Tall tales and other thoughts from storyteller, sailor and nomad Dennison Berwick. "Kuan Yin" is his 32-foot go-anywhere home.
Posted in Labrador, Life skills, Sailing on Sep 2nd, 2010
Savouring a small personal achievement.
With good reason, rounding Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America is still regarded as a major accomplishment for any sailor. Storms (one category above mere gales!) can rage for days with waves reaching 80 – 100 feet high. Numerous ships and countless sailors have lost their lives in [...]
Every sailor has a destination or a crossing that marks for them both a challenge and, if they make it, an accomplishment. While doing the Yachtmaster course in England two winters ago, it was crossing the English Channel. Now, on my way east to Labrador, it was the 28-mile crossing of the St. Lawrence from [...]
Posted in Labrador, Sailing, Uncategorized on Aug 16th, 2010
I’m still trying to get over my shock and disappointment to receive a big, new and extra bill from the marina in Rimouski almost two weeks after paying the bill, checking twice that everything was paid and leaving. This extra billing has happened before at the marina (see below) but I’m trying not to let [...]
All’s well that ends well, to repeat Shakespeare. After grinding off the paint and some fairing in about 40 patches all over the hull on both sides, the hull was tested with an ultrasound machine to test the thickness of steel. The good news is that there were no problems at all! The less brilliant [...]
Just minutes before covering the hull of Kuan Yin with three layers of anti-foul paint (to discourage barnacles and marine growth), I was making a last minute inspection when I discovered a small spot of rust that I hadn’t noticed before. All the other spots I’d ground off and coated with two layers of special [...]
Finally returned to the boat after the winter. “Kuan Yin” seems unscathed by the winter cold, damp, ice or snow. Even the teabags from last year were fresh enough to use and I was a great relied to find absolutely no signs of dampness, mold, or insect or rodent penetration.
My thanks to Dr. Magdalena Krondl [...]
"Serendipity" is the art of finding something valuable or delightful when you're not looking for it. It's how you might also define living life as an adventure - which is something I seek to do everyday - and accepting whatever happens.
