Relocated

One if by land , Two if by sea...

ZenSekai - I
Our day to day stuff, land adventures, mindwanderings, rambles


ZenSeaki - II
The sea adventures

One if by land, Two if by Sea.

Friends, readers, countrymen (and women) lend me your ears (eyes in this case) .

With the new Solar Year, the upcoming New Lunar year of the Boar, and the prestigious admission to the world renown Tillerman's top ten list. I have decided as some good TV shows have in the past to end this blog on a high note. Yes, sad but true. Zensekai is sailing on...

The good news is....

I have gone to a new and better port. ( please hold the applause until the end, thank you)
Yes. I had been thinking of it for a while. Blogger was a good testing ground, kind of like my first boat. I have now grown. Not so much readers and such but in needs. You could say 3 ft itist, but for a blog. I have been seduced and have succumbed to the charms of Wordpress.

Why , why you may ask. Well, I'll tell you.
I like the features, the flexible add and subtract layouts. I like the control & ease I have over picture placement. One on the main things is a can download my blog to a text file for later use in a book or whatever show I chose to do so. I cannot do that here at blogger. :-(
Saddly I did not find out until after I had switch to new blogger I could have imported this blog over to Wordpress, but only with the OLD version not this New improved version. C'est La Vie, mes ami.

So what is up with the new blog you may wonder...
wonder no longer.

I like the "One if by land two if by Sea" phrase so much it is the theme on the new blog(s)

Zen's Sekai I -
Deals with the land adventures of Lady Z & myself. Trips, the band, friends, Zen, philosophy, Kung Fu, Photography, Japan, family, etc, whatever.

Zensekai II -
Is as was here about s/v Zen and our water adventures, training, & preparation, Sailing, thoughts, Philosophy and water related musings.

Get it: I if by land , II if by Sea... Kawaii ne! (cute!)

All the sailing links have been transfered. So if you were here you are there.
The other links are still being completed on Zensekai-I. Some are there others I am still switching. It takes taime I have to do it manually

If you have been kind enough to give me a link on your site please change it.
Thanks !

I will keep this blog up as long as Blogger will let it stay as a road marker and historic site for those that follow.

Please come to visit. Douzo Yoroshiku!
Ja Mata ne! ( later dude)


Fair winds...
Zen and Crew

Tillerman's Top Ten Sailing blog awards

The Great GodFather, The grandmaster of sailing blogs, the world known Tillerman posted his list of the Top 10 Sailing blogs for 2006 the other day and
OMG! Zensekai was on the list, with 3rd mention.


Whahoooooo
I made the list, woooooo hooooo!!! Break out the bubbly!

Ahem * cough cough * Ahem, er yes,

thank you thank you very much...

ahem...

I'd like to thank, Tillerman, EVK4, Roya-san who first gave me the support to keep blogging in my early days and links to my blog.
Also my other loyal readers around the globe, especally those that leave comments or sent me emails! Thanks to the Great Spirit for the blessings of good health, job, family and opening my eyes to other paths in life. Thanks to my teachers and to Nikon for making cool cameras I can afford. Wayfarer Yachts for making a great boat at reasonable cost so that some 20 plus yrs later I could afford to buy one and even dream of sailing offshore half way around the world. Thanks to Blogger for giving free blog space. Thanks to all those who sailed before me long distance and wrote about so I could share the dream and plan my own. Yoh sensei in Japan who's book showned me it could be done in a small boat, and that my ideas about Zen and sailing are not so weird. Thanks to my big sis Becky J, for letting stay on her boat and suggesting buying a sailboat. Thanks to Jane Mansfield for selling her boat so I could get my first sailboat ride on it and giving the Tillerman an excuse to post her picture (maybe why I was really listed )

Thanks to all the vistors to s/v Zen last year, That gave me stuff to write about, the folks over at Sailfar.net for all the guidance on misc topics, and Captn K for really getting going on this blogging stuff. Thanks to all the makers of all those parts that held up through the years so I did not have to replace them before I went sailing last year. Last but not least my almost perfect wife who does not give me grief about spending time and money on the boat!

Wait a minute...
OMG I just thought what a terrible thing this is! Now I have all this pressure to keep quality posting, try to make the list again... next year !!! arrggggggg. How could you do this to me!!!!!

