one of her attendants. As a result of her entering the cave, the world was plunged into darkness. What to do?

Eventually, she was coaxed out by the prayers and dancing of Ame-no-Koyane-no Mikoto, Hiraoka shrine's main diety along with the laughter of the other gods.

Nowadays, there is an annual Laugh Festival held at Hiraoka Shrine in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. Priests and followers give it their all to laugh out loud, long and hard.

Other countries and cultures have laugh festivals as well. And laughter can lighten one's burdens even if one has to "fake it" at first. Our minds and bodies are so intertwined that the physical act of laughing or smiling will trigger happy feelings in the mind. Like yawning, laughter is contagious.

So have a good laugh. Even the gods will enjoy it.

Daffy and Porky in Robin Hood Daffy (1958)

Until next, sweet sailing - and laughing.

Momo Rocks-in the New Year

2012-01-06T18:35:00.004+09:00

Momo likes to drum. When she sits on "her" bench on our front porch and wags her tail, she hits the storage box of the storm shutters which sounds like a drum. Of course, off camera she can really get into it at times and make sound like a "taiko" drum.

2012 is of course the Year of the Dragon. Our friend Arkonbey, who draws comic books and graphic novels (among other talents), recently got the idea for a comic about an all girl puppy band called the "Glitter Dragons". To read about how he came up with the idea and the name, check out this post on his website Obscurum.

Arkonbey emailed and asked if he could model the drummer after Momo and of course we said that would be a great honor. So now Momo is drumming for the "Glitter Dragons".

Here is the band on stage:

Drawing by Arkonbey, over-painting by his significant other, Sweet Enemy

And now the Glitter Dragons have their own blog. Click on the logo above to check it out!

Momo, you rock! You never cease to amaze us. Thank you Arkonbey and Sweet Enemy. Happy New Year of the Glitter Dragons!

Until next, sweet sailing.

Ending 2011 On High Note

2012-01-02T12:51:00.006+09:00

Friday we took the car on an hour and a half journey west, while Bluesette crew member Martin rode the train two hours eastbound, to meet up in the town of Ushiku, Ibaraki as a way to celebrate the end of 2011.

First we visited the Ushiku Daibutsu, a steel framed bronze statue of Amida Nyorai - Buddha of infinite light and life. The statue, built by Higashi Hongwani (lit. East Temple of the Primal Vow) and completed in 1993, stands 120 meters (394 feet) tall from ground to top and 100 meters (328 feet) from head to toe.

Comparison of Ushiku Daibutsu to the famous budda in Todaiji Temple in Nara, the Statue of Liberty, and of course Gojira (Godzilla).

It is more than merely a landmark as the interior has several floors of exhibits which tell the history and teachings of Buddhism. At chest level there are windows allowing one to glimpse a view of the surrounding countryside. As the weather was very clear, we were able to see Tokyo Sky Tree and Fuji-san which is 95 miles to the West.

Here's Martin ringing out 2011

After coming back down to earth, we were famished so headed for the *NEW* Doki-Doki restaurant. I have mentioned the original Pocket Farm Doki-Doki, which is closer to Lake Hinuma, in previous posts. Martin blogged about it here: Five Stars For The JA Ibaraki Pocket Farm Doki Doki Restaurant. The restaurant/farmers market was started by the JA Ibaraki - the farmers association - to provide an outlet for locally grown produce and meat. They offer a huge selection of fresh, local foods, prepared using the favorite recipes of farmers and chefs. All you can eat. It's always a great experience.

Round one for me - all vegetarian except for a piece of fish. Kimie tried the pork "shabu shabu" with her fist tray. We all went back for 2nds and 3rds.

After the leisurely lunch, in spite of feeling like a nap, we headed for Chateau Kamiya. This is the site of the Japan's first winery, built in 1903. At the time, they had vast vineyards and VIPs would come out from Tokyo for "secret" parties. The building was designed by a French Architect and the vines were brought from Bordeaux. The brick buildings are now a National important cultural property.

Chateau Kamiya

The vineyards were gradually sold off for development decades ago and the ownership changed. They no long make wine there. Instead, they make a local beer and import wine from France (mostly) which they re-bottle. Martin tasted some and said it was awful. With good wines from France, Germany, Chile, Argentina, the USA, and Australia readily available in Japan, one wonders why the Chateau Kamiya would bother trying to sell sub-standard re-bottled wines. Seems a losing marketing strategy to me.

There appeared to be some earthquake damage to the clock tower of the main building. Only the shop was open - the museum, wine making room, and restaurant were all closed. Might have been a great place to visit at one time, but I can't recommend it as we saw it, other than to view the buildings for their architectural historical value, and this lovely Iigiri tree with its bright red grape-like bunches of berries in the main courtyard. The Iigiri is native to China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Then it was time to head home. While the Chateau was a disappointment, the Daibutsu was uplifting and the meal at Doki-Doki a delicious feast. An interesting monument, delicious food, and friendship - a great way to celebrate the end of the year.

So long 2011.

Ausgezeichnet

2011-12-31T16:57:00.005+09:00

Peter Kräubig with the German jazz group "Room 4" singing Bluesette at a charity concert held in Dyckburgkirche Münster (Dyckburg Church) in 2009. Münster, Germany is about 75 km northeast of Essen*.

Peter Kräubig is an accomplished pianist and composer.

I like this group. They remind me of "Les Doubles Six" of Paris back in the 60's.

Good music to listen to while letting go of 2011 tonight and embracing 2012. Happy New Year!

Dare we hope that the Dragon is more kind to us that the Rabbit has been? What have we got to lose?

Until next, sweet sailing.

*I've never been to Münster, but I did play a concert in Essen back in 1971 with the University of Redlands Concert Band and Jazz Band along with trombone soloist Murray McEachern.

Winter Solstice

2011-12-24T21:43:00.004+09:00

The "reason for the season" is of course the Winter Solstice. We've turned the corner from the days getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, and hence forth we will get more sunshine (for a time). Celebrations lasting a few weeks help us get through the darkest of times (literally speaking) and different religions find various reasons to celebrate, but basically they do so, I believe, at this time of year to help us all get through the lack of sunlight. For me, vitamin D supplementation and a dose of wide spectrum artificial light each day does the trick.

One celebration we partake in around the Winter Solstice each year is a special dinner at Wordsworth Restaurant. This year it was extra special, as the restaurant was damaged by the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, but has survived, as have we. (Life goes on, despite the odds.)

This year's menu included Bagna Calda, Parma ham with mozzarella and tomato in pumpkin sauce, foie gras, seafood salad, soybean soup, baked stuffed Homard lobster, pasta with greens, and for desert, apple compote with cookies and chocolate.

PandaB does not eat foie gras (click here for why) and a very special thing happened this year. The waitress came to our table before we began our meal and asked if I would like a substitute instead of foie gras. They had remembered my preferences! So while they served K the foie gras, they brought me a special dish of baked turban sea snail in olive oil with chopped greens, covered with tiny croutons. It was a delicious alternative and I was very impressed by the thoughtfulness of Wordsworth in offering it to me.

After dinner we went down to Kashima Jingu train station to see the light display.

All the best from Pandabonium and K this Winter Solstice season - no matter how you celebrate it - and may 2012 bring us all peace and understanding.

May all beings be happy.
May they be joyous and live in safety.
All living beings, whether weak or strong,
in high or middle, or low realms of existence,
small or great, visible or invisible, near or far,
born or to be born.
May all beings be happy.

-A Buddhist Metta

Until next, sweet sailing.

Nadezhda - Missed Hope and an Icy Bottom

2011-12-17T22:00:00.001+09:00

Our Swedish Bluesette crewman Martin emailed me to let me know that he had seen Nadezhda at Yokohama the other day. Nadezhda is a 22 year old beauty (very tall and not too broad in the beam if you get my drift) from Vladivostok and I was keen to see her in person!

Her name means "hope" in English and I was full of it (ahem). As our roof is in the midst of repairs (at last!) of the earthquake damage, it would be a chance to escape the noise and flying roof debris. There was the matter of providing tea and snacks for the workers at break times, but K's mom offered to come over and take care of that.

Good thing I did some research about Nadezhda before we went to Yokohama - especially before setting the alarm clock for O'dark thirty to go meet her. Nadezhda you see is a Russian tall ship which has been on a tour of the Pacific. When I found her on marinetraffic.com on Friday, she had already left Yokohama and was off shore of Ibaraki heading north at 6.7 knots. Ah well, Martin got some pics with his cellphone which I get to share with you here.

At 360 ft length, 46 ft beam, she is much larger than Japan's Nippon Maru training vessel (307 ft long, 42.5 ft. beam) which I saw when it visited Maui around 1970-ish, and which is now on permanent display in Yokohama. Both ships are quite beautiful of course, but Nadezhda is rarely in my backyard.

Thank you, Martin!

So, today, instead of going to Yokohama, we headed for lake Hinuma and Bluesette. Along the way, we spotted a good sized sailboat on Lake Kitaura - a rare sight. My Canon camera had trouble focusing today for some reason, but the boat looks like a Catalina 27 to me. Must be quite old (like from the 70's) as the sail number is 247. I think it is docked at a little marina that we once considered which caters to bass boats on trailers. Kitaura is quite a narrow body of water for such a large boat - much longer than Hinuma, but only half as wide.

We didn't leave until after the roof workers had their morning break after all, so first order of business was lunch at Mama's. Sorry if regular readers tire of this routine, but we don't. :^)

I had spaghetti with a spicy tomato sauce and olives with tuna, K had the same but with bacon rather than tuna. Desert was roll cake with banana and grapefruit.

The task for the day was not to sail. It was a beautiful day, if a tad cold, but we were there to change out the boat cover and other minor maintenance. The "Sunbrella" cover has lost it's water repellant properties and has been growing a bit of green something or other on its top. We switched it out with a plastic tarp temporarily so we could take the Sunbrella home and clean it with a pressure washer and spray it with water proofing anew.

We were not surprised to see a little water in the bottom of the boat - about 3/4 inch - but we were surprised at the ice. It has been a cold December for us so far. More like January or February weather.

The club house is nearly finished, but for some concrete work around the outside for walkways. That will have to wait until warmer weather. Meanwhile, they will start moving in tomorrow. It is a bit smaller, but very well built and of course, it's *new*.

On the way out, we stopped to say hello/goodbye to Mrs. Hakuta in the temporary office where she was watching three grandchildren. Two granddaughters were playing with a "Hula Hoop". Reportedly, they have set a local record of 438 revolutions in one go!

Until next, sweet sailing... and hula hooping.

Syzygy

2011-12-11T12:44:00.002+09:00

We watched the total lunar eclipse last night. It started at about 22:00 our time and we watched until 23:45 (when we were getting too sleepy to continue). As the moon was nearly directly overhead, we soon tired of straining our necks, so we spread a blanket on our pebble drive and laid on our backs to view it.

Skies were thin clouds broken to scattered at first, but it later cleared. Due to a rain storm that passed recently, the air was very clean and since we're in a relatively rural area, there was not much in the way of light pollution. It was a little chilly out (about 39°F), but we were dressed for it.

It was the most beautiful sight either of us has ever seen in the night sky. Jupiter was out too and with binoculars we could see some of its moons. When a large patch of sky was clear, the stars added to the spectacular show - the moon was in Gemini with the Pleiades (Subaru in Japanese), Taurus with its red giant, Aldebaran, and Orion offering a lot to enjoy with the binoculars. (Nikon 10x50mm 6.5° field of view).

As Martin mentioned to me in an email today, with the moon fully eclipsed, it looked very three dimensional against the backdrop of stars. I think the brightness of a full moon normally makes for too great a contrast for us to see it as a sphere.

I didn't get any pics with moon partly in shadow, as early on I didn't think they would come out at all (I haven't had much luck photographing the moon). Later I decided to give it a go anyway. I took several pictures, but only a couple of them were worth saving - they were ones taken with the camera on a tripod and tripping the shutter with the timer so as not to vibrate the setup. Canon Powershot S3 IS was on full zoom. Not an astronomer's choice of equipment, but good enough pics to jog my memory of this event in the future.

As I walked back to the house to go to bed, I turned to take one last look, and as I did so, a meteor streaked across the sky to the southwest. Perfection.

*syzygy: Astronomy . an alignment of three celestial objects, as the sun, the earth, and either the moon or a planet

Almost As Good As S...ailing

2011-12-04T19:24:00.001+09:00

It looked like it would be too windy for us to go sailing today, and besides, after the rain we've had it was a full morning of catching up on laundry, with warmer weather and crystal clear skies.

For lunch, we treated ourselves to Wordsworth Restaurant in neighboring Kamisu City.

I had spaghetti with oysters in a spinach cream sauce, topped with salmon roe.

Oishii.
K went for the pasta soup with seafood. Scallop, clam, oyster, mussel, crab, prawn and squid.

So good. Or so I was told. ;^) K finished the whole thing.

No, we don't usually eat out twice in one week. We'll need to take a break from it, as we're thinking of having the special Xmas dinner at Wordsworth again this year.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Boys Go To Jupiter

2011-12-01T21:35:00.012+09:00

..."to get more stupider" - or at least, so the playground rope-skipping rhyme goes. (In case you're wondering, girls go to Mars to buy more cars - which is pretty stupid too, if you ask me.)

Anyway, the Jupiter in this post is Jupiter Instruments, an American company that makes musical instruments in Taiwan using machines made in Japan and Switzerland - and they ain't stupid. They've got Harry Watters playing demos for their trombones, and he is simply awesome. Here is Harry "sailing" through (what else?) Bluesette:

Damn. Maybe if I practiced more? .... Nope. Not in a million years - or 928,081,020 kilometers*.

Until next, sweet sailing.

*max distance between Earth and Jupiter

Helmets Can Be Cool

2011-11-30T21:04:00.009+09:00

Just in case anyone got the idea from my comments on the great Tillerman's blog (and I refer to him as such in sincere admiration) that I don't think helmets are appropriate in some situations, here is a photo of myself, Pandabonium, and my sidekick ~~Tonto~~ K, looking cool in helmets at Lake Toya, Hokkaido, July 2011.

Pandabonium: "Well Tonto, we are surrounded by natives. It looks like we are finished."
K: "What you mean 'we' Kimosabe?"

And don't forget, when German voters replaced Chancellor Helmut Schmidt with Helmut Kohl in 1982, they weren't changing Chancellors, they were just exchanging Helmuts! And no one dared to challenge the Germans about the use of Helmuts at the time.

Until next, sweet sailing. And mind the boom!

One Hand for Yourself One for the Ship

2011-11-25T14:06:00.003+09:00

The title of this post is from an excellent book by Tristan Jones which I read when I had dreams (delusions?) of sailing single handed around the Pacific. My reality - my boat, my "sea", and my challenges are much, much, smaller, but at least I am really sailing now, rather than dreaming about it.

Last Sunday, my sweet crew took me up to lake Hinuma, helped me set up Bluesette, and let me go out single handed while she stayed ashore taking pictures. The weather was initially cloudy and windy as the previous day had been one of solid rain and wind. Luckily, the storm had passed more quickly than the meteorological gurus had prognosticated and things gradually improved throughout the day.

At "Mama's Kitchen", Mama and her two daughters took good care of us as always. The salad bar had fried sweet potatoes which were very tasty. Kimie went back for seconds on those.

I realize that food pictures aren't going to a big hit to my US readers on the day after Thanksgiving, but I'll post them for those who read this post at some later date when they are not satiated...

Kimie had pasta with ham and asparagus while I had pasta with seafood. Ono-licious as we say in Hawaii (yummy, oishii).

Although the American holiday of Thanksgiving as practiced in the USA is foreign to these shores, Mama's dessert featured pumpkin pudding pie with fruit.

At the yacht harbor, we found that the new club house is not quite finished. Double pane windows are installed, though, and the interior walls and ceiling have been finished off nicely. It won't be long now.

Kimie was against me sailing today and reluctant at first to lend a hand with boat, noting that the last time she didn't want us to go out was the day we capsized. But I assessed the situation, noting the water and sky conditions, and determined it was a good day for it. So, she finally got behind my program and helped me to get Bluesette ready as well as familiarize herself with the camera she would be using.

Single handing the Lido 14 is not too difficult provided that the winds are moderate. Today was perfect - about 7 knots. Not that I didn't have my hands full at times, like when I retrieved the painter from overboard with the grappling hook, but mostly it was just wonderful sailing.

It was quite amazing being so alone. Not only was I alone in the boat, I was alone on the lake. Kimie saw one windsurfer when I launched. In any case, the usual "traffic" was absent. Not a sail in sight, no fishing boats, water skiers, or bleeping jet skis - not a bloody internal combustion engine to be heard. Shear bliss. My only companions were birds - seagulls, coots, ducks, - and the occasional jumping striped mullet.

From the boat, approaching Kimie standing on the levy at the yacht harbor and coming about looked like this:

(Kimie can be seen standing to the right of the boat ramp)

From the shore, it looked like this:

Later, I was approaching the harbor from the East, sailing downwind and into the sun. Rather than jibe, I elected to do a 270°, which from the camera on the boat looks a little dizzying.

What I didn't see, due to the sun, were a flock ducks nearby. Kimie captured them with the camera as most took to the air while I was turning.

