Today is Friday, September 20th! That means there are just 10 days left until I depart on my solo-circumnavigation. The days are full from beginning to end with all sorts of things to do … from working on the boat to tracking down equipment and ordering food.
Today was no exception as I finished up some small projects, and then spent some time on the computer before going out for another test sail with some of the crew from Bodacious IV. What a beautiful Friday evening sail on Narragansett Bay, not unlike the wonderful open sails that old friends and I used to take Friday nights on Lake Michigan. When I sit here now and think about crossing the oceans, I fall into thinking about how huge Lake Michigan felt back then. Will the feeling be at all similar or will it be something entirely different?
The boat projects are nearly done … well “almost” nearly done. We got the KVH satellite dome back and installed. Later this coming week, I’ll be installing the hydro generator and a new stern hatch. The hydro generator is an impressive piece of ingenuity, which generates electricity directly from the flow of water under the hull. This is one of the initiatives that 11th Hour Racing, our friends that sponsor the Atlantic Cup Race, the first carbon-neutral sailing race in the world, promote to lessen the overall impact of sailing on the environment. Stay tuned for more on that subject, as I put this technology to a real test.
While working on Bodacious Dream, I walk down the dock each day and notice the strange jellyfish that seem to float in the currents as the tide flushes in and out of the harbor. Each day, twice a day at about 6 hour and 15 minute intervals, the tides flow into and out of the harbor raising and lowering the water levels by about 5 feet. Some of the places Bodacious Dream has sailed, the tides range up to 30 feet in water elevation … which as you might imagine stirs up a lot of current as this massive amount of water flows in and out of the bays and nearby inlets.
Truth be told, I’ve grown unreasonably fond of BoDream’s new splashguards …
Today, while walking I took a closer look at the water and had the most amazing time observing the small minnows and fish darting around these translucent jellyfish. These jellyfish just amaze me. They are about the size of a large grape or small plum and their very thin membrane of body has a bluish tint. Actually you can see right through them … and inside, well, I don’t know how to describe it, but there seems to be a small filament of fiber that somehow pulsates and throws off this curious iridescent color. It isn’t just a reflection of the sunlight, but seems to pulsate from within … and I almost think their responses are tied to my being there and hovering over them. Maybe they are communicating with each other or maybe there is some propulsion factor involved, but regardless, the amazing nature of these beauties is a wonder to watch. One thing I better appreciate now is how this life form has managed to survive been for hundreds of millions of years! No easy feat! Guess this is just the beginning of my staring into the mysterious deep! Anyway, here’s video on them to watch!
The Jellyfish beckon …
I have to keep this short, because with such long days, and more to come, it’s time for some rest … so I can … oh yeah … do it all again tomorrow!
More later.
Dave and Bodacious Dream … (and a few thousand of our new friendly jellyfish!)