Just kidding, that would be very un-Zen like. To focus on the prize of hitting center and not the merging of the spirit with the act. Or put another way the trip is about the journey not the destination. Do what you do without thinking of the rewards.

Anyway a nice bit of fun to start the New Year adventures.

C- ya on the water...

Oh btw what did I win? I never got my custom made duct tape cup holder. Is this is another rip off...

:-)

Of mice and Men...

AKEMASHITE OMEDETOU GOZAIMASU!

New Years Day 07, so a new saga begins...

Lady Zen had to work today, so I was left to my own means for the day. After breakfast, meditation, computer I figured on getting some sailing in, rain or shine, hot or cold. The weather report in the morning was 39 degree with a high of 56. Brrr I'm thinking. Layers layers layers. So I start dressing, silk long johns, turtle neck, Sweats and my heavy zen pullerover with hood. I'm ready. The sky is beautiful, sunny , with small clouds here and there. However I'm thinkning cold. I head outside and started to sweat in all I had on. Change of plans, I take off the turtle neck thinkning it will still be cool at the marina and out on the water. Wrong!!
It was still warm down at the marina. Wonderful weather, almost spring like. I'm going to REALLY miss Cal weather when I get to Japan. Anyway... I'm doing a couple things down at the marina and have to come out of the Long Johns top at least. It is so warm in the sun, I'm baking!

ok so, the weather is great for sailing except for one thing. No wind! Zip, nada!
At least not enough to move a flag much less my boat. C'est la Vie!

Mirror like water
reflecting images clear
I sit still no wind

Ok, like water I mold to the container and flow on to something else. Check out my sail inventory. One is a good working sail, good to keep as a backup. The genoa, is good, but since I plan on staying roller, I'll sell it, along with some of the unused things out of storge I cleaned up over the holiday vacation. It will balance some of the holiday spending done. Like on my new to me Mac laptop. sweet!
Next things replace a broken lock hasp on deck and pull some bulbs to replace with LED's. Then on to adding cable covers on the shourds(sp). That was a pain, not really easy to do, simple yes, easy no. I need to pickup a couple more. Surprisenly cheaper at W. M. than on-line, what a shock!

So a few misc things get put away, I relax on the water a bit just taking in the New Year and being thankful.

New Years night at home:
Lady Zen is fixing something, traditionally Japanese for dinner. Something light and somewhat simple as we are not suppose to have a large celibration, since it has been less than one year since the passing of my Father-in-law. We have a simple New year arrangement, the traditonal bamboo flower arrangement, purchased in Japan last year. We also have the family ceramonial New Years sake set, which she brought back last year. It belonged to her father. Interestingly I got to use it the first time I visited and met her parents in Japan. It was just after New Years so it was still in keeping for them to do the ceramony with me. Little did we know it would be the last time with her father. You never know what the tide will bring...








I have decided to start another blog , for those interested. This one will be on Wordpress. I wanted to try them out, to see what is the difference. I see one thing there is a limit to 50 megs, unless you pay oh that is for pictures I guess. So I'm give that some thought later if it is worth it. I like that I can export my blogs and save them. So if I ever wanted to write a book, I 'd have simple access to all my post. This new blog will be different from this one, as it will not be connected to sailing, but to our other stuff. Maybe later I will move everything there...maybe and have two blogs there...maybe Anyway it is called "One if by land , Two if by Sea". I really started it on Yahoo 360, but I did not like it to much, only one picture can be posted , I found it too limiting. The link is on the side bar if you wish to visit and read some other stuff we do beside sailing. eg: Kung fu, the band, Zen center visits, stuff. The link will be changed later to go direct to the Wordpress location.
For now it link to 360 yahoo.


Lots of stuff planned for this year. Not resolutions, I do not do that. Just plan and do if the force is with me.

Haul s/v zen for bottom paint
Fix head to operate

Go see Tako Drummers from Japan- Feb
We are HOPEING sis and brother in law come to visit from Japan
Mother will come later in the year

Do ASA Bareboat course ( April)
Finish BCC teacher level
Get USCG 6 pack license. ( that is a big deal and fairly costly)

Sail down to Alameda for an overnighter
Sail to Angel island. maybe an overnighter
Sail out pass Golden Gate

Fly to Hawaii
Fly to Japan in Oct -

Well I've got 12 months to cover it all, so lets rock...

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