Ducks fleeing as Bluesette turns

Of course, as much as I enjoyed the solo, I missed Kimie's companionship. It isn't as much a matter of having a crew to perform tasks (though I do appreciate the great contribution she makes as crew) as it is being able to share the experience with her; the beauty, the joy, the laughter, ~~the cursing~~.

And that is the crux of the matter. I enjoy sailing alone, but sharing the experience is even better. Having a crew who helps me to do both? Well, deep appreciation and gratitude fill my heart.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Happy Labor Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-23T12:04:00.007+09:00

November 23, is a national holiday in Japan. The holiday has its origins in the mists of the past, two thousand five hundred years ago, as a celebration of the November grain harvests. While the Imperial household still calls it by the old name - Niiname sai (first taste) - and it is still celebrated as such at the Imperial Palace and Shinto shrines around the country, the 1948 law which made it "Labor Thanksgiving Day" and made it a legal holiday, dedicated it to labor and industry (reflecting the times) and a time to thank one another.

While I certainly appreciate the efforts of others, personally, when it comes to "production" I am more in tune with gratitude for food, than for industry, and hope Japan will do more to retain its own food production. Presently, Japan only supplies around 39 percent of the calories consumed in the country and must import the rest. It would be sad indeed to see us slip to the position in which South Korea finds itself - growing only 13% of its food needs and being dependent on countries like China and the USA, with all the food safety and security hazards that implies.

Regardless of the origins of our respective national holidays, we can all benefit from having an attitude of gratitude for the people, animals, and plants which sustain us - as I do the people who read this humble blog.

For an interesting perspective on food and gratitude, check out this excellent video about "Satoyama" - areas in which people work to create a balance with agricultural lands, secondary forests, artificial wetlands, and grasslands to create a sustainable life from the ecosystem. "Food" for thought...

Until next, in sincere gratitude, Sweet Sailing.

PS - for more information about Satoyama, visit Satoyama Initiative

Pandabonium Alone = Pandalonium!

2011-11-20T21:45:00.005+09:00

New title courtesy of Doc Häagen-Dazs - thanks, Doc!

More to come.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Goodbye Yesterday

2011-11-18T21:08:00.015+09:00

As I have mentioned before on this blog, as well as on Pacific Islander, Imai Miki has long been a favorite singer of mine. I saw her once with her husband at Kahului Airport on Maui, as they made their way to a tour helicopter, while I was walking to my airplane. Her husband is also a pilot, flying a plane like the one I had at the time.

Anyway, I remember listening to this song on my laptop in 2004 as I was flying over the Pacific in a 747 on my way to Japan and a new home, indeed, a new homeland, and a new life.

Since the Great Northeast Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March, the song has taken on a new meaning for me. But regardless of when or where we are on this crazy world, sailing through space, I think there is meaning and hope to be found in this song.

Unlike the version I listened to on my flight, with full orchestra, drums, guitars, etc. behind her, this version was recorded with only her voice and a piano. It highlights her vocal skills.

Here is Imai Miki singing Goodbye Yesterday (and hello tomorrow) Enjoy -

By the way, in the video, Miki-san's hair is cut short. Japanese will sometimes cut their hair short to signify a new beginning or a fresh start. This often happens after getting over some kind of hardship.

Kimie's translation:

GOODBYE YESTERDAY*

Goodbye yesterday
Here I am now
Who was born again
Look, more than ever
Smiles suit me, don’t they?

I laughed and cried as much as I could
I found my true self
Finally I have reached
The path that leads me to eternal kindness

Every time you shed tears
The closer you should get to your happiness
Tomorrow starts from goodbye
Goodbye yesterday
And hello tomorrow

Even if you love someone
And will be hurt from it
That is a sweet scar
A milestone for tomorrow

When you accept everything
The light will approach you
When you are embraced by the sky
Eternity will be engraved on your heart

The seasons come and go like winds
I cut my hair short
The world welcomes the morning today too
Goodbye yesterday…
Goodbye yesterday…

Being embraced by joy and sorrow
I gently smile
Goodbye is the gratitude to yesterday
Goodbye yesterday
And hello tomorrow…

Until next, sweet sailing.

*Updated with new translation 4:20 AM 11/19/11

Soapy Sails?

2011-11-13T09:02:00.006+09:00

Thanks to Don Snabulus for this XKCD comic:

Other titles/captions, anyone? "Soapy Sails" is Don's suggestion...

Tanbo Art

2011-11-10T20:18:00.003+09:00

Tanbo is the Japanese word for "rice paddy". In 1993, in the center Aomori, the northern most prefecture on Honshu, the people of Inakadate Village created "Tanbo Art" by growing pictures in rice paddies using different strains of rice that have various leaf coloration as their palette. They hoped to increase commerce by drawing attention to the village. They plant the art in front of the town hall on which they built a castle-like viewing tower. The idea was a success, with over 200,000 visitors coming to see the Tanbo Art each year.

I posted about the Tanbo Art on "Pacific Islander" back in 2005 - http://pacific-islander.blogspot.com/2005/07/rice-paddy-art.html - during my first year of living in Japan.

Tanbo Art has not been without controversy. In 2008, in an effort to cover costs, the village revitalization group who are responsible for the art, planted advertisements at the base of the pictures - one for Japan Airlines, another for a local newspaper. The town government was so angry that they threatened to no longer lease the land for the art in following years. After a vote by the townspeople, the rice seedlings for the advertising portions were removed.

This year, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami gave a new focus for the art and the messages grown in the rice.

The above picture is of Kaguya-hime, a princess from the Moon and the main character in Japan's oldest novel Taketori Monogatari, "The Bamboo Cutter's Daughter". She is shown being returned to the Moon at the end of the story. At the bottom is written : "Gambaru Japan!!" a common expression which has become the nation's post 3/11 slogan. It means "Do your best, Japan".

The second picture is of the Bamboo Cutter and his wife and the glowing section of bamboo in which, as the story goes, the princess arrived on Earth as a baby. Under it, it says "please think of others."

I also happened to write about the novel on my Pacific Islander blog in 2007, as I have a beautifully illustrated and translated book of it. The original novel dates back to the late 9th or early 10th century. At the time I wrote that post, Japan had just launched a moon exploration probe named "Kaguya" after the Moon maiden.

That post is here - http://pacific-islander.blogspot.com/2007/09/moon-maiden-takes-flight-princess.html and if you haven't read it before, I hope you'll do so and that you find it interesting.

For more remarkable images of Tanbo Art, just search for it in Google Images.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Keiko Hirata

2011-11-07T20:08:00.004+09:00

singing Bluesette

Until next, sweet sailing.

Smooth Bottom

2011-11-03T17:30:00.000+09:00

We went up to Hinuma to check on Bluesette and do some basic maintenance.

First stop was Mama's Kitchen, where Kimie enjoyed some pork, ham pilaf, and sides, while I had pasta with sardines in tomato sauce. We shared my fruit and cheesecake desert. One of the sides we were each served was interesting and very tasty - sweet potato stems (in the square white dish in the photo).

I won't bore you with details of everything I did - mostly cleaning (acetone makes a good cleaner) and lubricating. Of course the first thing we had to do was bail rainwater. One fine day, when it is sunny and I have lots of time, we'll scrub boat cover and after it dries spray it with Teflon to make it waterproof again.

I crawled under Bluesette and checked out what was going on in the centerboard trunk. We've been having trouble getting it to retract all the way up into the trunk. Not an uncommon problem with Lidos, but it was getting worse, with the board hanging down 4 to 5 inches at the aft end.

Does your board hang low? Does it wobble to and fro?

I hate getting into such confined spaces, and squeezing between the steel frame of the sendai and the hull is to invite bruising, but it had to be done. I found a bunch of reed stalks up in there which I cleaned out. Also found a piece of fiberglass, but couldn't fetch it. But after the cleaning we were able to get the board to retract so that only about 2 inches hangs down. Good enough I'm told. My main concern wasn't drag anyway, but making sure we clear the frame of the sendai when launching. As I recall the classic Lido I sailed as a kid had a mahogany centerboard which was much lighter than the present fiberglass ones and was not difficult to raise.

View from down under.

Time well spent. It was a bit cold - 68 F - and I had neglected to bring a jacket. After first helping me with the centerboard, Kimie relaxed in the car - nice and cozy - with a book.

Had we not had maintenance to do and had dressed warmly it would have been a good day to go sailing, but we'd have been the only ones doing so. Better not to defer maintenance though. It always seems to come back to bite one in a most awkward place.

The new club house is coming right along. Mr. Hakuta informed us that it will be completed by November 15th!

Until next, sweet sailing.

New Lido 14 Class Association Website

2011-11-03T15:26:00.005+09:00

New website. New information.

The Lido 14 Class Association has a new and improved website which looks very good and is well organized.

There are also some new documents available which some readers - especially those interested in modifications - might find of interest. One features a drawing and photo of an adjustable traveler for the classic series boat. Another addresses issues relating to the boom.

Check it out at www.lido14.com

Until next, sweet sailing.

Jacques Offenbach

2011-10-30T20:40:00.004+09:00

Music for a fish dish...oh, yes we can can.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Parlez-vous De Crevettes Bleues?

2011-10-24T13:16:00.007+09:00

Stormy weekends have kept us off the water. We consoled ourselves with food. Yesterday, I took Kimie to lunch at a new restaurant in town. The food (Japanese style) was OK but we missed Mama's Kitchen.

Then, in the afternoon, we received a cold package delivered to our door. It was from our friend who runs a ryokan hotel to our north. A box of Pacific blue prawns (called Tenshi no Ebi - angel prawn - in Japan) from New Caledonia, a bottle of sweet red pepper sauce, and wonton sheets to wrap around the meat and fry in sesame oil.

We'd never tried blue prawns before, so Kimie prepared some for dinner. So many ways to cook them - pan fried, tempura, wonton, sashimi, soup.... Kimie kept it simple and pan fried some with mizuna (a leafy green vegetable) garlic, salt and pepper.

Before cooking, they look silvery blue. She saved the heads for later.

I didn't get a picture of the cooked prawns - we were too busy eating them. They were so flavorful - the best prawns I've ever tasted - with an excellent texture. New Caledonia has been farming blue prawns for decades now. Their local species were not adaptable to aquaculture, so they brought in this one from Mexico. Unlike many farmed "fish", these prawns are not fed land animal by-products, hormones, coloring or antibiotics. They are raised in a way that does not harm the surrounding mangrove forests.

Today, we had the heads in our ramen (noodle soup). The wonderful prawn flavor was infused into the ramen. I did manage to take a picture this time.

Délicieux!

Until next, sweet sailing.

Essentials

2011-10-14T23:30:00.003+09:00

Caution all ye who enter here. This blog is for our own enjoyment - a diary of sorts. This post in particular is longer than most on Sweet Bluesette. Having read this far, though, it is too late to alter course, mateys... so...

Return with us now to those thrilling shores of lake Hinuma for another exciting adventure of "The Lone Lido" ~ Bluesette sails again!*

Saturday was for trying out some new gear. (The point of having a boat is to buy stuff for it, right?)

Regular readers know we've been through a couple of types of mast floats - and capsized with one (it worked). But we are engaged in the relentless pursuit of perfection. The first was a Hobie "Baby Bob" mounted atop the mast.

Although it did prevent us from turning turtle once in the shallow waters of lake Hinuma, I think its mass and wind resistance may have actually contributed to our capsize. It's weight was always noticeable when raising and lowering the mast each sail. Maybe the thing I liked least about the "Baby Bob" was that I couldn't mount the wind vane at the top of the mast. So, great for catamarans, but I'm not sold on it (other than forking out ¥*****) for use on the Lido.

Then we tried an inflatable one which wrapped around the luff and was pulled up with the mainsail. That made raising the main a bit harder and was a royal pain in the arse when it occasionally got caught between the mast and stay on the way up. It also looked like it destroyed the aerodynamics, creating drag right at the top and again, perhaps even making a capsize more likely.

We'd seen some of the local boats us a simple 25cm beach ball as a mast float. Light weight, not much drag, and tied on with a bit of tether so it doesn't interfere with the sail (and cheap!); it looks promising. Unfortunately, when we asked Mr. Hakuta to show us how to attach it, we learned that we didn't have the required net. Next time. For this day, he loaned us a funky net float.

Next thing we did on Saturday was to replace the whisker pole eye strap on the mast, since I purchased a new Forespar whisker pole to replace the ~~Mickey Mouse~~ highly ingenious one I made from a painter's extension, screw eye, and sawed off paint roller. It worked, but was not strong enough - bent went I stepped on it one day, then the threaded end broke off and I replaced the whole thing, and the reshaped screw eye was both a danger onboard ("you could put someone's eye out with that", as my Mom might have said) and difficult for the crew to fit into the (ahem) "eye" strap. It too eventually broke off.

New pole, new attach point, so ... drill new holes. The new pole mounts vertically, whereas the old one was horizontal, so the new one covers up the old mounting holes. The curvature of the new bracket doesn't quite match the mast, so I added some gel pads, which also cover the old screw holes and seal them from water - perfect.

By then it was close to noon, so we launched - for lunch at Mama's!

The mini-Mama sisters were there as well as Mama and Papa. (Papa has a different job but has been recuperating from a work related injury for several months. Heartening to seem him getting better.)

Kimie's asari clams and mushrooms

PandaB's eggplant and tuna in tomato sauce

Dessert - oh, my. Cherry tart. Mercy.

This has been our third year of sailing Bluesette and coincidentally(?) Mama's third year in business. As she has done on her two previous anniversaries, she presented us with some goodies on the way out.

Well, we can save the cookies for later. Oops. Kimie also bought two more slices of cherry tart to take home. What diet? What does Kimie do with all those calories? Scary.

Meanwhile, back at the yacht harbor, builders have been busy on the new club house. They are working on it every day and should be finished by the end of November. Wonderful!

We'll be back!

The new clubhouse is about 80% of the floor area of the original, but taller and much more earthquake resistant. The beams are cut to fit each other and bolted together rather than nailed. In addition, there are metal straps between them. By the end of the day, half the roof was covered in ply.

On the water, one of the bits of new kit we were trying out was our Zhik floatation vests. Not to USCG specs, which require 15.5lbs of buoyancy, these are made to European CE specs for people who can help themselves in the water and so they supply about 11 lbs of assist.

They are form fitting and thus don't present a problem ducking under the boom or trying to re-board the boat after a spill. I do like our MTI vests and will keep them for guests, but more than once I've caught mine on the boom when coming about and found it tougher to get back into the boat. The Zhik vests give us enough help floatation-wise without restricting movement or getting caught on things. I might think twice if we sailed in rough waters, but lake Hinuma is a small, protected lake, and help is always close at hand.

On a long downwind - which I arrange when getting thirsty - we tried out the new whisker pole.

The new whisker pole worked well. Much easier for Kimie to handle, more robust, and just as easy to stow.

The striped mullet were really jumping. More than we'd ever seen before. I was singing the tune "This Joint is Jumpin'". Here's a short video clip. Look between the blue jib sheet and the turnbuckle of the white stay to see several fish leaping.

This joint is jumpin'!

Speaking of gear, here's our camera mount, a "Camzilla" from Australia. I bought their kit which has six way to Sunday for mounting the camera.

There is a safety strap tied to the jib cleat and the the camera has a floatation wrist strap which is suction cupped to the hull as well.

There were two other sailboats on the lake - almost twins: a Sea Hopper and a Laser. At one point they were sailing right toward us and I thought I was getting some great video of them. Oh, well. I had the camera pointing too high and they were often below the bottom of the frame. I did get some decent frames toward the end.

It was a gorgeous day and we had a wonderful time playing with our new toys and chasing rainbows as it were. The wind was at about six knots - just perfect - and when we went to dock it died just as we reached the dock.

Hopefully, I won't find too many more "must have" bits anytime soon. I've spent enough this year. But happily, we have come to appreciate the things we do have and can focus more on how to get the most out of them.

"Get 'em up Scout!" "Hi ho Bluesette, away!"

From an excellent and timely movie - "Brassed Off"

Until next, sweet sailing.

*Trivia: Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger, lived a few blocks from the house where I grew up. A great guy both on and off the set, I remember that he gave away (plastic) silver bullets on Halloween. We need heroes like him today. Where are they?

More Moon Viewing

2011-10-14T10:03:00.007+09:00

A favorite singer of mine, Miki Imai, singing "Moonlight Lovers"

Moon viewing reminds me also of Japan's first novel which dates back to the late 9th or early 10th century about a moon maiden - Princess Kaguya - who comes to Earth and is found inside a glowing bamboo by an old bamboo-cutter and raised as his child. Yes, Japan's first novel was about an E.T.!: "The Bamboo Cutter's Daughter".

Princess Kaguya weeping over having to leave her Earthly love and return to the Moon
- kawaiso desu ne (so pathetic)

Until next, sweet sailing...

Artwork from a beautiful edition of "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" - Konansha publishing, in Japanese and English, with kiri-e (papercutting) illustrations by Masayuki Miyata

Full Moon At Hinuma

2011-10-11T16:02:00.008+09:00

Tomorrow (October 12 in Japan) there will be a full moon. It will be a "Hunter's Moon" - the farthest, and thus smallest, full Moon of the year. I hope the weather cooperates so that we can view it.

