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EMAILS FROM OUR READERSJuly 2010 Henry E. Hall was my grandfather who worked at the
Manchester Yacht Club. Dave Hall Ziggy says..that was a great place & we met some really great people. The Henry E Hall is the launch for the Manchester Yacht Club.
March 2010 I loved reading about your adventures around Green Turtle Cay and the Bahamas. Your stories about boating life reminded me of sailing with my Uncle on his 38ft Shannon (3 masts) in Lake Michigan. Being on a boat is a wonderful lifestyle. You may have noticed a lot of stray dogs in GTC. There is a rescue grouped called Potcake Rescue www.potcakerescue.org that was formed to spay/neuter and rescue those dogs to prevent further overpopulation. They are based in Atlanta. We are going to have a spay/neuter clinic April 23, 24 on GTC. Since you love Ziggy so much, I thought you would appreciate that somebody is doing something about the homeless dogs in your beloved GTC. The dogs are called Potcakes because in the old days, the people would scrape off the burnt, caked food from the bottom of the cast iron pots and give that to the dogs to eat. It will be my first trip there and I am very excited. Thanks for your colorful tales which help me prepare for what I will find! Regards, Denise
Feb. 2010 I always enjoy reading your boating adventure website! Well written, terrific photos, informative and a sense of fun!I've heard good things about Sanibel and Captiva islands but I've never known anyone who has been to Boca Grande on Gasparilla island. Boca Grande looks terrific with it's older architecture, seashell beach and trails under banyan trees. I'm glad to see it is still very picturesque even after hurricane Charley in 2004 brought 150mph winds to the area! What fun to drive a golf cart out to the beautiful lighthouse! Some of your readers might find it interesting that Boca Grande was the place in Forida that Katharine Hepburn liked to visit. Her chauffeur made the 3 day drive down from NYC but once they were there Kate drove the golf cart. She spent several days there in 1986 enjoying the warm weather and doing research at the local library for a speech she would make in NYC honoring her mother (one of the founders of Planned Parenthood). It makes me smile to think of Katharine Hepburn age 79 driving a golf cart around town and under the banyan trees out to the Boca Grande lighthouse! Take
care,
Nov, 2009 Hello Larry and Jayne: Happy voyage wherever you go, Michael ZIGGY RESPONDS..I am only 14 & still going strrong !
October, 2009 Hi, I found your blog online and it caught my eye. We are going to cruise with another boater friend from Panama to Costa Rica Dec through Feb. Any cruising info you can tell us about anchorages etc. would be great. We'll be on a 50 DeFever power boat.
Linda
B Ziggy responded: When we made the trip we were in a hurry & and did not stop and smell the roses enough. The log you found have all of the places we stopped, which were not many. If you have not found this cruising guide you should get it. CRUISING PORTS: Florida to California via Panama It by Pat & John Rains Capt Rains has done this trip many times & is well known along the way Another book is: The Panama Guide ..it by Nancy Sschwalbe Zidler & Tom Zidler Hope you have a great trip..wish we were doing it again !!
Sept, 2009 Ziggy responded: Dan, glad you enjoyed the web stories. We stayed at the Barillas Yacht Club in El Salvador and the plane belonged to the General Manager of the club. He just offered the ride to us. Barillas is up a river & also where the President of El Salvador keeps His boat. Larry , Jayne & Ziggy
I like the story of your trip. But I was wondering how you found someone to take you in the airplane in El Salvador. Is there a way you could put me in contact with them. Any details about it you could tell me would help. Thanks,
July ,2009
Bonjour,
Etes-vous satisfait de votre bateau ? Hello, We are French and consider d' to buy Nordhavn 57 Cordially
June 2009 hey great site! I was looking for interesting spots in the exumas, and you came up. we go the abacos a lot but would like to go further out, are there fun local bars and such? I know you've heard it before, ziggy is damn cute. yeah, we love our dogs. tom thousand oaks,ca
MAY 2009 Hi Ziggy, We are in Elizabeth City now. This place is just like you described in your log. It is wonderful!! The mayor and Sam came by today. The mayor said for us to tell you hello for him. Boy is it nice to have some real grass under my paws after four days on the boat. Sebastian
APRIL 2009 Jayne & Larry, A friend of ours just forwarded your comments about MacDonald Bay (Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia) which we'll put up on our website. I checked your Knotty Dog website and realized that we met a long time ago. Your new Knotty Dog III looks like a beauty. Is she a 62'? Has she been launched or is she still in process? Regarding those Sidebars: we write them, or have others write them, because readers of our first editions wanted more of that "stuff" and still do. In fact the editor of our latest Southeast Alaska guidebook went a little overboard. We just can't please everyone! Best regards to you both and have a good season, Réanne Hemingway-Douglass & Don Douglass
I have been reading your blog and you gave me insight on crew
fullfillment.
