Inner sailing

Just before Christmas we went to Japantown. We needed to do a little shopping.

I needed a string for my Shamisen, a restocking of our incense supply, Saki, etc.




I also picked up a book on sailing in Japanese, so the Lady Zen can learn comfortably and understand. I ordered this from Japan via the Japanese book store here. It is called “Inner Sailing”, the name sounded intriguing, maybe I am just reading more into it, since it is written by a Zen Master. It is the ASA official book used in Japan. From the illustrations inside it looks pretty straight forward sailing basics.















Whilst there in J-town we went to one of those floating boat sushi bar places.






Lady Z thought it would be like Japan cheap. It was not!





Although not great, it was not bad. Next time we'll go to our regular noodle shop, which is ichiban!!!

Joy to the World...

Whatever floats your boat
brings you peace of spirit
we wish you Joy this season
New Year filled with it.


Zen & Lady Zen

As the year sinks slowly in the west...

Just in... a fitting cliff hanger for the Year end...
I just came back from a job interview with the City of Oakland Boating/Lake Merritt Boating Center. I applied for a Basic Keel Boat instructor position for the summer/fall season of 07... It seemed to go well. I will not hear anything until after the holidays...burn a candle, light incense, say a prayer, whatever floats your boat :-)

s/v Zen can use the money :-)


Thanks to all my new comrades, those I've met live and virtually for the memories, reads, comments, emails, etc

Happy Holidays...peace out

Islander 29- Part II

There is a right way and wrong way to do & ask things. Put another way a courteous and a dis-courteous way.
As a instructor of Chinese Martial Arts, I am use to a certain level of respect, and manners. I do not tend to make a big deal out it when it is not up to a standard, I'm pretty low key. My parents taught me good manners, my Japanese Karate Sensei taught me more, my Chinese Sifus taught me more. So now when I speak to people I am generally polite, and respectful it gets me great respect when in Japan & other Asian places as well as here in the States.
Now I know that the level of respect and politeness here in the states is different. Lady Zen is often shocked how causal people, strangers speak to each other. I am generally ok, with it, I was raised here and do not expect much. However...
Maybe it is my age that combined with my training makes me sensitive at times.

What does this have to do with an I-29...?

Well, the search engines, google, yahoo, ask, etc find this blog and someone looking for info on an I-29 ( islander 29) will come across this, as may have been the case in the past, and will be again.
This is for them.

I am more than happy to pass along any info or contacts I have on the I-29. I was helped , I will help others. HOWEVER. show some class, some manners, some style, some courtesy.

Start your inquiry with, a salutation eg:
hello, greetings, dear sir, hi, yo, sup, bonjourno, something polite.
I am so and so...

End your inquiry with : thank you

Do not just start off with what you want, eg: I need such in such.
signed; so and so.
WTF!

Not good! rude! Impolite, uncool, I will ignore you. I am not a parts dealer or paid consultant.

show some class...

peace.

Now back to our regular scheduled programming ...

Inspiration

The Tillerman asked for us co-bloggers to blogversate (coined word from EK4, is that a real word) on who was the person that inspired us to sail. Hmmmm, well since the T-man is one of the 3 who encourged/inspired me to continue this blog, when I was having doubts about doing this, I,ll share what I can.

I did not have sailors in my family. I grew up near the water but not on it. I really thought more about powerboats than sailing, since I liked to go fast and loved fast cars. Typical guy.

When I came to the West Coast and got into the Hippy/love child scene, some friends & I all went out on another friend's sailboat. It at one time belonged to the actress Jane Mansfield. It was called the San Souci. NICE sail boat! I do not recall the size, but it was at least 40-50 ft. We sailed to Catalina one weekend, and other time to Santa Barbara Island. Being a flower child there was a lot of sub stories involved with that, but that is another story...
We'll stick with sailing. Other than the almost being run down by a Oil tanker it was a great trip. I did not find out later how close we came to dying by that tanker, but again that is another story, I digress.

That was my first sailing expreience and last one for many years. However it stuck with me. It was that cool!

Years later I had a friend who owned a old classic motor yacht, I spent many days and night on there. It was a great retreat...

Still later, I would be traveling around the bay watching the sailboats thinking it would be great to be out there criusing, exploring lil coves and what not, taking pictures. The girl friend at the time agreed.

I later took a job at a printing/graphics firm. The owner was a sailor. He had me do some things with his boat photos and I heard some of the stories about the sails he went on. I thought how cool...more on him later.

A while later I came across I think was a lazer sitting for sale in someone's driveway. I thought it was a good price, reasonable for a boat. It was the right size for little adventures and learning. I took pictures and showed them to my boss. He thought it looked ok and told me a few things to lookout for. Going back later the boat was sold...which was a good thing.

Shortly after this time I started looking for a boat as a livaboard. I was thinking a houseboat, something to live on and still go places in. I looked at a few, but did not click with any, and about this time fuel cost started going up. Next I looked at cabin cruisers, nice, closer, but, still not there, then figured it would cost at couple hundred bucks to fill up one of those monsters. Hmmm time to rethink this...

My friend and adopted sister said, you should get a sailboat. She told me about some times she spent on one. Hmmmm, thought I, that maybe the ticket. Environmental good, much gas. The right one could be a liveaboard. If things got to weird here in the states I could sail away to Costa Rica. It was fun on the San Souci, yeah I like it!

So started the hunt for a sailboat. By luck after checking out boats several in my price range, which was low, came across a Person Ariel. I did not know much about saiboats, well nothing really. I did know what I wanted as far as living space, and some things to avoid. I spoke with my friend/sister's husband who had built boats and he gave me some insight. The price and the features where right on this Ariel, as was the reputation of these boats. So I moved fast and purchased it. WOW.