I was surprised to come across this woodblock print of a full moon over Lake Hinuma (1946) by Hasui Kawase 川瀬巴水 (1883-1957):

I had no idea that Lake Hinuma, where we spend so many days sailing each year, was ever the subject of a woodblock print - let alone by such a famous artist. Kawase was one of the most prolific Japanese artists of the early 20th century. Unfortunately, most of his early wood blocks were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

He was part of the "shin hanga" (new print) movement. Unlike Edo Period woodblock artists who designed, cut the blocks, and printed their own art, shin hanga artists split the tasks between artist, wood cutter, and printer, and gave credit to each for their contribution to the finished product. Shin hanga artists also worked to create limited edition pieces which were not to be mass produced like the famous ukiyo-e pieces were.

Kawase's subjects were mostly landscapes, and the places he chose to depict were not famous places in Tokyo and evirons, but rather picturesque rural areas which still had the appeal of being more natural and undeveloped parts of a rapidly changing Japan.

Well, I must say that it is those same characteristics which led me to settle in Ibaraki and to choose Lake Hinuma as home for our sailboat Bluesette. Full Moon At Hinuma captures well the serenity we find there.

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Undersea World Of Laser Sailing

2011-10-07T17:17:00.006+09:00

"The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" (1966 - 1976) was one of those few programs that demonstrated what television could achieve if put to the highest purpose of educating the public. He gave us a look at a world most of us would never have the opportunity to see first hand, along with a deep appreciation for the web of life on our planet.

But now, evidently inspired by him, there are people who are following in his footsteps to explore our world beneath the sea. They are called "Laser sailors".

Perhaps Laser sailors should adopt a mask and snorkel as de rigueur gear?

Until next, sweet sailing.

Cloudy

2011-10-02T18:08:00.008+09:00

Cloudy... and the air was in the mid 60s F. Kimie thought she'd be cold and wore her wetsuit. I just wore pants and a knit shirt, but covered it with a Columbia Titanium windbreaker (I'm forever grateful to my generous daughters who help support Dad's sailing habit).

We stopped along the way to the harbor to pick up sushi bento which we ate before sailing.

The yacht harbor was busy - the result of a push for more license classes, and the return of the fishing crowd. No one else was sailing though. I can understand why, with winds of only 4 to 5 knots, but we are never in a hurry and as long as we have enough breeze to make some headway, we're OK.

We don't race, but we always find fun things to do. Like dodging bamboo poles -
You can hear Kimie jokingly warning "stakes, stakes, stakes". Caution, expletive not deleted in this clip ...
The "what was that?" turned out to be something that fell out of my pocket - my Pentax OptioW60 - crash.

Or harassing seagulls...

Or watching water skiers...
Sorry, but I missed videoing the part where he jumped one wake wave and did a face plant on the next.

Though the sky was grey, there were also flowers to brighten the day.

And a couple of ultralight trikes cruising above us like giant colorful insects.

I'd forgotten the hook Kimie uses to grab the line on the dock, but in the light winds, I was able to make a very gentle approach and she just grabbed the dock line with her hand while a fisherman was kind enough to get the bowline (an unnecessary but still much appreciated gesture).

On the way home we bought cooked Sanma (Pacific saury) and glazed chicken breast to take home for dinner.

So, it was cloudy today. We'll not wait for the "perfect" day. No grumbling about clouds, fickle winds, cold mornings. Time shared on the water is always precious. Some might say that the "perfect" days are just a bonus, but for me, they are all perfect days.

Extra points if you noticed a change in our PFDs (life vests), it's because Pandabonium forgot to bring ours this morning. Sleepy old Pandas are like that sometimes.

Until next, sweet sailing.

September Song

2011-09-25T17:18:00.003+09:00

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December,
But the days grow short, when you reach September.
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
One hasn't got time for the waiting game...

For the days dwindle down, to a precious few...
September... November...
And these few precious days, I'll spend with you
These precious days, I'll spend with you.

Pictures by Pandabonium and Kimie.

May to December is our sailing season and when September rolls around, I count how many times we've gone sailing since May, and start itching to get more time on the lake before it gets too cold.

As often is the case, the passing of a typhoon made for some beautiful sailing weather in following days. We were off late on Saturday, so first stop was Mama's Kitchen where we found Mama and her two daughters running the show.

Kimie had pasta with broccoli and ham in a mild curry cream sauce.

I went for tuna and mushrooms in tomato sauce.

Desert was too much for me, so I just ate the fruit. Kimie had no trouble polishing off the rest for me.

A happy surprise awaited us at the yacht harbor - the foundation for a new clubhouse to replace the one lost to the earthquake six months ago!

There were three sailboats on the lake - a Sea Hopper, a Flying Junior, and a Semi (cicada). Three fishing boats had gone to sea, one personal watercraft had just pulled out of the water. That's all good, as it means business is coming back.

(click picture to enlarge) Mt. Tsukuba on the horizon. We've climbed to the top for the spectacular view
The sky was beautiful and visibility was at least 22 miles, as evidenced by the sight of Mt. Tsukuba. Winds were from the ENE at about 10 to 12 mph. We couldn't ask for better than that. The air was fairly cool - in the low 70s F - and once on the lake we soon realized that we both had dressed a bit too lightly, but we would survive. Water temp was same as the air.

We headed for the north east shore to play a game of weaving our way through the hundreds of bamboo poles put out by net trap fishermen. Then we'd sail back toward the south shore for another run. On our last tack toward the poles, we were chased across the lake by two kids in a Flying Junior and when they finally got close enough, they called over to ask if they could sail along side of us. We said fine, but before they could turn around their instructor showed up in a powered skiff and herded them back to the harbor.

Afterward, Kimie ran into one of the kids who had been sailing the FJ and she turned out to be 10th grade high school student and member of the yacht club.

Some more pics...

This was our last sail for September. It was a memorable day and one to treasure as we revisit the pictures during the cold days of February next year. We have another ten weeks or so to make sailing memories this year. I will try to savor each and every time.

"And these few precious days, I'll spend with you..."

Until next, sweet sailing.

Lido 14 Traveler

2011-09-25T13:32:00.003+09:00

By request...

These pictures show the basic traveler set up on the 6000 series Lido 14. Schock sells a replacement line which is (I think) 5.5 feet in length. When I replaced mine (they tend to get worn at the hole in the deck) I just used the original line to measure a like amount of new line. It's 3/8ths diameter. First I tied the loop in the middle, fed one end into the hole in the gunwale and put a knot on the end to hold it so that the loop was in the right place. Finished by tying off the other end and trimming the excess line off each end.

The top of the loop, when pulled up at center can be no more than 22" from the bottom of the transom at center line. This rule is to prevent the traveler line from allowing the sail to be trimmed to weather of center line which might give an advantage.

The mainsheet end is split and spiced to a shackle which is used to attach it to the Crosby traveler. I hope these pics help you visualize it.

Check with the Lido 14 Association. I'm sure there is someone out there who has switched their classic to the Crosby style traveler and can help you find the best way to go about it. Good luck.

PS: I just found this picture of a newly replaced classic transom with a traveler system mounted right on the transom. The top loop of the traveler is hanging down in the boat in this pic. The picture is from the transom rebuild instruction article by DoubleWave. The article is part of the "Lidopedia" linked in the right column of this blog.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Okey Dokey after Roke

2011-09-22T10:41:00.004+09:00

Typhoon Roke ripped over us last night. It was the strongest storm I've experienced since moving here seven years ago, with winds of 90 mph.

It knocked down some Japanese cedars in the area...

Snapped others...

We brought Momo the Wonder Dog into the main house as Roke approached and closed up all our storm shutters. We faired pretty well, except Momo's dog house was picked up by the wind (Aunty Em, Aunty Em!) and tossed into the yard breaking off half it's roof and some other bits.

The storm also ripped off half of the roofing of our patio. It's just corrugated polycarbonate panels held in an aluminum frame, so not too difficult to replace. Lost some veggies plants and pomegranates, but that's about it as far a damage.

Around dinner time, we had a blackout, but it only lasted for 15 minutes. Later in the evening, one section of the patio roof that was still attached was being curled up by the wind and snapping back onto the frame making a terrible racket. I didn't want to hear that all night so after the wind had abated (to maybe 50 mph) I went out, climbed up and placed two concrete blocks on it to hold it down. With a bit more quiet, we tried to go to sleep, but minutes later at 10:30 PM there was an earthquake - about a 3 on the Japanese scale, and it seemed to last a long time. 5.3 on the Richter scale. After that we slept well!

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Looking forward to sailing on Saturday (about time).

Until next, sweet sailing.

Compared To What

2011-09-15T07:51:00.003+09:00

Righteous.

Until next, sweet sailing.

A Lido 14 and a Cloud to Steer Her By

2011-09-11T13:48:00.005+09:00

Saturday was a beautiful day for sailing Bluesette, with the temperature in the high 80s F, blue skies with splashes of cumulus clouds, and a steady, cooling breeze off the ocean at about 6 mph.

As it was late morning when we arrived at the lake, we opted to eat lunch first. Neither of us was very hungry, so we went for lighter fare than usual at Mama's - I had an egg sandwich on a bagel with fruit, while Kimie had fried rice, chicken and curried potato patties. The meals included a visit to the salad bar, but no dessert. Delicious as always.

Please allow time for all nine pictures to load. Click to view individual pics.

We had our first serious run-in with a bamboo pole. We were on a down wind leg very close to the north shore. A clump of bamboo poles lay ahead and slightly to starboard and I was planning to do a 270° turn before reaching them, so I ignored Kimie's repeated warnings of "stakes!" "stakes!" "oooooh, stakes!".

It turned out that she was referring not to the clump of poles that I had fixated on, but a single one dead ahead. The 1 inch diameter stake was set in the lake bottom like all the others used for holding net traps, and stuck out about two meters above the surface. I hit it first with the port bow and it slid along the rail until hitting the main and boom which rode over it, bending the bamboo, but pushing the boom in toward the boat as well. As it popped back up from under the boom, it was between the boom and the outstretched mainsheet, which it snagged. Fortunately, although it was pulling the boom back again, it bent over once more and freed itself from the mainsheet without causing us to jibe.

I quickly executed the 270 and we were on our way back toward the center of the lake. We argued briefly about what Kimie should have said to warn me of the specific hazard, but I soon realized that no matter how she put it, I probably would have hit the pole anyway because I was so focused on the large stand of poles. We laughed about it. Situational awareness lesson learned.

"Begging your pardon, captain, but do you happen to notice the row of bamboo stakes off the starboard bow? Please try to avoid these, sir."

The striped mullet were jumping and I finally managed to get a picture of one in mid-flight.

(The fish is in the lower left corner.)

After washing down Bluesette and putting her away, we headed for the showers. Kimie was drying off in the ladies shower room and I was still in the shower in the gents, when I thought I heard a freight train coming. No freight trains around Hinuma, this was an earthquake. A fairly big one. Awkward place to be and fortunately it was over soon. No damage, except briefly to our nerves.

We are used to frequent quakes off our coast, as they have increased in frequency by a factor of twenty since March 11th, but we usually only feel them as a level 1 or 2 on the Japanese "Shindo" intensity scale of 1 to 7. Saturday's quake was magnitude 4.8 on the Richter Scale, and the epicenter was about 11 miles from where we were. We experienced it as a 4 on the Shindo scale.

That just shows we should have stayed out on the water longer. ;^)

As for the title of this post, you may ask, "Why a cloud to steer her by and not a star?" Well, we're on a small lake, in daylight, with nowhere in particular that we need to go. A cloud is as good a guide as any for a lovely afternoon sail. Don't you think so?

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Dog Beach Boogie

2011-09-06T14:12:00.007+09:00

Kimie and Momo got home from a walk just as rain started to come down in earnest. They look happy. I wonder if they were doing the dog beach boogie during the walk.

Momo the Wonder Dog likes the beach, but not the ocean. Well, where we are the ocean is pretty rough after all. I think she just doesn't like bodies of water in general which is why she doesn't go sailing. Her breed (Shih Tzu) traces its roots to the mountains of Tibet, so I guess her preference for terra firma is understandable.

Until next, Sweet Sailing

Cooling Off

2011-08-21T20:53:00.002+09:00

Last Thursday the temperature reached 38°C (100° F) here as a high pressure area lingered off shore of the Kanto region. During the previous week, over seven thousand people suffered heat stroke in Japan and a few died. Earlier in the month, former Japan international soccer player Naoki Matsuda died, at age 34, two days after suffering a cardiac arrest during training.

One 75 year old man died as he was waiting for an electrician to install an air conditioner in his apartment scheduled for the following day. Not having air conditioning or even a fan, he had suffered heat stroke events in previous years and had decided to do something about it. A day late.

We don't use air conditioning, but have plenty of electric fans. We just stayed indoors with windows shaded by awnings and fans blowing - reading, taking naps, and sipping cold mugicha (roasted barley tea). A tenugui (printed cotton towel) helped to mop our brows - or sometimes we wore one with a cold pack in the folds.

Me wearing a tenugui at Lake Ashinoko in 2007. That's Mt. Fuji that you don't see in the background. If you want to see it, visit this post: Pirates of Ashinoko

Since it was cooler on the patio than in the house, Momo slept under the bench on the front porch which has been cloaked with sun tarps that cut the temperature considerably. I also cool it by wetting down the ground in front of it using a sprinkler. At times, she even has a fan to move the air out there. The things we do for pets.

Meanwhile, at the zoo, our distant cousin, an orangutan, had a similar strategy. We've never visited Tama Zoo, but we hear it is great, with animals exhibited in natural habitats.

"Laugh with glee at a chimpanzee, he reminds you of someone in your family" - lyrics from "Never Smile at a Crocodile" ~ Disney's Peter Pan (1953).

The weather changed drastically on Friday, with rain bringing much lower temperatures 22° C (71.6 F). Quite a drop! Momo, with her summer cut, found it a bit too chilly for her, and spent today in her indoor cage.

The coming week will see slightly higher temperatures , but cloudy weather will keep it reasonably comfortable (29° C).

We have another trip coming up - heading north on the newest Shinkansen train (the only way to fly) for a couple of days in the Tohoku region - yes, the area worst hit by the Great Earthquake and Tsunami of 3/11. Stay tuned...

Until next, sweet sailing,

On Course

2011-08-15T14:46:00.005+09:00

I like food as much as sailing, so perhaps I can be forgiven for thinking that the blog "Proper Course" was about dining etiquette.

I don't know if this is considered "proper" for a sailing blog, but we have no sailing pics today.

We had thought of sailing with Martin (see Viking Invades Hinuma about Martin) and his brother who is visiting from Sweden, but they made other plans. Good call, as the day is a hot one and the trains and roads they'd have to ride on to get here are crowded with Bon season travelers.

Then we were going to take our niece to lunch as she returns to home tonight and her mom had to work today, so she had naught to do. But then her grandmother brought her sushi, so lunch with us was off. Another change of course.

We decided to go to lunch on our own, to one of the many Italian places we like - Trattoria Buona Fortuna. The set lunch sounded good. We were warned it took an hour or more, but that just made it more appealing to us as we could linger in the air conditioned restaurant longer while outside the temperature was 93°F and the heat index was hitting 100°.

So, today we just have food pics. Choose your favorite course - proper or otherwise.

click on a photo to zoom in

Lovely appetizer plate of veggies lettuce and potato salad topped with prosciutto, followed by spaghetti with eggplant and tomato sauce, trout stuffed with mushrooms, and bread with olive oil.

Dessert was ice cream with caramel sauce, two cakes - one made with earl grey tea, the other with green tea and chocolate chips - and a small pastry.

We did dilly-dally, and spent a good hour and a half. Bluesette will have to wait for a cooler day...

Until next, sweet sailing.

Three Women In A Boat

2011-08-14T10:33:00.007+09:00

Kimie's niece is home for Obon, so we decided to ask her to come sailing with us. Kimie's sister wanted to come too, so we had four people in the boat.

"What we said was, we like nothing better than a good SALE."

There are two things I worry about when taking guests out for their first sailing experience: too little wind and too much wind; too little excitement and too much. Floating around on a glass smooth lake on a hot summer day is no fun. Neither is getting dumped into the lake by capsizing the boat first time out. Somehow the weather cooperated, and although it was a hot day (in the 90s F), the winds were steady out of the ENE (off the ocean) at about 8 mph offering a cooling breeze and enough power for a pleasant sail. Could have used a bit more, but I won't complain.

Four people in Bluesette is a little tricky, as there isn't room for the person handling the jib to move across the boat between the guests up front and the main sheet cleat. So coming about is often less than smooth as I cannot hang on to the main sheet while Kimie crosses in front of me, and I am also up against the tiller until she gets settled. So perhaps any more wind would have been too much. Somehow we managed when Martin and his mystery guest were with us, maybe it was the way we arranged the seating that day.

Not sure how much our new crew liked sailing, but they were very happy with the ship's mess. No salt pork and hardtack on Bluesette of course- we had a late lunch at Mama's Kitchen. We all chose the same thing - spaghetti in tomato sauce with asari clams, squid, shrimp and mushrooms. The salad bar was good too, with freshly picked cherry tomatoes that were exceptionally tasty.