Jayne and Larry – We have been following your continued adventures on the new Knotty Dog with great interest, since you write so well and are writing about our home cruising grounds. As a long time South Florida resident (God help me), allow me to offer an apologia of sorts for the seemingly boorish behavior of skippers down here when it comes to wake etiquette. We (mostly) do know better. The problem is that, in the interests of manatee conservation, huge areas of the inshore waters are speed restricted to slow or idle speed. Often the only area that is exempt is the ICW channel itself. What this unfortunately does is cram every local who is wanting to get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time in the same channel with anyone who is restricted at all by draft and/or doesn’t have the local knowledge to safely operate outside the marked channel (that is, most cruisers). Sad to say, the polite habit of slowing down to give an easy pass for oncoming or overtaking traffic is no more. The waterway is just so crowded, you would be constantly speeding up and slowing down, speeding up and slowing down. An already tough navigating task would become chaos, with boats constantly changing speeds. So unfortunately, nobody slows down for anybody, and it gets pretty rough out there. My only advice is to secure ship for an ICW run the same way you secure ship for a run offshore, because you are gonna get bounced. In fact, on any halfway decent day, Jayne and I prefer to run offshore, where at least we have some elbow room. It’s a bummer, but it’s the modern reality down here. Hope you are enjoying your break from the action, and we will look for your posts this winter.
-Jonathan and Jayne March 2009 Hello Larry, Jayne and Ziggy, I'm enjoying your website and reading about your current adventures. I have driven down to Key West but it must be particularly beautiful and challenging to go by your own boat. If you stop in Islamorada you might want to check out the "World Wide Sportsman" store and see the full size replica of Ernest Hemingway's boat "Pilar". We have boating friends from Washington who went there a few years ago and brought back pictures. The store is fun but seeing the "Pilar" replica is impressive if you like classic boats or have an interest in Ernest Hemingway or his novels. The "Hemingway Resource Center" on the internet has some additional info. about the sister ship replica. It was built in 1933 and according to legend Hemingway fished from the boat and then decided to order one for himself. The replica on display was also used in the film "Key Largo" with Bogart and Bacall. You may have seen the Hemingway house in Key West but few of us will ever see the actual "Pilar" boat as it is currently in Cuba. Have a safe journey, Joyce ........San Diego
Dear Ziggy and parents Jayne and Larry: A friend sent me to your logs because she thought we shared similarities with you, and I am enthralled reading them. Your writing is so immediate; I feel like I am right there with you, and feel like I know all three of you as if we were long time friends. So let me introduce us. I am Mike .... My wife is Bunny ..... Our seven year old Corgi is Willie. We live in Atlanta, and have a place on St George island, out from Apalachicola on the Panhandle of Florida’s west coast. I joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary there and learned enormously. We chartered out of Anacortes in 2004, and I learned that my CG training really did work; I could pilot and navigate. We fell in love with the PNW, so much so that we wound up with a Nordic Tug 37 in Anacortes. We are owned by our Corgi, Willie; and thus we drive across the country (as you do, Jayne), rather than fly, when we are ready to cruise, because I won’t put Willie down below on a plane, and Bunny won’t leave him behind. (Neither will I.) I had the opportunity several years ago to crew from the Chesapeake down the ICW across Lake O to the Fort Myers vicinity on, Karina, a Zimmerman 37 – a wonderful Spencer Lincoln hull, that appears very similar to yours, owned by a friend who lives on it in the winter at a wonderful small marina just east of Fort Myers. We have other similarities, but that’s enough for starters – love our dogs and love cruising— most of the other stuff seems pretty far down the list of importance. I saw Larry’s post on the T&T list, asking about depths crossing Lake O. That caused me to think that you might be planning to head up the Florida West Coast this spring; if so we would love to meet you, if your schedule matches ours. The Intra (as it is designated on the west side of Florida out to Texas) Coastal Waterway goes through St. George Sound and Apalachicola Bay, which are our Florida home waters. If you’d like to take a day or so off the boat, we’d be tickled to have you stay with us. If schedules don’t work, or if you’re reluctant to accept invitations totally out of the blue from perfect strangers, at the least I hope that you will join us for a nice meal. And if you are looking for local knowledge, I’d be delighted to advise, to the extent I can. I look forward to hearing from you. And I’ll be devouring your log from the Keys. Sincerely, Mike ........ Ziggy says..Willie we love letters like this!