Now I had a boat but did not know how to sail. So I read and understood the basics. After some cleanup and reading, I got in touch with my former boss from the print/graphic shop. I asked him for a short lesson and to checkout the boat. Sure he said! He came out one day, went over the boat, and aproved. He thought I did well. We hooked up everything and went out for a sail. It was great! I was nervous at first, but he talked me through the basics and with a bit of coaching I was handling things well.
We went back to the marina and I was jazzed. I could do this!

Fom there it was solo practice, more reading, watching tapes, more practice, running aground, more pratice, a safety class, more practice... and the rest as they say is history.

So who was my inspiration, hmmm. I do not know if it was just one person, but to pick one I would say my sister, Wild Rose for putting the bug in my ear and Captn Ron who took me out on the San Souci.

Year sunset...

The rainy season it seems is here. Wet, sometimes cold...brrrr.
For reals not my favorite time of the year. Mornings are dark when getting up, dark when leaving work. yuk!

Now comes the time for inside ship projects, well after the holidays that is.



With the year closing down on the western calendar, my thoughts turn to next year.
Year of the Boar.
The projects, the trips, the adventures.
However some reflections on 07' first.

What a busy year...
Japan; made some good connections, this blog; an interesting trip, sailing classes, teaching certificate, the journeys, new friends & acquaintances; some from both sides of the world. The Tao is pretty amazing, boat upgrades, ceramic projects, new band, the sailing goals, closing the studio, Kung Fu class reunion in Las Vegas, wheww.

So what are the plans/goals for next year, lets see:

Boating:

Bareboat charter course (April)
I had planned on taking this in Oakland, with the Afterguard school, however I came across a good deal at the Tradewinds school. That is where I took my teaching test. I could not pass the price up. I can save some money, almost 200.00 bucks. Awww yea!

ASA Navigation course.

USCG 6 pack ( Sept) I figure Sept will give me enough to to get everything lined up I need and study in.

Basic Coastal Crusing teaching certificate (May) This will take a little planning to make it come together. I need to get a full grasp on Coastal Navigation, perhaps the bareboat class will help enough for me to do this before I take the CN class.

Trips:

Half Moon Bay sail (July) The first bluewater passage... this is still a maybe. The harbor does not look that easy to get into. I will need to research this more.

Overnight in S.F. Bay Angel Island/Teasure island and Alameda ( July & Aug )

Benica

Napa (overnighter). I'm thinking this for a Autumn adventure. Looks like the vineards will be nice to photograph that time of year.

Boat repairs:

Install boom preventer
Repair or replace sea cock in head & get the head in operation.
Haul out-clean and paint bottom
Reseal chain plates.
Install solar panel
Manual Bildge pump
LED lights

Personal stuff:

Continuing Wheel ceramic - Next class Jan

Improve Japanese skills.

Trip to Hawaii, it has been a long time since I've visited the islands. Lady Zen has a dream to just hang out, our late honeymoon on Oahu & Kauai. Maybe we will meet up with my in-laws there, that would be fun.
Trip to Japan (both by air) I am really looking forward to this year's visit. There are several people I want to meet face to face. I'm thinking/planning for Oct. Hopefully get to see some Autumn colors and still be warm enough for a sail with someone.
Improve keyboard skills. Well since speaking with my new buds in Kobe. The plan is to start a band once I get there. Since there is already a Bass player, I will bring my piano skills up to playing that instead of bass. So we'll have Bass, Piano, Sax. Just need a drumer and guitar player. Guitar players are a dime a dozen not a biggie.

I think that is enough, however ... I tend to do more than planned if the Force is with me.
It should be an interesting year if all goes well.

So a short trip on the wayback machine... wrrrrr zipzip zok

I had planned on doing some water/boat ceramic pieces this year, However I was lead elsewhere. I did do one water motif piece.

which is ok, but I was not feeling it to do any more
than that .














So I produced some other works. Which I am mostly pleased with.

I feel much more comfortable using the wheel now. I prefer the manual kick wheel over the electric.

Next year I have some other ideas .

Somethings with dock rope patterns.



Thanks to everyone who came by the site and left me comments or an eMail. Those who write understand the emotional return from that small act.
It was a pleasure meeting and/or chating with you, all those that I connected with. Fairwinds to you in 07' may we all prosper and survive another year of the Baby Bush regime. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays..

















Improve Japanese skills. Trip to Hawaii, it has been a long time since I've visited the islands. Lady Zen has a dream to just hang out, our late honeymoon on Oahu & Kauai. Maybe we will meet up with my in-laws there, that would be fun. Trip to Japan (both by air) I am really looking forward to this year's visit. There are several people I want to meet face to face. I'm thinking/planning for Oct. Hopefully get to see some Autumn colors and still be warm enough for a sail with someone. Improve keyboard skills. Well since speaking with my new buds in Kobe. The plan is to start a band once I get there. Since there is already a Bass player, I will bring my piano skills up to playing that instead of bass. So we'll have Bass, Piano, Sax. Just need a drumer and guitar player. Guitar players are a dime a dozen not a biggie. I think that is enough, however ... I tend to do more than planned if the Force is with me. It should be an interesting year if all goes well. So a short trip on the wayback machine... wrrrrr zipzip zok I had planned on doing some water/boat ceramic pieces this year, However I was lead elsewhere. I did do one water motif piece. which is ok, but I was not feeling it to do any more than that .