After lunch I presented the new crew with Bluesette sailing caps. While Kimie and I took down the mast and covered Bluesette before heading home, our new crew played a card game with the yacht club owner's granddaughter and two of her friends.

I'll call it a success. There was no mutiny and we didn't lose any passengers, and the food was enjoyed all around.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Let Me Take You Up

2011-08-09T16:07:00.010+09:00

'Cause we're going to Lavender Fields.

Nothing is real...

and nothing to get hung about...

Lavender fields forever...

We flew to Hokkaido in an attempt to beat the heat. Momo the Wonder Dog stayed in an air conditioned doggy hotel while we were away. It was only a few degrees cooler in Hokkaido, so Momo got the better of that deal. We did see some beautiful scenery. It was my first flight in almost 7 years, my first domestic Japanese flight, and Kimie's first ever domestic flight as well. (Normally, we take the Shinkansen). And our first time to see Hokkaido. It seems so big! About the size of the State of Maine. It is 20% of the land area of Japan with only 4.4% of the population.

We were gone a week and saw lots more than flowers. Waterfalls, lakes, horses, sea ports, an Ainu village, and more. For those who are interested, see all the pics plus videos and comments, at this page on Picasa: Hokkadio 2011.

Lavender fields forever.

Until next, sweet sailing.

*top photo: John and Yoko, Sean and (?) at Fujiya Hotel (Hakone) in 1978. 2nd photo - Pandabonium and K, same spot, 2007.

Back is Beautiful

2011-08-07T21:18:00.006+09:00

We're back, and we're beautiful! (Sorry: Obscure reference to a skit by Firesign Theatre about the Civil War on their album "Everything you know is wrong").

Wonderful day on the lake today. Steady breeze from the Southeast at about five to seven knots. Enough to make it fun, but no whitecaps or chop to soak my crew. We did get soaked with sweat, as the air temperature was about 35 and the water 30. For you folks on the archaic English system, that's 95F air temp and 86F water temp. Uhg. The breeze made it bearable. I was reminded of the much more dire conditions for the crew of the 19th Century Nantucket whaler "Essex". I am reading their story in the book "In the Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick which was recommended by my friend (and frequent reader of this blog) Arkonbey. Riveting is the word for this book. Thanks Ark.

We took a break for lunch then went back out finishing up at around 2:30 PM. The crew performed flawlessly, especially with docking. I'd parallel the dock, let loose the sheets, bear up a tad, then Kimie would grab the dock line with the grappling hook and "Bob's your uncle".

I was faced with a dilemma at Mama's. Two of three options involved mild curry. The main lunch offering featured curried veggies. Kimie had eggplant and mushrooms on pasta in curried white sauce. Curry in any form puts PandaB off. [Dr. John H. Watson: "I say, we were discussing curry." Sherlock Holmes: "Oh, yes, curry! Horrible stuff!" ~ Movie "Terror by Night" 1946.] The remaining option was spaghetti with tomato sauce, peppers, and sausage. Sigh. I ordered that and gave the slices of sausage to K. What remained was still very tasty.

Dessert was also yummy, as always.

There were few boats out on the lake today. Three jet skis, a fishing boat, that inflatable hybrid sailboat I mentioned recently, and a couple of wind surfers. Where IS everybody? Most of the business for the yacht harbor in the past has been fishing boat rentals. We fear that they may be afraid of radioactive fish. Damn. While I doubt it is a real hazard, I can't very well blame those who may have second thoughts. But there is no reason to stay off the water.

I hope things for the yacht harbor turn around soon.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Hiatus

2011-07-25T08:31:00.003+09:00

Summer break.

See you next week!

Until next, sweet sailing.

Head In The Clouds

2011-07-22T22:30:00.001+09:00

Sometimes I look up into the sky and just say, "wow".

I saw this in the sky this afternoon...

Until next, sweet sailing.

Japan wins Women's World Cup

2011-07-18T07:38:00.005+09:00

Omedetou Women's Soccer Team Japan!

Perfect Crescendo

2011-07-16T21:32:00.005+09:00

"Old musicians never die, they just decrescendo."

Not me. Not yet! Today we had a perfect crescendo - of wind on the water.

A coot was enjoying one of the docks to itself when we arrived at the yacht harbor.

It was another hot day in Ibaraki, with the temperature quickly rising to 32C (90 F) by the time we reached the lake. That's not counting the heat index due to 55% humidity. Uhg! Kimie walked Momo the Wonder Dog this morning at 7:00 AM, but returned saying that earlier would probably be better due to the heat. The lake water was in the eighties on the Fahrenheit scale, offering scant relief.

R-17 Actus
As we got Bluesette ready to sail, I was very happy to see other boats setting up too - a Cicada (about the size of Bluesette), some Sea Hoppers (Laser impersonators?) and a boat I've only seen on the water twice so far - an R-17 Actus (above). A family of four plus a friend was getting ready to go out on a motor boat. More action than we've seen at the lake in while, and a most welcome sight.

The Actus is a about 16 feet long with a 6 3/4 foot beam and has a dagger board with a 100 kg (220 lbs) weight on it. The designer was Ichiro Yokoyama, who has had a hand in many sailboats and some motorboats (and "others"), including the wave powered Suntory Mermaid II catamaran which, as I reported on Pacific Islander blog, Ken-ichi Horie sailed from Hawaii to Japan in 2008.

Designed as a safe family dinghy, the Actus is exactly what the fellow at Hinuma was looking for, and he named his boat "HAMN", which Kimie discovered is a name made from the initials of the names of the owner, his wife, and two children.

When we launched, the lake looked much as it had a week ago and we were worried that we'd end up whistling for the wind most of the morning. (The other sailor's tradition for conjuring wind - sticking a knife in the mast - is out of the question on Bluesette, due to the aluminum mast.) Happily, it was calm as I mounted the rudder, lowered the centerboard and raised the sails, then just as I finished, a nice 3 to 4 knot breeze presented itself, and we were off!

Kayak fishermen

We ran across (not literally) three guys with sit on top kayaks fishing with casting reels. After we had been out for thirty minutes or so, they made for shore as the wind started to pick up further.
Soon we had 5 to 6 knots to play with. The Actus and other sailboats came out and at times we "raced" each other - unannounced, but well understood judging by the courses taken. Bluesette acquits herself well against this competition inspite of my ineptitude. This was due to 1) the fellow with the Actus was sailing with main only and has twice the empty weight of the Lido in any case; 2) we generally beat a Sea Hopper/Laser on most tacks any day in winds under 10 knots due (I guess) to sail area; and 3) there were three people aboard the Cicada giving it a weight disadvantage.

R-17 Actus under sail as other boats launch in the distance

The wind gradually increased to about 8 knots, at which point the waves on the lake start to quest and we start getting wet with spray (especially Kimie). Nice speed though and we slice through the water while hiking out. The breeze was fairly steady for a change.

By the time we started to head back to the dock, the wind was up to around 10 knots. I was starting to feel the dreaded "Tillerman fingers cramp" coming on, and thanks to his posts on the subject was keenly self aware as to what I was doing. I was in fact grasping the main sheet rather tightly, but also, due to the heat had downed some fruit juice and green tea, but felt that the heat was affecting my balance of salts and water. I relaxed on the main sheet a bit and it prevented any full on cramping. My personal conclusion is that it takes a combination of careful technique, physical fitness, and balanced body nutrients to keep muscle cramps at bay. Not being in a race, I had the happy option of calling it a day.

Our docking maneuvers went well, except that Kimie had a bit of a time jumping to the dock. She managed, though I wish she had waited until I had a firm grip of the guy line on the dock which would have made it easier for her. Another minor lesson learned.

A Sea Hopper comes up behind the Actus on a reach.

After we got Bluesette secured, I went down the dock and grabbed the bowline for the Actus as he came in. He had no other help, other than a small outboard, and appreciated a hand.

Strangley, as if by cue, the wind started to decresendo as we pulled Bluesette out of the water. By the time we washed her down and put her away, the other boats had also come in. I guess everyone was hungry for lunch. We sure were. We got to Mama's well after one.

After ice water and a salad, I ordered spaghetti with mushrooms and spiced cod roe, and Kimie had spaghetti with asparagus and asari clams (called Manila clams in the USA).

Frogma has said something to the effect that "you know it's hot when dinner starts with ice cream". Well, we didn't start with it, but our lunch did finish with "fruit punch" ice cream.

Delicious and oh so welcome. The high today was 95° F with 55% relative humidity. On the heat index, they say that combination "feels like 108°".

Until next, sweet sailing. (and be careful out there in the heat).

Hot Sailing

2011-07-10T22:00:00.006+09:00

Japan has four seasons - too cold, too wet, too hot, and too windy. "Tsuyu", the "too rainy" season, officially ended today for the area from Kyushu in the south west, all the way up to where we are on the Kanto Plain. That means it is now "TOO HOT" season.

How hot was it? So hot that to keep from being burned, I had to hold the (aluminum) tiller by its foam handle under the water until it cooled down before attaching it to the rudder. The weather folk say it got to 33°C (91°F) with humidity in the 55% range (Feels like 95°F). We think it was hotter than that out on the water. The white cockpit surface was OK to touch, but we could not rest our hands on the blue gunwales without feeling the heat big time.

Mindful of the risk of heat stroke, we had a cooler stocked with fruit juices and green tea, and went through over half of it while sailing.

Winds were fickle at zero to 7 knots from various directions, but we had a good time. I enjoy the challenge of shifting winds. On occasions when the wind slacked, I knew to keep the crew busy this time, so made up chores like scooping up jetsam or deploying/taking in the whisker pole. Here are the pics...

~~Three~~ Two Men In A Boat They rowed straight across the lake, south to north lugging a silent outboard motor. Why? I don't know. To get to the other side?

Above: An interesting portable sailboat with a hard center hull and pontoons mounted on the sides. I made a mental note of the name when it was being set up, but of course can't remember it now.

Two Yamaha Seahoppers also came out to play - as we were coming in.

It's nice having the Hakutas to take care of the launching and retrieval. I have a childhood memory of an expensive car backing down a boat ramp at Santa Barbara Harbor ... and on into the water until the entire back seat area was submerged in sea water. Must have smelled nice after that.

Mrs. H told us that there was another earthquake off the Tohoku region this morning at about 10 AM and wondered how I handled earthquakes. Kimie told her I grew up in California and was conditioned for them. We had been the road at the time this morning and didn't feel it at all. When Kimie translated the information to me she mistakenly gave the magnitude as 9.1.
I must have turned white as she immediately corrected it to 7.1 on the Richter. Still plenty big, but my mind had reeled at the thought of what a 9.1 could mean. Happily, no major damage or tsunami was reported.

A shower later it was time for Mama's. Here's Kimie in her new "A Song For Japan" T-shirt.

A closer look at lunch - Thick slice of salmon in a cream sauce, curried veggies, horenso (Japanese spinach) with bonito flakes, rice, pickled veggies, and miso soup with shijimi clams. The salmon was the best I've had in quite a while. That is saying a lot since I eat salmon about three times a week.

Did I mention that the weather was hot?

Until next, sweet sailing.

Up A Lazy River

2011-07-09T16:01:00.004+09:00

at the Itako City "Ayame Matsuri" - Iris Festival -
Iris Festival "Abassadors" greet guests

Long ago, the Tonegawa river flowed through Tokyo and into Tokyo Bay. It's course was never steady and every big storm brought floods and course changes to the river. So, about 400 years ago, Ieyasu Tokugawa (the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate) began a project called the “Eastward Transfer of the Tonegawa river”, which changed the river's course eastward to the Pacific Ocean just south of what is now Kashima City. The project helped to protect Edo from floods and aided the development of agriculture in this area. It was also designed to offer protection against invasion from the north.

Itako grows one million iris plants with five hundred different varieties

This also resulted in a waterway that allowed fish and rice from what is now Ibaraki Prefecture to be shipped by boat to markets in Edo. The lakes, canals, and rivers were the major means of transportation. Itako city, located where lakes Kitaura and Kasumigaura empty into the Tonegawa river, became a transportation hub, in turn creating a tourist trade.

Map from this great travel site: Let's Travel Around Japan!
One can take a ride up the Maekawa on a robune (oar powered skiff).
Today, transportation is primarily by rail and truck, but the days of poling and sculling boats through the canals and rivers are not forgotten. They are celebrated especially during Itako City's Ayame Matsuri - Iris Festival - during which people come by the busload to take a step back in time, enjoy viewing a million iris flowers along the Maekawa, listen to ancient music, watch dancers, and take rides in traditional "robune" - boats powered by a single sculling oar mounted on the stern. The oar, called a "ro" is common to Japan and China and consists of a curved handle connected at a pivot point to a horizontal oar blade.

Our oarsman learned to do this at age six and has carried on for seventy years since then. He said that it takes a few months to learn to use the oar effectively, but poling with a bamboo pole is more difficult and may require three years or more to master. The volunteers who do this during the festival agree to make ten trips a day with eight people in the boat.

The tour boat businesses have long since switched from using bamboo poles, to small outboards as the primary source of power (though poles are still kept on board). This was in part due to the dredging of the Maekawa which made part of it too deep for poling. Many of the women who run these boats have been doing so for over 50 years.

Happily, there are younger people ready to carry on the traditions.

Women in traditional yukata with woven hats and baskets tend to the iris plants.

The iris festival dancers wind their way through the iris beds. The dance uses gestures from ancient times common to local festivals and Japanese Buddhist Bon dances which take place in August.

At lunch we had a view of the Hitachi Tonegawa river which connects lake Kasumigaura with the Tonegawa river.

Unagi - broiled eels served on rice - is a very popular treat throughout Japan.

The eels hatch in waters off the Philippines and swim up rivers in Japan.

After lunch, it was time for a wedding...

At an Itako style wedding, the bride and her parents form a proccession through the iris gardens, and board a specially prepared robune which contains a hope chest of sorts as well as symbolic gifts of rice and sake for the groom. The groom waits downstream as the bride and her parents float past friends, relatives, and other well wishers. Watching this has become a popular tourist attraction in its own right, so the city and tour companies provide actors to play the roles on days when there is no actual wedding scheduled. This day, we saw the saw the real thing.

These days, the great waters of the Tonegawa river system are used primarily to provide drinking water to large parts of Tokyo and the Kanto Plain, as well as flood control and recreational boating. But who knows? As the global energy crisis continues to emerge, perhaps these rivers and canals will find their past role as transportation "highways" revived. In the meantime, festivals such as the Ayame Matsuri give us a glimpse of the past in a fun and beautiful way.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Blossoming Soon...

2011-07-08T21:25:00.001+09:00

On Sweet Bluesette - Itako City Iris Festival (Ayame Matsuri) in full bloom with flowers, canal boats, oars, dancers, ambassador girls, a bride, and grilled eels for lunch. (Just the eels were for lunch.)

Until next, sweet sailing.

A Song For Japan

2011-06-22T10:52:00.007+09:00

Trombonists from Japan and around the world perform for charity and to maintain awareness of the on going efforts to recover from the tragedies of March 11. "A song for Japan" is a beautiful piece, I think you will agree, written by Belgian trombonist Steven Verhelst. Enjoy.

Whether you play trombone or not, be sure to visit the website http://www.trombones.jp for more clips, information, free downloadable sheet music, t-shirts, artwork and tools to help you contribute to the cause through music. All profits go to the Japan Red Cross.

Special thanks to my high school buddy and fellow trombonist, Larry, who sent me the link.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Impermanence

2011-06-20T10:00:00.004+09:00

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

The old disappearing clubhouse trick. Too badly damaged by the March 11 earthquake, the 38 year old clubhouse had to be taken down. Hopefully business will pick up at some point and allow a new clubhouse to be built. That isn't likely to happen unless and until the Fukushima Dainichi power plants are brought under control and people are no longer afraid. At present, bookings at ryokan in neighboring Oarai town and port are down 48% from a year ago and the major aquarium there, Aqua World, is said to look like a ghost town.

Clubhouse or no, we're here to sail. It's "tsuyu" in Japan - rainy season. Last Monday we had a break in the weather and Kimie had a day off from work. Winds were forecast at about 6 mph - a nice breeze that moves Bluesette along, but doesn't create enough waves to get Kimie splashed.

The winds were not to be found in the morning. As we sailed lazily upwind toward the west end of the lake, the crew complained of the slow pace. There is a certain range of wind speed which my crew likes. It lies between about 4 and 7 miles per hour. Below that, she gets bored. Above that, she gets splashed with water which she doesn't like, but as long as we are not in danger of capsize, I think she'd rather have too much wind than too little.

I was enjoying the peacefulness of it all. There were no other boats on the lake save a solitary open fishing boat tending to nets. As we came about to return eastward, the wind died completely. Nary a ripple was to been seen on the lake's surface. The crew went beyond boredom to mutiny, refusing to just sit with nothing to do.

I had to do something, so I broke out the paddle. This gave the crew something to do - take the tiller while I paddled. Then we traded off for a while, giving Kimie the paddle while I steered. As we got closer to the dock, a puff of air came up and we soon docked, brought down the sails, and went for lunch, hoping for more wind in the afternoon.