Hi, We looked at the most recent video on your website. I don’t believe I have ever seen a busier waterway. I would be really scared going through something like that. Were you able to get any sleep? By the way, I really enjoy reading about all these places you have gone to. You tell it like it is and that is a good thing. How would anyone who has never been there know what it was like, unless they were lucky enough to read your website? I don’t think I would ever want to go to Ft. Lauderdale in a boat. Take care, Brenda ZIGGY Says: It quiets down after about 9pm & even thought it is noisy, it is fun. The video is for effect.
Hi! We have written to you before, (Bob, Vicki and crew Rosie on Blue Moon,) and I just can't restrain myself any longer! I grew up boating in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale area. There are places where it is just like a shooting gallery....(and sometimes I felt like I wanted to do the shooting!!) I know the zoo that you are in! The traditional boater wave down there is the middle-finger salute! Re: fixed docks and pilings..... we have been up and down the east coast, NY and Canadian canals etc. Fixed docks are a pain, but they are doable---- here's what we do---as always, feel free to disregard. When backing into a slip with fixed pilings forward, we set up with two bowlines, a spring on each side, and two stern lines. The bow lines and spring lines are set with the loop end free, and the bitter end around the cleat, leaving a lot of line free. (To be adjusted later.) I (Vicki) make a loop with the end of the line, and, standing just aft of midships, drop the loop over the forward piling, only when the piling is next to me, as Bob backs in. Ditto other side. Bob is going slowly enough for me to do this. Depending upon the state of the current etc., I then take the proper spring, and drop it over the forward piling. Puling this spring keeps the stern away from the dock. If no one is there to help, we are at least safe in the slip. Usually, Bob steps off the boat onto the finger pier, (never jumps--- we've seen broken ankles and legs from that!) and I throw him the stern lines-- first one on depends on the current. It's sometimes not pretty, but it works! Most important-- no one gets off the boat until we are sure that the boat is safe in the slip....then we finish making it fast. Re: Side-to with fixed pilings. Set up one bow line, and two spring lines on the dock side, and two stern lines, one on each side. Bob puts the boat in, bow first...Vicki just runs a line from the bow cleat, around the piling, and back to the cleat. (Looks like I'm hugging the piling!) When I (Vicki) pull this line tighter---(always run the line around one horn of the cleat, then pull. The cleat gives you a mechanical advantage.) At this point, the line is around the cleat in a circle, and both ends are on the boat. Then Bob brings in the stern, and I take the stern line closest to the dock and loop it around the piling. (Same as bow.) This aft line is a temporary measure. Bob, or Vicki--- only one of us--- steps off the boat and ties the first spring according to the current. Then we take the outside stern line, and tie to the piling. Usually we try to get one a bit further back behind the boat, to get a good angle. When we leave, we remove all lines that are tied to the dock first, then the stern line. Bow line is last to go off... remember it is only a loop. Bob turns on this line, and backs the stern clear, then I slip the line off. Easy to do, since it is not tied, just looped. (As an aside, when in a questionable area, we often keep both ends of the line on the boat.... harder for someone to mess with, (tall piling) and easier for a fast escape!) As before--- no one off the boat until the boat is safe in the slip, then we finish the tie-up. I know this is wordy, I wish I could show you! As I said--- feel free to disregard.... this is what works for us. I'm sure if we ever get over to the Pacific coast, I'll be asking you how to tie up to a dock with no pilings, no cleats, and a bull rail!! (I can't imagine... no kidding!) Well, that's more than enough from me.... we will be on the Chesapeake starting in early May. Hope to meet you along the way! Bob, Vicki, and Rosie Blue Moon
February 2009 Well a big Hello to the crew of the Knotty Dog! I have been reading your progress down the intercoastal. It must be a real challenge at times with all the dredging and markers being moved. Hopefully the weather will be warmer, can't believe how cold its been so far south! Happy belated Birthday to Jayne. Three score and something? Haven't heard any more about Larry's eye trouble. I hope that problem is taken care of? I had mixed feelings when I read the young native Hiada girls e-mail. My thoughts wouldn't be politically correct so I'll keep them to myself for the time being. By the way I thought you gave an excellent response! Time to get busy, as always may calm winds and fair seas be on your horizion. Lynn and Loretta and the Gang. Happy Valentines Day to Everyone!