Tomato sauce, mushrooms and snow peas for me...

Ham and cabbage for Kimie...

Fruit roll for dessert for both of us ...

Back on the water, the wind did indeed pick up a bit and we had fun in 6 to 8 mph of the stuff. No time for pics though.

While we were out, some personal watercraft licensing students were getting in some practice. I'm not fond of these things, but glad to see the yacht harbor get some business.

It wasn't the kind of day we had expected, but still nice to get out on the water. Any day sailing is better than ...

Until next, sweet sailing.

Kayakers Rescued Off Aomori

2011-06-13T18:20:00.011+09:00

I learned of this rescue while researching another, totally unrelated story.

Three weeks ago a married couple and two other men, all serving with the US Air Force at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Japan (the far northern prefecture of Honshu island), rented some kayaks and launched into the ocean.

When they did not return by late afternoon, an informal search was started. When they were not found by next morning, authorities were contacted. The US Navy sent up a C-12 aircraft (Beech King Air for us civilians) which was flown at lower than usual altitude in hopes of improving the chance of spotting the kayaks. The JMSDF launched a P-3 Orion along with Sikorsky UH-60J search and rescue helicopters, while the Japan Coast Guard sent out surface vessels.

Bottom line, the four were found and pulled aboard a Japan Coast Guard boat after being spotted by the P-3 and C-12 and then helicopters.

They were clinging to their overturned kayaks some ten miles (TEN MILES!) out to sea. For an inkling as to how hard it is to see objects on the surface of the ocean from an aircraft, take a look at the US Navy photo below taken from the C-12 and showing the kayaks being approached by a helicopter and the Japan Coast Guard boat.

The kayakers were suffering from hypothermia after so long in water, which I would have to guess would have been around 50 to 55°F, but happily had no other issues. (A fellow pilot of mine on Maui spent a similar amount of time in the water in a life vest after ditching his single engine plane and suffered the loss of bits of flesh from his legs and feet upon which large fish had nibbled).

After this rescue, the US military made sure that restrictions on ocean activities, which the Japanese government had initiated after the March 11 tsunami, were applied to US military personnel as well. Yes, they can go to the beaches and bays manned by Japanese lifeguards, but open ocean adventures in the quake affected area are out for now.

More importantly, the lessons we should take away from this incident are to never engage in a moderate or greater risk activity (anything on, in, or over the water in my opinion) unless you are experienced with it or accompanied by someone who is, and have a plan and a schedule that you leave with someone on shore who will notify authorities if you don't get back on time. These folks were lucky in that their vehicles were found on the beach where they launched, giving rescue units a starting point for planning search patterns. In addition, the US military and the Japanese government responded with an amazing array of equipment and rescue personnel who prevented this outing from ending in tragedy for several families.

Be safe out there.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Gaggle of Kayaks? Goofy Us.

2011-06-05T21:49:00.009+09:00

Lake Hinuma was as a high water level today. Lots of ocean water was in the lake due to a very high tide early this morning. The winds were from the north east for a change at about 7 mph. The direction made launching and docking much easier as the dock is aligned north-south. The breeze was just enough to give us a good ride and cool us from the 77°F air temperature. Water temp was 75°F, so no need for a wetsuit. Indeed, I was is shorts and Notre Dame (alma mater of my #2 daughter) polo shirt . Of course, I had a "splash guard" - Kimie - so I didn't even get wet much. Skies were overcast and we were on the alert for possible thundershowers, but they never materialized.

Hey Dude!
Due to the high water level, large fishing boats from Hinuma Yacht Harbor could not navigate under the lower bridges which cross the river on along the route from the lake to the sea. No other sailboats came out to play either. That didn't mean we were entirely alone, though, several "jet skis" were in the water when we arrived. (Happily we neither saw them or heard them while sailing, except for a few where were anchored during lunch hour).

Also, a bevy (brace? gaggle? school?) of kayaks left the Yacht Harbor as we were setting up, for a paddle across the lake. Kimie learned the expedition was part of a course at Ibaraki University. Cool.

Stake City
We braved the new bamboo fishing net stakes dotting the north part of the lake, which Kimie refers to as "stake city", and took a leisurely downwind cruise along the northeast shoreline to scope it out close up. This required a couple of jibes to stay between the stakes and the shoreline. Well, it was leisurely for me, but Kimie wasn't so confident in my abilities and thus rather anxious, but it all went smoothly.

The university bunch was off having lunch somewhere on the north shore
Fishing boats and what looks like a Laser (left) or SeaHopper stored on the bank.

It's good being skipper.
A buoy marking the location of a radiation monitor. Lake Hinuma is about 125 km or 78 miles from Fukushima Dainichi power plant. So far, no worries.
After docking, we put Bluesette in her parking space and took down the sails, leaving the mast up. It was well after 1 PM by then and we were hungry. Mama's Kitchen would take care of that, and we'd tidy up after.

I had spaghetti with mushrooms and spiced cod roe while Kimie opted for the teishoku which featured stuffed peppers. Mine included dessert, about which 'someone we know' was envious.

After lunch we headed toward home, stopping at a garden center to pick up some potted flowers, and a grocery store for dinner and odds and ends.

After the shopping, I settled back into the passenger seat again. I felt tired and thought of the unloading and other chores we'd have to do at home - Kimie's turn to walk Momo the Wonder Dog, my turn to cook dinner. Then it struck me - (smack) Ooof! * - we'd forgotten to take the mast down and cover Bluesette. A half an hour later, we were done and back on our way home, feeling kind of "dinghy" for our lapse, yet happy that we realized it before getting much farther from the yacht harbor.

Until next, sweet sailing.

*Firesign Theatre, "Nick Danger, Third Eye"

Blue Lido 14

2011-06-04T19:01:00.010+09:00

To Japan where we reside
We brought a sailboat new and pristine
And she taught us how to sail
In the class of Lido 14s

So we sailed Hinuma Lake
On Sweet Bluesette we made the scene
Hull of blue and sails pure white
A most lovely Lido 14

We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, blue Lido 14
We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, Blue Lido 14

And our friends are all on board
Mama’s Kitchen awaits on shore
And the band begins to play

We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, blue Lido 14
We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, Blue Lido 14

[Trim the jib, Kimie, trim the jib
How’s that Panda? How’s that?
Prepare to come about, ready?
Ready!
Ready....about!]

As we live a life of ease (A life of ease)
Mama’s Kitchen serves all we need (Serves all we need)
Pasta lunch or fish supreme,
In our blue (In our blue) Lido 14 (Lido 14, ha, ha)

We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, blue Lido 14
We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, Blue Lido 14
We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, blue Lido 14
We all sail in a blue Lido 14
Blue Lido 14, Blue Lido 14

Turtles

2011-06-03T17:41:00.001+09:00

from xkcd

Until next, sweet sailing.

If The Rain Comes

2011-05-28T21:30:00.008+09:00

Typhoon Songda (Songda is Vietnamese for tributary) which yesterday was a category 5 storm, is heading our way. Presently a category 2 storm it is blasting the southwesternmost islands of Okinawa Prefecture with 95 mph winds and creating 26 foot high waves at sea.

Lucky for us it is still a long ways off and is expected to have diminished to no more than a tropical storm by the time it reaches Ibaraki Prefecture in the wee hours of Monday. Also, it is projected to pass just south of us, saving us from the brunt of whatever winds and rains it is carrying at that point. Typhoons usually track even further south than predicted, so there is yet more hope.

Our friend Martin with Bluesette in the rain - 2009

Kimie pointed out to me this morning at breakfast, however, that should we get hit by a major typhoon this summer it will be a disaster for the entire area. As I have mentioned and documented with pictures in earlier posts, the earthquakes have left a lot of roofs everywhere in northeastern Japan, including our own, seriously damaged. Repairing all those roofs anytime soon is out of the question, especially with aftershocks still occurring frequently, and rainy season already upon us.

If the rain comes - not the rain we'll likely get this week, but a serious blowing downpour - many of those roofs will leak and cause even more damage to the homes under them. One may hope the patches are sufficient, but it is worrisome, none the less.

~~~

There is a saying in Japan: seiko udoku. Literally, "clear sky, cultivate, rainy, reading". So, "Farm when it's sunny, read when it rains".

It is already raining, if gently. Kimie and Pandabonium are reading this weekend instead of cultivating our garden or sailing. And what do sailors read on rainy days? Hopefully not obscure subsections of Rule 18, but rather great stories of sailors and sailing.

Kimie is reading Michael Green's "The Art of Coarse Sailing", that hilarious, laugh-out-loud-while-reading tale of a sailing holiday with friends on the Broads, which was recommended by Tillerman back in February. It's a great antidote for the rainy day blues. You can read more about it at the link.

Pandabonium has been reading another true tale; this one of an amazing rescue filled with high seas adventure and global political maneuverings. "The Emerald Whaler" takes place in the 1870s and tells the story of the jail break and rescue of six Irish Fenians who had been sentenced by England to a life of labor "beyond the seas" in Freemantle Prison, West Australia, for their parts in the uprising of 1865.

In a most daring plot, the Fenian Brotherhood in the United States raised vast sums of money to buy and fit a whaling ship - the Catalpa - and hired a Captain who would initially and for much of the voyage be the only person on the ship to know its true mission. Pretending to be on a whaling expedition, the Captain hired officers and crew and sailed her from New Bedford, Massachusetts all the way to Australia where, with help of conspirators sent undercover by rail across the United States and then by postal ship across the Pacific to Perth to aid in the prisoners' escape (yes Virginia, there really are conspiracies), managed to free all six of the men and take them to America aboard the Catalpa. The Emerald Whaler was very well researched and written in a most engaging and exciting style. One of those books you can't put down.

If that's sounds interesting, I have good news. You can read it or download it as a PDF file, free online. "The Emerald Whaler" by William J Laubenstein, 1960. I have a first edition given to me by my dad, who besides being a sailor, loved to shop used book sales.

The online version is at this link: Internet Archive - Emerald Whaler or copy and paste the url: http://www.archive.org/details/emeraldwhaler030738mbp

Erin go Bragh

Can you hear me, that when it rains and shines
It's just a state of mind

And until next, sweet sailing.

Doko Desu Ka

2011-05-25T11:15:00.001+09:00

Where are we? A Google map for lost readers to help you find Lake Hinuma and some of the places most oft mentioned in my posts.

View Hinuma in a larger map

And here's a nice map I "borrowed" from a fishing website showing the bottom contours of the lake. The black numbers are for meters and I have added blue numbers for feet.

Thouhg the draft of the Lido 14 is only 1.3 meters with the centerboard down, it does strike bottom at the dock. I carry a laminated copy of this map in Bluesette to help keep me from running aground while exploring shallower parts of the lake.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Solidarity

2011-05-23T17:40:00.002+09:00

More (wonderful) normalcy. The 15th delivered even better weather than the previous Sunday. The wind was still from the south, but a little stronger and more steady. Four Flying Juniors were on the water as well as some Lasers and ~~Grasshoppers~~ Yamaha Seahoppers (thanks Doc). Come on everyone. Life goes on - despite the odds! (click pictures to enlarge)

A gorgeous day with cirrus clouds and moderate winds greeted us at the lake. We launched as early as we could as the wind was likely to increase throughout the day and get a bit strong for our tastes in the afternoon (15 knots).

Still, we did have a few gusts that nearly knocked us down and Bluesette gulped several gallons of water over the rail at one point (which the crew dutifully bailed out), but mostly we just had a fun.

The big gulp came as we were sailing along and the wind died down prompting us to drop back into the cockpit. I was looking at the water and it seemed very calm relative to what we had been seeing, then I saw lots of ripples ahead and started to say to Kimie, "there's a strong wind about to hit us..." and before I could say it, or even get ready for it, we were healed over and taking on water. I kicked the main sheet out of the cleat to keep us from capsizing. Note to self - less talk, more action - sooner.

Of course I saw Laser capsize more than once that day, but it seems that is something Lasers are very good at. :0

Deciding to go to lunch before we "ran out of talent" as my brother would say, we made for the dock and after a good approach, Kimie snagged the dock line with the hook.

The Hakuta grand-kids were trying to catch "treasures" with hand nets along the shore just as they were last week, but this time we saw that they were in fact catching some fish! Shirauo - a tiny white/clear fish that has been caught in Ibaraki's lakes for centuries (see my Pacific Islander post "White Sails on Kasumigaura" about the sail powered fishing boats that did that).

Shirauo
After quickly washing Bluesette down, we parked her but left the mast up and went to lunch - we were hungry and would attend to the mast later.

I'm sure you are all curious about where we went for lunch, right? Well, it was a splendid little family owned place called "Mama's Kitchen". Imagine that!

Things were hopping at Mama's and we didn't get our usual table. The whole crew was there - Mama, Papa, mini Mama and her brother. I had spicy spaghetti with shrimp and Kimie had the teishoku (set lunch) with hamburger.

As we visited the salad bar, I recognized the music coming from the stereo. No, it wasn't "Bluesette". It was a song by Japanese pop star Akina Nakamori who I used to listen to back in the 1980s. Well, I still do sometimes. J-pop blast from the past.

It was her first single record in 1982 and was very popular in Japan. It's called "Slow Motion" and is about falling in love at the beach.

"The sweet feeling of love suddenly ran up my spine."

"The slow-motion encounter
Enough to invite mild vertigo
The slow-motion encounter
People reflected in the eyes"

After lunch, mini-Mama brought me a dessert and Mama gave Kimie a huge bag of mizuna - a leafy green used in salads, stir fries, and soups. Mama had more than she could use. What she gave us was more than WE could use, so we left some with the Hakuta family at the Yacht Harbor and gave some to Kimie's family and to one of our neighbors as well.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Lost Comments

2011-05-15T18:41:00.004+09:00

Due to "blogger" losing several comments during the past few days, I decided to reconstitute them myself using the copies sent to my email. Reader comments are reproduced as submitted, though maybe not in precise order. My replies have been condensed into one comment.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Grace Kelly and Bluesette

2011-05-12T20:35:00.000+09:00

I love Grace Kelly movies. I even wrote her a letter when I was in college - not a fan letter, it was business/politics. That's another story. This post is not about the actress/princess ...

There is another Grace Kelly today. A young saxophone player. If you are not yet familiar with her music and are a jazz fan, you will be soon enough. Here she is performing "All the Things You Are" and "Bluesette" with the man himself - Toots Thielemans (Kenny Werner on piano).

Of the experience, Grace writes,
"Wow!! Toots Thielemans and me. It was such an amazing and surprising night at Scullers Jazz Club. I got to sit in with one of my biggest musical inspirations that I have been listening to on recordings since the beginning of my musical career. I went to Scullers to see the show with Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner on Wednesday and got to meet them. They had heard of me but had never heard me play. They asked if I would like to sit in with them the next night. I said of course. I stepped on stage for their last number. That was the first notes we played together, not even a sound check. It was magical!! Toots is the sweetest man and very funny too. We had a ball hanging out after the show too. Another indelible memory for my memory book." - April 1, 2011

"Memory book" she says. She's all of 18 years old, so she has a while yet to compile that "book". But she's certainly got the talent for it to be quite a book before she's done. She's off to a hell of a good start. Her website is here: Grace Kelly.

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Butterfly Emerges

2011-05-10T15:00:00.002+09:00

The blue butterfly with white wings - Bluesette - has emerged at last from her chrysalis for another season of sailing.

The weather has been faking us out for the last few weeks - warming up on weekdays, but turning cold or rainy or blustery on weekends. Sunday, May 8th, it finally offered the weather we wanted for our first sail of the year - broken to scattered cumulus, a high of 80° F, and winds in the 3 to 6 knot range.

Due to the many earthquake-related bumps, patches and cracks on the road to the lake, which have gotten worse from aftershocks since we went up there last, Kimie was driving a little slower than usual and managed to average 29.6 kpl (70 mpg) for the trip. With gasoline in these parts up to ¥149/liter (US$7.00/gallon), I was happy to see that.

From the start, the first day back on the water was complicated by little things. The liner tarp I had installed to back up the leaky Sunbrella cover, had come loose and one side slid down into the boat, filling with water. So while technically it kept the water off the deck, it still needed to be emptied.

The wind, which had seemed so nice as we stood in the parking lot, refused to cooperate. It was blowing from the south - down the dock toward the lake. It was shifting from one side to another, and we ended up with Bluesette on the east side of the dock, only to have the wind shift favoring the west side as I tried to raise the sails. I made a lot of mistakes getting the sails up - first day back. Hopefully I'll do better next time.

The level of the lake was quite high and I was surprised to find that we could lower the centerboard at the dock all the way down without hitting the bottom. I had Kimie back the jib and let go the painter and we were off! Wait. We weren't. Apparently the bottom is bit shallower a few meters away from the dock and we soon got hung up in the silt. We raised the centerboard sukoshi (a skosh) and finally got under way.

The wind was very fickle. It seemed a nice little breeze, but as happens when the wind is from the south on Hinuma, it was turbulent and constantly shifting - 45° to even 60° at times - and gusting from 4 knots up to 10 or more. One minute we would be dawdling along and the next, the lee rail was in the water and we were scrambling to hike out. I didn't mind too much. The crew wasn't happy about it though. And for both of us it became a lot of work, constantly adjusting sails, course, balance. More of a workout than we had bargained for.

One good thing about this time of year - there aren't nearly as many bamboo stakes for fish nets to get in our way. We went as far west on the lake as we dared - it gets shallow out there - and also explored a bit of the north shore, where we found that some new post-earthquake construction was going on. We beat our way back toward the yacht harbor and Kimie noticed that the club house, which is still closed, seems to be listing to starboard a bit (ever so slightly tilting toward the east).

Shifting southerly winds can make returning a bear, and this day was one of those days. Our tack would seem to be taking us to the dock, but as we got closer, the wind would gradually swing and send us off to the east. Coming about we would try to make progress toward the dock for the next attempt, but just as we'd pass the harbor, the wind would shift once more and put us on a course which barely made any headway toward our goal. I was watching the koinobori (carp streamers) over a house next to the yacht harbor and found that they would swing about 45° back and forth, often being at odds with the winds we were experiencing even though we were only a couple hundred meters down wind of them.

Koinobori - flown to celebrate Children's Day. There is a top streamer for the family, then one carp for every family member.

Still, it was very warm and the scenery was lovely. Ducks and Coots were flying and paddling about while striped mullet were jumping everywhere - including right over Bluesette - and banks of billowing cumulus clouds made picture-perfect mounds worthy of a painter's study. I was wearing my new eyeglasses (I am mildly nearsighted and for periods of years don't need them, but now find that they aid in my enjoyment of the view). (Oh Magoo! You've done it again!).

Close to the weather shore, the wind is blanked out by trees and so when at last we came close to the dock, it wasn't quite close enough. Through a combination of quick tacking using every puff of wind, sculling the tiller, paddling, and Kimie's great skill with the grappling hook, we landed. We made fast to the dock, brought down the sails, and headed for Mama's Kitchen. It was past 1:30 and we were both physically tired and very hungry.

Next to the dock, the Hakuta grandchildren were playing along the shore. Nets on poles in hand, they were scooping what they might out of the lake - fish? clams? well, mostly pebbles it looked like to me. Having a fun time is so easy and natural to children. Why do most adults make it so complicated?

Lunch was excellent, as always. By the front door, Mama's container garden of veggies and herbs is coming right along. Inside, Mini-Mama was cooking and her 20 year old brother was helping out, while Papa was seated at a corner table watching a dvd featuring Louis Armstrong.

We skipped pasta this time and had the teshoku (set lunch) of the day - rice, tofu, bamboo shoots, miso soup, cauliflower, and charcoal grilled Pacific saury with shimeji mushrooms. Just as we finished - Mama arrived. In the meantime, Mini-Mama had somehow managed to bake a couple dozen anpan (pronounced ampan) with raisins (rolls filled with azuki bean jam and raisins) and had them cooling on the rack, so Kimie bought some to take home with us.

Then it was back to the yacht harbor to pull Bluesette out of the water, clean her and put her away until next time.

Looking back on last year's first sail - May 3, 2010 - I recall that the wind was also from the south and played tricks with us, though it was much stronger over all. And at the end of that sail, Kimie jumped into the water to walk us to the dock. Last year was also not so warm, with Kimie wearing a wetsuit.

We enjoyed the day, even if it was more challenging than we had anticipated. As always, we learned from it. Most of all, it was nice to do something "normal" again - sailing Bluesette and having lunch at Mama's Kitchen.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Getting Lost On The Way To The Geographer

2011-05-08T18:32:00.007+09:00

Oh, the irony!

Last Wednesday we headed for the Shibuya ward of Tokyo to see the Geographer. We had been there twice before in the last several years and I thought I knew the way well enough. (Such assumptions are always a mistake. It is the reason that airplane pilots at every level always use a written checklist. It doesn't matter how many times we do something, we are fallible.)

I should have looked at a MAP before leaving home (what a concept! - looking at a map to find a geographer). Shibuya has a lot of curved streets that fan out from the train station and make for forks in the roads. It is also an incredibly noisy place with huge video screens on buildings, stage performers on street corners, and stores blaring music and/or advertising messages onto the sidewalk - very disorienting. (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). I took a left instead of a right and as we walked, and walked, and walked, and as our destination failed to appear (we were on a road which curved away from it), we realized I had, uh, goofed. At least the route I chose had no retailers with blaring bull horns and had lovely trees on either side instead.

Finding a crude map on a construction sign, we adjusted course. Once again I screwed up! (Here I blame the lousy map). But we were getting closer. Sort of. Another turn and we finally arrived after a few more blocks. Whew. What should of been a 7 minute walk had turned into, well, let's just say ... a long morning adventure.

The place we were going was the Bunkamura art center - a building that offers music, drama, cinema and art plus shops and restaurants under one roof. The "Geographer" we went there to see was the painting of that name by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer van Delft (1632-1675).

This painting was centered on a wall with a 17th century map on the wall to the right, a globe and compasses (dividers) dated 1700 in one corner, and a globe of the heavens in the corner to the left of the painting. To me, Vermeer was the master of masters when it came to controlling light. A favorite of ours, we go to exhibitions of his works whenever they come to Tokyo.

The event is titled Vermeer "Geographer" The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Paintings from the Städel Museum and so in addition to Vermeer's magnificent work, there are ninety-four other works by 17th Century Dutch and Flemish painters with the following categories: History Painting and Allegory; Portraiture; Genre and Interior Scenes; Still Life; Landscape & Topography (which included several painting of sailing ships).

Before we went in, I treated Kimie to a lunch of soba and tempura in the adjacent department store as an offering of apology for getting us lost, and after seeing the exhibit, to coffee and dessert. She forgave me.

Coffee and dessert at Bunkamura: ¥995 yen each (the cost of an entire lunch at Mama's Kitchen). Forgiveness for getting us lost on the way to the Geographer: priceless.

Next time, you can bet I'll be sure to plan ahead and carry a reference map of the area we will visit with me - even if we've been there a dozen times before!

Until next, sweet sailing!

Lido 14 Class Championships 2011

2011-04-27T17:05:00.004+09:00

Lido 14 Class Championships 2011

August 17 thru 20th, Coronado Yacht Club (San Diego County, California).

Entry fee: $285.00 through June 15th 2011

Sign up now! www.regattanetwork.com

Notice of race is posted.........

Schedule of events:

Wednesday - August 17, 2011
• Registration and measurement from 8:00 to 4:00 pm
• Welcome sponsored keg of beer at the measurers table
• Welcome BBQ 5:00 to 7:30 (hamburger - grilled chicken, sides)
• In the Lido tent!

Thursday- August 18, 2011
• Registration 8:00 to 10:00
• Competitors briefing 10:30
• Flight selection series 11:55 warning
• National meeting sit down dinner in the club 6:00 to 10:00 pm.
(chicken dinner with sides, coffee, lemonade, national meeting and election)
Friday- August 19, 2011
• 11:55 warning
• Three races planned
• Sponsored keg of beer waiting at the dock!
• Friday night is an open night to explore the city, maybe a sponsored party or two

Saturday- August 20, 2011
• 11:55 warning
• Three races planned
• No warning after 4:30
• Sponsored keg waiting at the dock
• 5:00 post-race made-to-order taco bar featuring grilled carne and pollo asado with fresh tortillas, beans, rice and garnish.
• Awards 6:30

Sign up now - spread the word - let's get 60 boats on the line!

Until next, sweet sailing.

Earth Day

2011-04-22T07:58:00.002+09:00

April 22 - "Earth Day"

Just as a crew must always be taking care of their ship, we all should be taking care of the Earth everyday.

When you see or hear the marketing label "eco friendly" you should think, "slightly less eco unfriendly", instead.

Happy Earth Day

Suspended Rail Service

2011-04-08T16:15:00.002+09:00

When they say suspended rail service

they really do mean suspended...

Cue the mine car chase from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom...

This is north of us on the Kashima Rinkai Tetsudo line - the train I take when I go to lake Hinuma on my own. I'd have to take a bus between two stations now. Too much hassle when carrying a backpack and folding bike. That section will reopen in June. Until then, I'll rely on my crew to drive us up there.

PS - can someone please turn off the plate tectonics for a while?

Until next, sweet sailing. err railing.

Salty Dog

2011-04-05T15:20:00.002+09:00

Guest post by Momo the Wonder Dog

Regular readers of Pacific Islander blog know that I don't like the ocean. Oh, playing at the seaside park is great - all that fresh air - but I won't go near the water.

Did you see the dog named Ban in the news? During the March 11 tsunami, she was swept out to sea with her house (I mean her owner's house!) and rescued after three weeks on the water off Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture. Her owner saw the rescue on TV and recognized Ban. Ban looked confused after the rescue, but now that her owner came to get her she's one happy doggy. Happy owner, too.

I wonder what she had to eat or drink in all that time? Anyway, happy she's back and glad to find out that human rescue workers will help doggies adrift at sea.

From Here, From Now On

2011-04-03T11:29:00.014+09:00

ここから、いまから　(koko kara, ima kara) means simply, "from here, from now on".

Saturday we ventured out to visit lake Hinuma for the first time since the Great East Japan Earthquake. There were many reasons for not going sooner - gasoline stations were closed, unknown damage and hazards awaited on the roads, wanting to stay out of the way of those involved in repair and recovery efforts. And we still have aftershocks - it would never do to get twenty miles from home and be unable to get back due to the effects of a strong aftershock.

I'll try not to include too many photos of earthquake damage in this post, by now the world knows what it looks like. I will add just a some to share a sense of how things are.

The weather was overcast, but not too cold with the temperature getting up to 60ºF. About six miles from home, we passed the "Rokko" bridge, a section of which fell into lake Kitaura during the earthquake, taking at least one life. (Eyewitnesses said multiple cars fell in, but so far only one has been found). I've always hated that bridge as it is used as a two way crossing but is only one lane wide! To make this possible, there were three turnouts along the span so east bound traffic could pull over while west bound traffic passed. Crossing it always felt like a James Dean style game of "chicken".

A short news clip shows the bridge post-quake. A new, two lane bridge has been under construction close-by for the last several years (stalled for lack of funds for much of the time) and is now about half complete. I think now they will finish it.

As we proceeded north, we saw the typical blue tarps covering the damaged roofs everywhere. A few buildings were badly damaged. One home, burned out. We went through several sections of road where repairs were under way and the road narrowed to one lane with traffic control workers keeping things orderly. There were lots of bumps where cracks had occurred and temporarily patched with macadam.

The road along the south shore of lake Hinuma had been badly hit but was already repaired. The road runs through rice paddies, and the soft earth caved in from liquefaction during the quake. In some areas half the road for long stretches had already been repaved. As we passed Mama's Kitchen we saw that they were open for business. That was a relief. First stop, however, would the harbor.

Turning toward the yacht harbor we saw the Hakuta (owners of the harbor) family's home. Like so many other houses with tile roofs, theirs had lost much of the ridges. Ridge tiles stick up and are filled with clay, so during an earthquake, their mass makes them susceptible to breaking free.