I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your Knottydog website. I'm sure glad Jack gave us the address. I've been an avid boater/fisherman most of my life with all of the boats having been used as a platform to bass fish from except for one, which was a sailboat which happened to have been at the wrong time because along about that period our kids were born and not being the type to leave Elaine home while I went sailing, I sold it. We had taken a sailboat ride out of Bar Harbor, Maine and I got hooked. Your trips on the ICW are so interesting and have me sitting on the edge of my seat white knuckling it during the shallow water runs. I was right with you and Larry when you were squeezing by the dredger with not much water under your keel. Back in the 50's, I happened to read an article in the Steubenville paper about a man that had been a school teacher there and was retiring and he and his wife were going to take their boat to Fla. down the ICW. I thought boy, would I like to do that. After reading your logs of the trip, I wonder now if they had a boat large enough to handle what they would encounter. After that I never heard any more about them. Keep the good stuff coming with your fantastic writing talent! I'll be waiting for the next update. Dave Dear Ziggy and Family – I really enjoyed your Bahamas logs, which I stumbled across on a link from the Great Loop cruising site. You capture both the joys and frustrations of cruising the Bahamas, and we have been to many of the spots you wrote so well about (we spent our honeymoon at Staniel Cay). My wife and I are I guess what you’d call beginning cruisers – we have a little 26 foot trailerable boat, and we live for summertime trips to the Bahamas – summertime is best for small boats, winter is just too rough for us little guys. We learn a lot from reading logs like yours, and we hope to move up to a real cruising boat someday. We have our logs from our trips at: http://gorhams.googlepages.com/home if you would like to check them out. Thanks again for the armchair adventure, Jonathan and Jayne xxxxxx (and dogs Mousse and Cha-Cha)
M/V Top Cat
Hello Larry; I just wanted to write and thank you for all the help and enjoyment my wife and I have received from reading your many logs over the past few months. I am a lifelong sailor who bought a power boat two years ago as a concession to advancing years and my wife Wendy's increasing difficulty with seasickness on the Ocean. We have lived in St. Petersburg, Florida seasonally for the last 7 years when not cruising on our 53 foot Beneteau, largely in the Med. We brought that boat home to Florida a couple of years back and she is too tall and too deep to cruise much down here. We also have come to put more value in creature the comforts a power boat provides. I bought the power boat, a Bayliner 4788 pilothouse, with minimal experience in power boats with the idea of doing the Loop starting last year. We joined the AGLCA and made the trip up the ICW as far as Oxford, MD last year where we just fell in love with that area. We wound up buying a second house on the Tred Avon near Easton and now are sailing a fair bit on the Chesapeake on our 30 foot Wylie catboat while we are getting more experience in the power boat. Last September we took a couple of weeks to visit Washington DC and in planning for that trip found your log which we used as a guide for places to see and to avoid. Since then I have read a great deal of your logs with much pleasure. Our wakes have crossed many times. For example we kept HOKULAE'A at Isle of Hope for almost two months into October of '07. I admire your selection of the new boat and hope you have a great trip down from your currentl location. The Lake is higher than it has been in years and you should have an easy crossing. Thanks again for all your great work in maintaining your blog. Hall
S/V
RELATIVITY (Beneteau First 53f5) Responses to the Hidia Letter .......... I think Natalie, the Haida Indian, really over reacted to Jayne’s comments........