Though not appearing to be damaged, the club house did shift, causing window casements to be out of line. Windows and doors don't work properly. So, Mr. Hakuta brought in a portable building and set up a temporary office in the parking lot.

The showers and bathrooms are functioning, so we'll be able to go sailing as soon as we are ready. I'm ready, but Kimie wants warmer weather. I can wait - it's no fun if the crew is unhappy.

In the boat tie-down area, there were some cracks and the two docks had some damage as well, but things were still functioning. There is a one inch bump in the launching ramp where one slab of concrete sank a bit relative to the other. A fishing boat was out this day and Mr. Hakuta's son was out on a jet ski checking out the damage on the other side of the lake and along the river which fishing boats navigate to get to the sea.

It pays to pull your boat out of the water sometimes.

After our look around, Mr. Hakuta was off on some errand, though I had some questions for him, so we headed back toward Mama's Kitchen.

The building had minor damage - some loose corner tiles, a crack or two in the foundation and one wall. When we walked in, Mama's daughter was in the kitchen placing freshly baked bagels on a cooling rack on the pass-through counter. Mama came in the back door shortly thereafter. It felt like a homecoming. We learned that they did lose half the crockery, but were otherwise OK at the restaurant. Their home, near the ocean, was just above where the tsunami came and in fact, their cars, parked a little lower than the house, had water come up to the axles. Close call. Mama was out doing grocery shopping at the time of the quake, like us, and at first thought something was wrong with her car - also like us.

Kimie had spaghetti in cream sauce with ham. By the way, the front CD in the basket to the left of Kimie, is the one that was being played when we came to Mama's Kitchen after Bluesette's shakedown cruise two years ago. The song, as you may recall, was "Bluesette". (Magic happens.)

I was going to order a basic tomato sauce, but at Mama's suggestion, I had asari clams (called Manila clams in the US) and Buna-shimeiji (brown beech) mushrooms instead. It was a spicy, yet very flavorful, dish. Wonderful.

Mama then surprised us each with cocoa cream cake and fruit for dessert.

After lunch, Kimie purchased four bagels and we said our goodbyes. Returning to the yacht harbor, we found the whole Hakuta family in the office, including their daughter in law and two grandchildren. Their granddaughter had just made agemochi (fried mochi rice snacks) and offered some to us. Flavored with shrimp, it was excellent. She was very insistent in offering it to us, and dense old panda that I am, I only realized later it was because she had made it herself, otherwise I would have made more of a fuss over it. The picture of agemochi below is ~~stolen~~ borrowed from Shizuoka Gourmet, a great blog for foodies/Japanophiles.

We inquired about Mr. Y, the owner of the Com-pac Picnic sailboat parked next to Bluesette. We had been concerned since his work was in Sendai. Happily, Mrs Hakuta had called him and learned that he was OK and even his office had not been damaged. I am sure he has much to cope with up there, but I hope he can find time this summer to come down and enjoy his boat.

We took a different road home and near the Hinuma train station there were several more damaged sections of road in various states of repair/disrepair. This was the worst of it...

Hinuma station is in the distant background.

We also saw a railway bridge being repaired. Most of the line going from Kashima to Mito City will reopen in about a week, however, a five mile section nearer to home will be closed for some time longer and a bus will be used to take rail passengers between the stations involved until repairs are complete.

This building in Hokota City really took a beating.

In spite of all the damage we saw, it was a good day. The important things - the people we have come to know and care about - were all OK, and as an old friend used to tell me, "life goes on, despite the odds". With everyone safe, the harbor open, and Mama's still providing gastronomical delights, it seemed as if all was right with the world.

And so, we go forward - ここから、いまから - from here, from now on. In deep gratitude.

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Morning After

2011-04-01T21:26:00.005+09:00

UPDATE: We went to the yacht harbor today (Saturday) and learned that Mr. Y is fine and even his office had no damage. More about our day next post.

I have yet to hear from Mr. Y who owns the boat (a Com-Pac Picnic from Florida) tied down next to Bluesette, mentioned in "Bluesette Meets Her Neighbor". We hope for the best. He was working in Sendai last I heard...

The yacht harbor sustained damage to the club house, concrete tie-down area and docks, but not the boats. When roads and/or rail are restored, we shall sail again. We'll try to make our way up there this weekend to check things out further.

If you are of a certain age in the USA you'll remember this tune:

Until next, Sweet sailing.

Out to Lunch

2011-03-29T22:03:00.003+09:00

In late February, we visited our favorite local Italian restaurant, Wordsworth, for lunch.

As always, the food was great. We had nice salads with greens and sprouts, and as is common in Japan a few kinds of what us Americans would call "seaweed". Which is about as silly as referring to spinach, romaine or raddichio lettuce as "landweeds". Oh, well.

The main course was pasta with spinach and oysters in cream sauce topped with salmon roe. Delicious!

We of course had not been out since then due to the earthquake(s), but on Sunday I wanted to see if Wordsworth was open. Kimie had driven past it a week ago on her way to visit a family member in hospital and reported a lot of damage in the area. But I wanted to check on Wordsworth, so I bribed her with an offer of lunch and we went.

The restaurant is located about six miles south of us and one mile inland from Kashima Port in the city of Kamisu. It is fairly low lying flat area - easy pickings for a tsunami that was, along this stretch of coastline, up to 5 meters high (16.4 feet).

Along the way, we passed UniQlo clothing store. There were two shipping containers in the parking lot which had floated in from the port and bashed in the store's windows. Containers are still strewn across the landscape and in the canals. The store had also suffered a fire.

From there, we saw lots of buckled pavement, sunken roads with the concrete curbs and drain boxes sticking up, and leaning power poles.

Wordsworth was closed. The patio addition at the front was sunken a bit and the land there was lower by quite a bit relative to the street than it used to be. It had also be flooded. A sad sight. I hope they can recover eventually.

Along the back service road we saw three houses which either due to liquefaction during the earthquake or water from the tsunami, sunk into the ground a bit - one of them a burned out shell.

Ibaraki Net TV took video of the exact same area.

We decided to head toward another restaurant which Kimie's sister had recommended - "tratteria Luce". Judging by what we had already seen, we were not optimistic. But, as we approached we could see the chef/owner standing out by the street waving a huge Italian flag to attract customers.

The owners told us that Kamisu City has electricity, but will not have water service for three months. The restaurant hired a porta-potty to meet legal requirements for a toilet, and is cooking with bottled water. They aren't able to wash dishes so are using paper and plastic ones to get by. By the way, the owner's house is behind and over the restaurant, so they are living day to day with the same conditions.

Lunch was simple, but very good. A chicken wrap, minestrone soup, pasta with tomato sauce, and freshly baked bread. We took the wraps home for later. We'll go there again.

Another news video shows the fishing boat harbor at the entrance to Kashima Port. Pretty much trashed:

The man interviewed said he and his son had to be rescued here. He says it is hard, but "shoganai" - it can't be helped.

And closer to home, the bridge connecting Kashima Jingu Station to the rail line which connects us with Tokyo, is under repair:

The other line out of Kashima - the one I take to lake Hinuma - also has sections out which will take quite a while to repair.

Compared to all this, the damage to our roof, bath tiles, and driveway entrance walls, seems pretty minor. If it were not for the aftershocks, things would almost seem normal. We've been fortunate.

We're looking forward to warm weather, once again sailing Bluesette on Lake Hinuma, seeing our friends up there and eating at Mama's Kitchen again. For now, we hang on and do the best we can, along with the rest of Japan.

Until next, sweet sailing.

When All Else Fails

2011-03-24T16:31:00.011+09:00

Today I received an email from a ship's captain who had sailed Japan waters during a typhoon, regarding my posts in 2006 about the wreck of the ship Giant Step (a 98,000 ton iron ore carrier) off Kashima Port, with the loss of 10 of the crew of 26. Two of the crew were never found, but I was informed by a relative that one of them was seen by the master of the ship to have been thrown against a pipe on deck with great force by a wave and killed instantly.

The two posts regarding that tragedy which appeared on Pacific Islander blog, resulted at the time with a flurry of emails to me from friends and family of crew members seeking information. The crew was Indian, with the exception of one man from Sri Lanka. I was one of few sources of information that was available to them in English. It was a very sad circumstance, but one which resulted in warm bonds with family and friends of the crew. Four and a half years on, I still get inquiries. I provide what information I can.

Now, we deal with the earthquake and tsunami of March 11. The aftershocks go on - hundreds of them. Over 60 have been of magnitude 6.0 or above. We reluctantly arose this morning after three quakes in a row, just minutes apart. It is still difficult to get a good night's sleep.

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" - Gordon Lightfoot, Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald

The present catastrophe in Japan is on such a scale as to be beyond our intellectual grasp. But it is the same dilemma that is faced by everyone, everywhere, whether a single sailor or the crew of a ship, or a nation, or all of us on planet earth. We may be caught on a vessel in peril, a nation gripped by natural calamity, or a world facing global warming, over population, and war.

We know the answers in most cases and all that is required is the will to act. But sometimes, we are overwhelmed by circumstances. Without giving up, we can still acknowledge our impotence and seek the strength of the forces which shape our destiny to encourage us to do what is needed.

In the Buddhist tradition I have followed, it is done by uttering the phrase, "Namu Amida Butsu" - entrusting in Amida Buddha's all embracing compassion.

The men who have been fighting to prevent a total disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. Hundreds - TEPCO workers, JSDF soldiers, Tokyo firefighters, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, engineers from around the country and abroad, and many others - have literally put their lives on the line to save others. Thanks to them, we will overcome that emergency. Thanks to thousands of others, Japan will rise again from the ruins of the great earthquake and tsunami. It will be a different place, but it will be a better one.

A firefighter emails his wife, "I am going to the Dai-ichi power plant." The response is "Please be a savior for Japan". Afterward, all the firefighters asked about what they want respond, "a good night's sleep". It is what we all want.

I'm not a Christian, but the US Navy's hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" has always struck a chord with me. The lyrics were written by an Englishman (William Whiting) in 1860 on the occasion of a student leaving for America, and the music a year later by John Dykes. The two came together somehow.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

To anyone who has experienced the power of nature over man's feeble attempts at her mastery, these words must surely hit home.

As I wrote back in 2006, regarding the wreck of the ship "Giant Step" with the loss of ten lives, "or do we humans instinctively seek a kind of reality check, to see first hand that what we suspect about our technological superiority is true? That in reality, our supposed superiority over nature and our certainty of it, hangs by a mere thread, and that we need to take heed. We need to be reminded now and then of how tenuous that thread really is. In short, we need at times to be humbled."

Naval Academy Men's Glee Club:

Namu Amida Butsu

Until next, sweet sailing.

A Manatee In My Bathtub?

2011-03-20T22:52:00.008+09:00

"Sea Tunes For Kids" by Brent Holmes ... Hey, I'm still a kid! I've loved this CD for some time now. Great way to get kids enthused about the sea, and to care about the creatures that inhabit it. Here are a couple of tunes.

Did you know we have manatees in Japan too? Yep, down Okinawa way - the closely related dugong - which is one reason we'd appreciate it if you folks in the USA didn't insist on building a new Marine Corps airbase down there. (See Close The Base )

And "Lobster Parade" reminds me of my days in marching bands and features some super dixieland style trombone licks.

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Latest Poop

2011-03-19T18:22:00.004+09:00

A cartoon about "Nuclear Boy" explains the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. English subtitles...

Until next, sweet (pooh free) sailing.

Helping Japan - Caveat Donator!

2011-03-15T18:06:00.007+09:00

A lot of wonderful people want to help Japan recover from the earthquake/tsunami disaster we have experienced. Before you do, make sure you aren't being scammed, and then make sure that your donation gets spent where you intend.

Scam alert:

I recently stumbled across what I suspect is a big scam. "People" leave comments on news stories about the earthquake, or on stories listing charities to donate to, saying that they have "donated $100 to the American Red Cross" through Amazon.com. The comment also contains the url for a website which posts an article copied from the American Red Cross website, and links and banners with the American Red Cross name. They also say "it is safer to give through a name you know, like Amazon" .... Really?

Trouble is, the website url in the comment offers no information about who is running it. All the links - including "about us" and "contact us" take you back to the main article. Worse, the link for donating goes directly to Amazon payments with no intermediate pages, so for all you know, your donation is going to the owner of the bogus website! I did a little sleuthing and have found that this scheme has been used in the past for the Haiti earthquake disaster.

So, if you want to donate to American Red Cross through Amazon, you can do so, but do it by going directly to either Amazon or the American Red Cross website. Do not use a unknown 3rd party website.

Is your donation going to be used to help Japan?

Also, if you want your donation spent on Japan, you have to make sure of it. Many charities, including reputable ones like the American Red Cross, will be asking for donations by reporting on the disaster in Japan. But be advised, that does not mean they will spend your donation on helping Japan.

So, before you give, please read this article at Charity Navigator: Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The article offers advice on making the decision to give, how to avoid scams, and a list of charities that Charity Navigator has analyzed and rated, which will use your donation to directly help the victims of this tragedy.

By all means, help Japan in this time of crisis, but do so wisely.

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Sea Is So Wide

2011-03-15T15:08:00.003+09:00

and my house is so small.

This post was inspired by O Docker.

Thankfully, my house is still standing on terra firma. To help those who are less fortunate than we are, please check out this page: Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

and until next, sweet sailing.

Weathering the Storm

2011-03-14T16:29:00.007+09:00

Bluesette, and the other boats at Hinuma Yacht Harbor came through the earthquake unscathed. The concrete area where the boats are stored cracked, there was some damage to the club house, and some embankments of the Naka River collapsed, but the tsunami waters did not flood the boat yard. One more blessing to count, one less thing to worry about. The owners of the harbor called to let us know. They have intermittent electricity and use of one phone line out of four. They also suffered some damage to their home.

Considering what happened just a few miles away at Oarai Port, it was quite a relief to hear the news about Bluesette.

This is a satellite picture of Oarai Port, near where Lake Hinuma empties into the sea. This port is where 630 foot ocean ferries dock, connecting Tokyo and Hokkaido. It is also right next to where Kimie and I stayed in an oceanfront hotel celebrating her **th birthday just last month. I have added some labels for reference points.

And here is a picture taken during the tsunami...

We have stored food and water and other supplies for just this kind of emergency. Our family and community are close and supportive of each other. There have been more than 200 aftershocks since Friday. Sleep is softly interrupted by gentle side to side shaking or rudely by abrupt vertical jolts. Nerves fray. The empty store shelves, shortages, and rolling blackouts are the norm - just the way things are, rather than a hardship.

While it is nice to know that Bluesette is safe, our emotions swing between the high of having survived the momentous events of the last few days and the deep sadness for those who did not, those who grieve, and those still cold and hungry and homeless as temperatures drop and snows approach northern Japan. The victims may feel "why me?", but the survivors ask the same question.

There is also the realization that the road ahead is as uneven as the buckled pavement and the shattered rooftops. We humans like to think that we control our destiny, but fate is more often the hunter and we the prey. We rededicate ourselves to a life of "arigatai" - profound gratitude - to everyone and everything around us in this world that supports us, nurtures us, and indeed makes our very lives possible.

And thank you, dear friends, for your thoughts and kindness at this most difficult time.

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Lido 14 Story

2011-02-27T09:45:00.008+09:00

The Small Boat Review section in the February issue of Southwinds Magazine (which covers the eight southeastern states) features the story of the Lido 14.

Did I say "southeastern states"? Yes! While most sailors think of the Lido as a California boat, I was surprised to learn that for a time Schock Corp produced them in Bradenton, Florida, and that post-Hurricane Katrina, the Pontchartrain Yacht Club chose the Lido 14 as part of their fleet mix. There are now 16 of them there.

Lido 14s (a Laser, and a Finn*) on Lake Pontchartrain, LA
*Thanks, Baydog

You can download the magazine here: Southwinds Magazine February 2011 (16.1 MB). The Lido article starts on page 39.

Get your own Lido 14 from W.D. Schock or the suppliers listed on the right under "OTHER PORTS OF CALL".

Incidentally, the author of the review, Jabbo Gordon, is a retired submariner in the US Navy and is presently the program director of the Venice (Florida) Youth Boating Association VYBA where he has previously served as summer instructor and chief coach since 1995.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Fo' Real, Brah

2011-02-26T15:25:00.007+09:00

In the previous post, Fate Yanagi was played by Gayln Kong Akaka. That was in 1981. Here she is in 2008 talking about the experience and who she is "fo' real", on the Hawaiian TV show "NightTime with Andy Bumatai" (Andy is another very funny Hawaiian comedy talent). Good fun.

...And now you know the rest of the story.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Tell Fate Yanagi I Love Her

2011-02-23T18:45:00.008+09:00

Hawaii's Rap Reiplinger became popular in the 1970s after forming a three man comedy troupe called "Booga Booga". He went on to do solo tours across the US Mainland playing in top clubs including 'The Aladdin' in Las Vegas, 'Catch a Rising Star' in New York, and at 'The Improv' in Los Angeles. He also won an Emmy Award in 1982 for his Public Television special 'Rap's Hawaii,' which he both wrote and starred in, and took home a bronze medal from the International Film and Television Festival of New York for "Most Outstanding Television Production". His video and recordings are still available through the Hawaii music label "The Mountain Apple Company".

Tragically, like many talented artists of his generation, he had a problem with drugs and died of a cocaine overdose in January of 1984 at the age of 33. His work lives on though and continues to inspire other Hawaiian actors and comedians as well as to entertain us all.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Rising Sun - As Seen From The Land Of

2011-02-19T13:08:00.005+09:00

Sunrise this morning from our hotel room in Oarai, Ibaraki. Oarai is a port town with a fishing boat harbor and a commercial harbor where ferries leave for Hokkaido. It is also where lake Hinuma's waters empty, via the Naka River, into the sea.

W. D. Schock Memorial Regatta

2011-02-12T16:51:00.006+09:00

March 5 & 6, 2011

from: Newport Harbor Yacht Club
www.nhyc.org

The W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta is just a month away, and we are trying a few new things to make the racing fun for all of the boats we are expecting at this year’s event.

The Race Committee plans to have the Harbor 20 fleet begin racing at noon both days and sail two races. After the second race, the Harbor 20s will head to the dock for a break while the Lido 14s & L12s race. If weather conditions permit, the sequence will be repeated. This schedule has been a huge success in other NHYC multi-class one-design events because it allows everyone to enjoy a less congested racecourse.

As an added attraction, the club will be giving each boat a special tracking device. It monitors the boat’s every move and charts the “track” from start to finish. It is the coolest thing! After the racing, each skipper will be able to track his or her progress over the racecourse and compare speed and direction with the rest of the fleet. We used this during the Harbor 20 Domenico De Sole Regatta last year – the data is amazing!

There is an entry fee with this regatta, which includes 1 Saturday night regatta dinner party ticket. If you would like to purchase additional tickets please do so during the entry process. There will be extremely limited tickets available for purchase at check-in and no tickets will be sold at the door. Chef Polly and his staff put out a delicious spread so you won’t want to miss this great chance to mingle with friends during a great weekend of sailing.

Please be sure to read the Notice of Race for all the official details. You can enter today by visiting the W. D. Schock Official Notice Board on our website (www.nhyc.org). Just go to Racing and then to the Calendar. If you have questions, please contact Charlie Underwood at the NHYC Race Office, raceadmin@nhyc.org or 949-723-6870.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Sartorial Correctness

2011-02-08T12:05:00.013+09:00

Or Mad Hatter? The post title comes from O Docker, who uses fancy-shmancy lingo that I have to look up most of the time.