Wow~ My experiences with Native Americans have been few, but of those few experiences, some have been awful. The individuals, mostly in Northern CA, were VERY angry and racist. I don't know how I would feel if I were native American, considering what they have been through, but you can't help but think, "OK, I understand, now get over it. Or at least don't exhibit the same racism that tormented you for so long." Hope everything else is good. Jim
We both read Larry's email which included your response to the Haida girl. There is a very big chip on that little one's shoulder. Too bad that she views life that way, though I guess I should not talk since I have not ever been in a minority....... Fran & Joe My lord. I don't think there was a thing you could have said about them that would not have been criticized. Joe I think the letter from the Haida girl is a wee bit of sour grapes. Susan Jayne I was very offended by your blog post about you visit to the Queen Charlotte islands, as I am a girl who is full haida girl from Masset. First I would like to inform you that the people from the Charlottes are not “Indians” we are the haida people, natives if you must. Most first nations people find it very offensive if you were ever to call them Indians. Indians to me (as a first nations girl) are people that are from India. “I think they should be called something more like Sea Rape and Sea Devil””. If you really did your research you would have realized that there are thousands and thousands of crabs in the haida gwaii seas. If you had seen the thousands of crabs on the beach maybe just a week later you would of saw them with no meat inside. Wildlife eats the dead crabs that is left ashore by the fisherman. Most fisher men leave about ten crabs there on purpose to give back to the wildlife. I also didn’t appreciate that you posted up pictures of the deceased graves and headstones. I don't think that the family of these people would like that you did that. In a way its disrespectful Your comment about how the “simple bracelet cost $3000” bothered me as well. Do you know how long and hard it is to make a simple bracelet it takes a lot of patience and skill. Just to get the bracelet to that shape take weeks of work. Also I don't think that elders would like that your husband was trying to push over balance rock as it is a symbol of greatness as it is believed to protect the Skitigate waters. I was also unbelievably offended that you where “disappointed” in the people of Masset and their living conditions. If you have traveled though Masset a bit more you would of discovered new “modern” nice houses. And not all of Masset if full of drunken Indians sitting around and loitering. There are successful people in Masset. What bothered me most of all was when you had mentioned that most of the Haida culture was lost due to the small pox epidemic. Are you kidding me? The Haida language is taught daily in school beginning when children go to kindergarten. There are still Haida dance groups that sing traditional songs and dances as our ancestors did. Many people are still carving totem poles and jewelry. I personally know many, many people from Haida Gwaii who weave for a living. Weaving clothing cedar cats red cedar baskets, and making roses. I weave with my mother all the time( literally as much as I can). My mother learned it from her mother who learned it from her mother and so on and so forth. I'm only 17 and know so much about where im from. I am in a traditional Haida dance group in Prince Rupert.. I paint Haida designs my older brothers draws for me in First nations Art 12 in Prince Rupert Secondary School. So I still know traditional things. Although you had mentioned that it was lost. So guess I am “restoring pride and hope for my people much like Bill Reid has done in recent years”. So I pretty much want to say that Masset isn't as depressing as you made it seen. I read your whole blog about your trip to the Queen Charlottes. It made me mad although you did appreciate the scenery at some points. Maybe you didn’t intend it to be but it did seem as though you were racist. In many ways. My mother thought so as well. Anyways your blog really disappointed me. natalie
ZIGGY's responce: for reference this seems to be the log of concern: Graham Island Dear Natalie, THE DISAPPOINTMENT WAS MUTUAL I too was disappointed to hear how you viewed our log that described our visit to Queen Charlottes. Your reaction was completely opposite of what we would have expected. You sound mad and resentful and I’m sorry you really didn’t see our true feelings. RACIST AND DISRESPECTFUL? You have called me a racist and said I am disrespectful. I really hope that I can convince you that your impression is far from accurate. I will address each comment and try to explain. We have great respect and admiration for the Haida people and also feel a great sorrow for the sadness of your past most directly responsible by the early visitations of the “white man” who unknowingly brought small pox that decimated your population. We did not in any way come away from your island with such negative impressions as those that you have described nor do we wish that our comments to be taken in such a negative way. If our comments were indeed hurtful we are very sorry and sincerely apologize and hope that we can clear up an misconceptions. QUEEN CHARLOTTES, A CHERISHED MEMORY Our visit to the Queen Charlottes was a cherished experience personally rated high above many other places that we have visited by boat or otherwise. We’ve always considered the Haida people to be remarkable in so many aspects. They are clearly artistically talented and creative and their mythological stories passed down from generation to generation are insightful filled with lessons we all could benefit and learn from. Their respect for nature is something that if all people followed would make the world a much better place. I readily admit that we have only scratched the surface of learning about your culture but think we have a pretty good insight. POLITICALLY INCORRECT Recently it has become politically correct to call native peoples and different races by more popularly accepted descriptions or terms, such as “Chicano”, “African American”, and “First Nations People.” Being a much older person than yourself, a person who is used to a vocabulary that I have used my whole life, a vocabulary that has also well served those that came before me for many generations, but that has become to some like you a vocabulary that is now considered unacceptable that must be changed, to be replaced with words that honestly at times, seem very silly to me. Many of these new words are quite a mouth full, many that I’m not very comfortable with and many that do not flow easily from my mouth. “DRUNKEN HAIDA PERSON?” So perhaps this explains why I use the word “Indian” in my description of loiters in Masset. I used it without contempt, meanness or disrespect. To be truthful, I would have felt very uncomfortable saying “drunken Haida person” or “drunken First Nations Person”. It just wouldn’t flow easily or comfortably from my mouth. Also, when I say the word “Indian” I don’t agree that people think I’m describing people from India unless I’m speaking of a person from India in the proper context and in this context I think it was quite obvious that I wasn’t. I come from a generation too that doesn’t understand all the hype and accusations of disrespect that are so popular now about calling popular sports teams names like “The Indians” or “Red Skins”, even when used in the same context with “Patriots” or “Chargers”. To require that they be changed now after happily and respectfully being used for many years without justifiable offense is mind boggling. I don’t understand nor do I follow this popular notion of changing the world’s vocabulary for politically correct reasons. But, I sadly and sympathetically understand how a young impressionable person like yourself, growing up in this new world of many changes, experiencing a different education and upbringing than what we experienced, how that you may think this word insulting. I think some of these politically correct trends teach you to be offended by things that are not meant to offend or to be taken as a misguided personal insult and it sadly becomes a factor that divides people for all the wrong reasons. It’s a new world it seems that we live in that tells you how to see and describe things that we may not all agree with. So for this I am sorry, because you have grown up in this new world and it has taught you to feel hurt and insulted by my description which is not what I meant to do. NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM I’m sorry to say that if there weren’t several drunken “characters” loitering in your downtown area of Masset then perhaps this discussion would never have surfaced. Please don’t take offense as this is a common sight in many beautiful cities. In fact a city where we lived for several years, a beautiful city called Santa Barbara, in California, has the same problem. There are loiterers in many other beautiful cities too such as Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA and Victoria and Vancouver, in British Columbia and so on. The list of cities is endless. In fact it is the rare city that doesn’t suffer somewhat from this malady. Some of these people are victims of mental illness but others abuse alcohol and drugs. Their addiction and/or illness makes it difficult and for most impossible to function productively in society. They are not able to keep or get jobs and have no means to provide for themselves or maintain a place to call home which leaves them no option but to loiter in public places. Many hang out in our public parks where children play and on public streets where they are in full view of tourists that come to see our city and like us remark about it. We don’t take offense to their comments but acknowledge the problem and work to make it better. No one likes or feels comfortable when they see this. BEING TRUTHFUL I could have chosen not to mention the problem but then I would not have been honest describing the impressions of the places we visit. I am however uncomfortable calling them “drunken Haida” or “drunken First Nations People” no matter how you try to describe the problem. WHERE DID YOUR LONG HOUSE TRADITIONS GO? I am sorry that you were offended by my description of some of the houses in Masset. I am sure as you pointed out that there are many nice houses in Masset. The point I was trying to make but perhaps was not as carefully worded as it should have been was to explain that I was saddened to see the “Haida” that we saw living in these run down, un-cared for houses. There was no pride as many were trashed with windows broken and junk piled in the yards and graffiti. It was surprising to see this because we were so impressed with how the Haida used to live in their beautiful long houses. The long houses were of such superb design providing not only beauty but ingenuity allowing for mobility from summer to winter locations. They were solidly built of massive lengths wood, precisely designed to be joined together for stability but also to be easily dismantled for mobility to another seasonal location. They were embellished with exquisite decorative designs and yet provided a very functional design to provide a style of living that unified family and clans living comfortably in close quarters. This modern day version of living quarters that we saw just seemed so incongruous with what we came to understand about the Haida. The people seemed sad and without pride in their houses. They were now forced to live in these inferior modern cookie cutter houses that we see everywhere in the world. Somehow I thought that the Haida would live in structures that would reflect their proud heritage and be different from our sad example of low cost modern day culture. CULTURE NOT LOST I also did not say your culture was lost by the epidemic of small pox. We see your people’s brilliance flourishing everywhere. We know that a Renaissance of spirit has been newly inspired by the deeds of Bill Reid. We see the many accomplishments of the modern Haida as we attend, whenever and where ever we can, the many festivals that celebrate your native dances, stories, journeys, clothing, weavings, art and carvings. I was merely trying to express and imagine the great loss that your people must have suffered and the great loss the world unknowingly suffered from the needless and tragic deaths of so many of your talented people that passed away so quickly and unexpectedly from the devastation brought on by the epidemic of small pox. I am glad you and your family and other Haida are keeping up your traditions so we all can still enjoy them.