O Docker maintains that my Disneyland fedora would have looked better on Peppi's head and has challenged me to post a picture with Peppi in the fedora (which he provided) and throw it open to a vote. Actually, it's more of an Alpine or Tyrolean hat, but I'll not split feathers.

So here is the "O Dock-tored" pic showing the hat on Peppi:

No fair comparing either of us to Jean Gabin in the title role of Pépé le Moko (1937):

I do concede that Peppi (the dog) looked good in a hat. He was French after all. Here he is celebrating his birthday with some lanky kid in short pants:

... and trying on my marching band shako:

Anyway, if anyone bothers to read this blog, let us know your opinion.

Here's your chance to express your "sartorial correctness" opinion on who should have been wearing the fedora. Here at Sweet Bluesette, we wear the hats, you decide.

Update February 12: Since this poll's script messed up the color scheme on the blog, I've decided to close it and concede defeat to Peppi. Here is the final result:

A majority agrees with O Docker. Peppi would have looked better in my hat. (Sigh).

Thanks for voting!

Until next, sweet sailing.

The Pandabonium Cave

2011-02-07T13:09:00.009+09:00

"Pépé le Moko" (Peppi) and Pandabonium at our hideout in the Santa Monica Mountains.

I'm the one on the right.

No, you can't have this hat.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Floating Through February

2011-02-07T09:44:00.005+09:00

After the rain and snow of January it was time to check on Bluesette. I had installed a plastic tarp under the Sunbrella boat cover (which had developed a leak) and I wanted to see if that had solved the problem that patching had not. The minor leaks were not a big concern when the weather was warm and were sailing every week, but with Bluesette sitting through winter, we didn't want water in the boat or on the sails.

Happily, as we peeked inside from the transom, we found the cockpit completely dry.

It has been a bit colder than usual, and though the usual sailors with Lasers and Sea Hoppers had planned to be on the water through winter, they were no where to be seen. I dropped a thermometer off the end of the dock and measured 45º F. The air was 50º - not as cold as it has been, but still too chilly for us. Lots of water fowl, however were on the water, noisily enjoying their respite from the ice of Siberia and Hokkaido.

Meanwhile, Kimie was reading something on her Kindle. Odd name. Seems to me a paper book would be better kindling than an electronic device. She could have used a fire, as the sendai she was seated on was pretty cold.

We had lunched at home, so skipped Mama's Kitchen this trip. We're looking forward to sailing again - after things warm up a bit.

Until next, sweet sailing.

First Command

2011-02-06T16:27:00.007+09:00

Sunk by a sea monster!

Here I am (left) with my best friend Bill as we take water over the transom and the monster (my Standard Poodle, Peppi) circles the boat, waiting to devour us.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Pandabonium Revisited

2011-02-05T16:06:00.008+09:00

I am sometimes asked where the name Pandabonium comes from. Sometimes people see Pandabonium without the logo - such as in an email - and think it's "x-rated" (which is why I spell it out for people on the sidebar). If you see my logo, obviously I'm supposed to be the panda bear and I play the trombone. But now you're going to read the rest of the story.

Some years back, someone said that I reminded them of a Panda bear. Not a flattering comment on my physique perhaps, but I like the animals and they are cute, calm and rare (hey, that's me!), so I allowed it. At the time I was playing trombone in various groups - Maui Symphony Big Band, Maui Brass Ensemble (at the time a quartet) and the newly founded Maui Community Band. I wanted to start a trombone group with two, three or four trombones to play some older popular and jazz tunes.

Pandabonium playing with the Maui Community Band in 2003.
Maui Brass Ensemble
I was interested in this project because of two trombone groups that I had listened to as a teenager. I listened to many trombonists of course, but there were two groups which exclusively used a small number of 'bones for their work. In the fifties (no I was not yet a teen in the 50's!), two of the greatest trombonists of the day formed an unusual team from 1952 to 1954. Musically, they were two of the very best trombonists around. The group was just the two trombones backed by piano bass and drums. The trombonists were J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding. Though the two have very different styles, their music was pure magic. Several albums are still available - now on CD. Here they are, reunited in 1982 for a Japanese television gig:

Another group called themselves "Trombones Ulimited" and they played arrangements of pop tunes of the 1960's. They used various musicians and even emphasized the difference between "West coast" and "East coast" musicians on one album. I had a good friend in high school, Ellen, who had perfect pitch. It was, perhaps, genetic as her dad played oboe for the LA Philharmonic and her mom arranged television show music written by the likes of Lalo Shiffrin and Henry Mancini. Another friend, Larry, and I wanted to play trombone duets and Ellen sat down, listened to the record (music was on vinyl in those days), and wrote us arrangements of our favorite tunes off the album. Ellen was awesome. Our performance was less so, but we had a great time rehearsing.

A new group would require some fresh arrangements, but I certainly would not hesitate to borrow from the past to start. I had some interest from fellow trombonists on Maui, so I was encouraged at the prospects. We would need a name. It just came to me out of nowhere. A duet, trio or quartet of trombones playing some fast piece might get kind of crazy - a bit of chaos, of pandemonium. Panda, trombones, pandemonium. Of course: Pandabonium.

An artist friend of mine, Andrew Shkolnik, was working with me at a bookstore at the time and created the logo for me. I liked it. The panda has claws, slightly learing eyes, and smile that give the character a kind of "edge" - not mean, but not your basic cuddly bear look either.

Well, my group never got off the ground and I left Maui for Japan, Fiji, and the vast Pacific. It was a fellow musician here in Japan, the Moody Minstrel, who's blog gave me the impetus to start my Pacific Islander blog, so I decided to use Pandabonium as my pen name.

And now you know the rest of the story.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Winter Is For The Birds

2011-02-02T14:21:00.003+09:00

I recently put a birdbath in our front yard. Unlike the bird feeder I hung which only one bird has found so far, the bath was an instant hit. Within an hour, a "Brown Eared Bulbul" - one who likes to hang out in our yard to eat our kumquats - was enjoying the water.

This morning I set up a camera on a tripod near the birdbath and after about 20 minutes caught a "Dusky Thrush" on video. He stayed over five minutes, drinking and preening and checking our mikan (mandarin orange) tree for fruit.

The Dusky Thrush is a Siberian bird that migrates south to east Asia in winter.

It does get down to freezing here at times, but only briefly in the early morning. Days are well above freezing. So I empty the birdbath at night and refill it in the morning.

Note: Sorry about the traffic noise - it was "rush hour", or perhaps "thrush hour". There is an odd electronic noise too - like a data stream sound. The camera was right under the telephone lines, so perhaps the electronics picked up RFI from there.

Toots Ahoy!

2011-01-31T22:28:00.005+09:00

Here's the man himself, 'Toots' Thielmans, still going strong at 87 years ...

at "Ahoy" in Rotterdam, November 20, 2009. We love you, Toots!

Until next, sweet sailing.

Avast, and Heave To!

2011-01-30T10:45:00.008+09:00

My youngest granddaughter Chloe (aka "Pirate Cocoa") recently celebrated her 4th birthday.

Prepare to surrender your sweets!

Until next, sweet sailing.

time

2011-01-28T16:20:00.001+09:00

“They deem me mad because I will not sell my days for gold, and I deem them mad because they think my days have a price.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

Until next, sweet sailing.

Dutch Treat

2011-01-25T17:52:00.001+09:00

Rita Reys, born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has been Europe's Official First Lady of Jazz since 1960.

Here she is in 1964 singing - what else? - Bluesette....

Pretty little Bluesette

- waiting for the first sail of 2011.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Winter Doldrums Contest Winners

2011-01-21T11:26:00.006+09:00

The quiz involved a campy 1950s movie that reminds me of Bluesette. The questions were:

Why does this picture remind me of Bluesette? From what movie is it taken? What line or lines from the movie best express my relationship with Bluesette?

The answers: 1) The posted frame features K.T. Stevens (who otherwise actually had decent acting career) as the leader of an all woman society on the moon. She was colorized blue and the character's title is "Lido". 2) The movie is Missile to the Moon and; 3) The lines - found in this YouTube clip (26 seconds in) - are "To whom do you give your heart and your mind?", "To you my Lido."

Missile to the Moon came out in 1958 - the same year that the first Lido 14s were produced. Coincidence? I hope so. This film is really bad. The Lido 14 deserves to associated with much better.

Congratulations to our winners: Tillerman of Proper Course and O Docker of O Dock.

Their prize? an official embroidered Bluesette baseball cap.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Nefertiti

2011-01-19T11:30:00.001+09:00

I'm happy to find another excellent rendition of Bluesette to share. This one is by Swedish singer Hannah Svensson at the jazz club Nefertiti in Göteborg.

Fine solos by the guitar and bass. (Gotta love it when a group uses an acoustic bass.)

Outside the Foamite's Falling...

2011-01-18T15:40:00.009+09:00

and Friends Are Calling Ohayo...

Pre-dawn on Sunday we got a good 5cm of the stuff, whatever it is.

I'm glad I put that extra tarp under Bluesette's Sunbrella cover last month.

The white stuff was pretty, but cold. We soon decided to "come in out of the cornstarch and warm our mukluks by the cellophane." Oh, well, I may not know how to be in two places at one time when I'm not anywhere at all, but it's still a wonderful life. The trivia is flying as thick as snow in this post. It ain't a fit night out for man or beast. Must be the influence of the moon.

Until next, sweet sailing.

Speaking of lunar influence, the Winter Doldrums challenge is still on, so don't give up. (see previous post).

Winter Doldrums Contest

2011-01-13T15:43:00.017+09:00

The winter sailing hiatus can make things seem kind of dull (unless you are into masochistic frostbite adventures). So here's a contest to let you exercise whatever in the way of "little gray cells" you may have left over from the New Year's celebrations. Good luck.

Why does this picture remind me of Bluesette? From what movie is it taken? What line or lines from the movie best express my relationship with Bluesette?

Answer correctly and win a prize in the Sweet Bluesette Winter Doldrums Contest. Email your answer to pandabonium (at) gmail (dot) com. Please, please, DO NOT post your answer in a comment. Of course, general comments are welcome.

The first three bored sailors to answer correctly or close enough (don't worry, Pandabonium is a gracious contest host) will win a (tangible) prize.

Update: I guess I'm the only fan of 1950s B movies around here. This one was suspiciously similar to the earlier "Cat Women of the Moon", but has a different title and cast. The leader of the moon women has a different title as well.

Update 2011/01/16 - We have a winner! Two more prizes available, so keep trying. Blogging names of the winners will be announced when we have three.

Update 2011/01/17 - another winner. There is still a chance for a prize, so keep working on it. Using the clues in the first update, use a search engine and it will surely lead you to the answer. Once you know the movie, the rest should be easy.
Until next, sweet sailing.

A New Face . . . A New Owner

2011-01-04T17:16:00.008+09:00

No, not a new owner of Bluesette (heaven forbid!), rather, her builder, W.D. Schock Corp., has changed hands....

(cue sound of teletype machines....tickitty tickitty tickitty....)

Dateline: Corona, California January 1, 2011 -
Tom & Jane Schock are Happy to Pass the Helm to Alexander Vucelic

Tom and Jane Schock are pleased to announce the closing of the sale of the W. D. Schock Corp. (WDS) to Alexander Vucelic von Raduboj. Alexander will take over as President of WDS and be responsible for day-to- day operations.

Tom Schock will remain on the WDS Board of Directors and continue to connect with sailors in the new role of Brand Ambassador. Jane Schock will also continue with the company helping to smooth the transition. Tom and Jane have taken a first, but small step towards full retirement.

The Company experienced robust growth in 2010 and has a solid order book for 2011. Sailors throughout North America continue to order the much sought after Harbor line of sailboats ranging in size from 14 to 30 feet. These quintessential daysailers feature self-tacking jibs, large, comfortable cockpits, and classic good looks.

Alexander Vucelic, the new owner of W. D. Schock Corp., sailing a Harbor 20 in the 2010 Newport Harbor Yacht Club W. D. Schock Memorial Regatta.

As a child growing up in Southern California, Alexander's first sailboat was a Schock- built Naples Sabot. It was hull No. 6924 with a bright yellow hull. Alexander has been an active club racer ever since. Alexander's daughter sailed on the Columbia University sailing team. His 10 year old son has been wind surfing for three summers and started racing Prams last summer.

Alexander has more than 20 years of experience in the world of capital goods manufacturing and served as Chief Operating Officer at Electric Machinery of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a family-held business, very much like W. D. Schock Corp., and specialized in the manufacture of 5-80MW Utility grade electric motors and generators. Electric Machinery's motors and generators are located on every continent, with approximately 30% of EM's output exported.

Alexander graduated from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service where he rowed lightweight crew all four years. He earned his M.Arch at UCLA and his MBA at Columbia University. He is a California licensed Architect and a Private Pilot.

Alexander commented "While at Architecture School a couple of my classmates and I dabbled in sailboat design. Little did I realize that nearly 30 years later, I'd be taking the helm at W. D. Schock. This is both an honor and a pleasure. The Company has a rich tradition of building boats which represent the best that life has to offer - family, friends, and fun. What W. D. "Bill" Schock started back in 1958 with the Lido 14 lives on, with Steve Schock's designs for the Harbor line continuing that tradition. The Harbor line boats are a delight to sail and perfect for an outing with friends or family. The quality and attention to detail in these boats result in what I like to think of as connoisseur's boats, the pleasure of owning them increases over time. I will work hard to support the Schock sailors, dealers, and fleets."

Tom elaborated: "Alexander and I have worked closely together for the last 18 months on this transaction. He has become an involved team member in and around the shop leading up to the official 'change of watch' and has watched closely as the new Harbor 30 tooling has come to life. Alexander respects and appreciates the legacy of W. D. Schock Corp.; and he understands the unique aspects of multi-generational family businesses, having himself grown up in a family business which spanned five generations. Jane and I will continue to be involved with the company. Dealers should see more of me in my new Brand Ambassador role, helping to support their efforts. Sailors should also see me more often out on the water."

W. D. Schock Corp. was founded in 1946 in Newport Beach, California, by Tom's father, W. D. "Bill." The company has built more than 13,000 boats in its sixty-five year history. The boats have ranged in size from the ever popular 8-foot Naples Sabot to the stunning Schock 55.

The company is responsible for many innovations in the industry. In 1965 Schock
introduced a Penguin that was the first production vacuum-bagged fiberglass and Unicore sandwich sailboat. Schock has built racers and cruisers, monohulls and catamarans; and in 2001 Tom collaborated with Dyna Yachts to introduce the canting ballast twin foil (CBTF) Schock 40. Boats currently in productionare the Sabot, Lehman 12, Lido 14, Santana 20, Santana 22, Wavelength 24, Schock 35, Schock 40, and the popular line of Harbor daysailors. The Harbor line includes the Harbor 14, Harbor 20, and Harbor 25. A brand new Harbor 30 will be launched this spring.

Tom & Jane Schock with Alexander Vucelic

At this important turning point, Tom and Jane are excited to see Alexander launch a new era of leadership, continuing the company's long tradition of designing and building sailboats for the best part of life.

Until next, sweet sailing.

No Place Like Mama's For The Holidays

2010-12-25T15:52:00.005+09:00

Christmas Day in Japan, we headed up to the lake to check on Bluesette and bring her a present. Weather was fine, if cool, with just scattered cumulus. The yacht harbor was closed as far as boat launching went, but the office was open. The owners' three year old grandson was playing with his new Thomas The Tank Engine pull toy (while wearing his Thomas and Friends T-shirt). We had brought some candies for him and his older sister which made him less shy than usual. The lake was cold and windy, with only a couple of windsurfers on the north shore braving the elements.

It had been many weeks since our last visit and a lot of weather had passed so we knew Bluesette probably needed some clean up. While temperatures in Kashima have gotten close to 5C (40F) some nights, at lake Hinuma, it had been frosty cold. Some of the micromesh rags we had left there had gotten wet and were frozen this morning. Bluesette did have a bit of water in the cockpit and once again the mainsail had fallen off the seat and into the water.

After cleaning up, I tied the mainsail to the jib cleat so it would stay high and dry, and then we installed our "gift" to Bluesette - a plastic tarp to cover the cockpit under the "Sunbrella" canvas cover, so that even if (when) the cover leaks, the water will run down the plastic beneath it and off the boat. Hopefully that will solve the problem for the duration of the winter.

Then it was time to pay a visit to Mama's Kitchen. It was so nice to be back in our familiar haunt. A beautiful white Christmas Cactus in bloom adorned the window bay (see top pic). Traditional Japanese songs played on the stereo - as opposed to the usual pop music, probably because "Papa" was there today. Mama had thoughtfully placed lap blankets on the chairs for customers who felt a chill, though the place felt warm as toast to me.

I braved the spicy red pepper and fish roe sauce for angel hair pasta with mushrooms and scallops. Oishikatta desu. (It was delicious.)

Kimie's lunch centered on "buri" (Japanese amberjack fish).

Mine included dessert which we shared - a nice raisin cake with strawberry, orange slices and a wedge of persimmon.

On the way home we stopped at a farmer's market and picked up some local eggs (from a truly free range farm where the chickens get feed but also eat veggies and bugs while out of doors). The eggs were collected this morning at 10 am! As treats for ourselves and Kimie's parents, we got strawberries and sugared ginger slices. I really enjoy our farmers' markets, which offer fresh, local produce and feature bios and photos of the people growing the food you buy. Yes, it costs more, but as the old Dutch saying goes, "cheap is foolish" - especially when it comes to things you eat!

Until next, sweet sailing.

A Traditional Japanese Pasta Christmas Dinner

2010-12-24T10:41:00.012+09:00

Well, it's our tradition anyway.

Each year we have Christmas dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - "Wordsworth" which is named after the poet. We used to lunch there fairly often before we started sailing and eating at Mama's.

Wordsworth is an Italian style seafood and pasta restaurant. For a few days at Christmas time, they offer special set meals for dinner - reservations only.

Kimie drank Perrie water with ume juice and an ume fruit in the glass (ume is Japanese plum, which is more like an apricot if you ask me, and is primarily used for making ume liqueur).

The meal began with Bagna Calda, a hot dip composed of hot olive oil, garlic and anchovy, along with raw vegetables to be dipped into it. Then came uncured ham with tomato and mozzarella cheese. Kimie had foie gras while I enjoyed stuffed horned turban shell. After that there was a prawn salad, and before the main course, a frothy cup of soybean soup.

For the main course, Kimie had pasta with squid. I chose pasta in cream sauce with spinach and oysters topped with salmon roe.

Dessert - a wine glass with chestnut puree on coconut ice cream, and a long straw-like cookie. Finally, biscotti and gateau au chocolat with coffee or tea.

Another excellent experience at Wordsworth. I wonder what they will dream up for next year? Daffodils?

If you are still hungry for food pictures, you can read about our 2008 Christmas dinner, which featured different dishes, on Pacific Islander blog: Le Delizie Gastronomici Della Festa

Until next, happy holidays, joyous dining, and sweet sailing.

Friends

2010-12-20T19:31:00.002+09:00

A wish for you all in two parts.

The opening ceremony of the 1998 World Olympics, Nagano, Japan. Beethoven Ode to Joy with Seiji Ozawa conducting the.... well, the whole world!

O Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Thy sanctuary.

Thy magic power re-unites
All that custom has divided,
All men become brothers
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.

Pacem in Terrace

It's not too late. If you want it.

Best wishes to all on this Winter Solstice and throughout the New Year
with love, from

Kimie and Pandabonium

*Seiji Ozawa, my all time favorite conductor, after a year's hiatus fighting esophageal cancer, raised his baton once again in Carnegie Hall on December 16th.

Final Countdown

2010-12-15T16:10:00.000+09:00

The weather has not been cooperative for sailing this fall. It's too cold for our tastes now, so looks like October 24th was the last sail of the year.

Tourists were out trying their hand at fishing
The day was overcast but not too cool. Winds were light, which gave Kimie the courage to take the tiller again. That gave me the opportunity to try on the crew shoes and reacquaint myself with handling the jib and the whisker pole. Kimie did a good job and I think we both came away with more appreciation for each others efforts.

There were a lot of water fowl on the lake, but we were too slow to get close enough for a good pic of them, though Kimie managed to catch a Grey Heron on one of the docks. Somehow this pic brings to mind O Docker's post about "poop decks".

When we broke for lunch I suggested a break from Mama's, so we went to the Hinuma Hotel next door where we've stayed and lunched before.

Kimie had tonkatsu (pork cutlet) and I had tempura. It was tasty, but somehow not as good as Mama's and of course, the help there doesn't know us. It was a good thing to do anyway if only to help us appreciate Mama's Kitchen all the more.

After lunch we sailed sweet Bluesette until the wind just didn't have enough to give and the day grew late for getting home to walk our dog Momo (peach).

Thank you Bluesette for the joy you bring us. You are the product of the thoughts of many minds and the actions of many hands, as are we all. We look forward to Spring and to awakening you once again to help us experience the wonders of wind and sail and water.

Until next, sweet sailing.