MASSES OF DEAD CRABS
I was very interested in the explanation you gave me of why there were masses of dead crabs on your northern beaches. I never in a million years would have thought that they were put there on purpose by the Haida fisherman. You explain that is a traditional gesture of the fisherman to show their appreciation for their bountiful catch by sharing some with the animals. You criticize me for my lack of research and knowledge of this tradition. I have to say that I have no idea how I would’ve known that or where I would’ve researched this information. No one that we talked to had an explanation for it. I have read a lot about your people and your islands and never did I find mention of this. Perhaps you shouldn’t expect everyone to know all these things. PRESERVING OUR BOUNTY Even so, we still are and were astounded by the amount of dead crabs that we saw on the shore. I do not agree that they were eaten and only empty carcasses. To leave that many (and many that were undersized) on the shores means there must have been hundreds of fishing boats to amount to that offering and that would mean well more fishing boats than we could ever imagine there should be. In Washington State we have restrictions on the size and quantity of crabs that we can catch. All the small undersized crabs and females must be returned alive to the sea to preserve the future reproduction and sustainable population of the crabs. We are concerned about the survival of wildlife and fish populations and their well being. This is because man has proven over and over again to be careless in regards to preservation. We also have serious concerns about the condition of the waters we travel over and live by as we’ve seen some pretty disgustingly polluted water. Our first thought upon seeing the dead crabs was that something negative was happening to the local environment. We wondered if the water was bad or if the carcasses were the result of disease or just plain waste from overfishing or perhaps even careless fishing. I think the idea of leaving this offering is a wonderful symbolic gesture and again I applaud the Haida for their traditions and thoughtfulness. To appreciate what one takes from nature by giving something back is an honorable trait but maybe should we should question taking so much that requires so much to be given back? OVERFISHING, A LESSON TO BE LEARNED We can’t help but feel justified in our concern regarding over fishing and our care for keeping a keen eye out for polluted water. I guess this concern and perhaps disgust from what we sometimes see explains why some disrespectful nicknames came to mind for the local crab boats we saw coming and going incessantly from the harbor we were staying in. How could any sea withstand the incessant amount of crabbing that we saw going on there? Fortunately Alaska and the Queen Charlottes still have an abundance of salmon and other sea life to enjoy unlike many other places we have been along America’s Coasts. The disappearing fish supply is becoming common place. In Puget Sound, where we live, there are serious concerns about the disappearance of salmon due to overfishing and contaminated waters and how it is effecting the survival of many living things that depend on it for food including our local and cherished Orcas. British Columbia Coast shows serious signs of decline evidenced by the mass of fish farms that are sprouting up in every corridor along their remote shoreline. These are places that are in both our backyards and are cause for common concern. I hope the Queen Charlottes and Alaska will quickly learn from the mistakes of others, the over fishing and pollution of waters, so they will continue to respect their waters to keep them clean and be conscious of the amount they take so they can maintain a good balance. We want you to retain your resources so you can always enjoy your present good quality of life. There is a fragile limit to our natural resources if we are not careful. PRIVACY OF THE DEAD I did not realize that anyone would find it offensive to photograph the grave markers as you said. There were no posted signs to mention this. I have always had a great interest in cemeteries because it provides a glimpse into people’s history and I have found that all grave markers tell a story for the living to interpret, a story about the life of the person that lies beneath hoping perhaps not to be forgotten JEWELERY AND CRAFTS OVER PRICED? Yes, the Haida jewelry and other Haida crafts are very expensive and do require a tremendous amount of time to produce which does justify the high prices. Sadly many just can’t afford to pay the price. I understand the need to keep your arts and traditions alive and I’m grateful that there are those that can afford to buy these artworks so that you can continue your traditions. I would have loved to have purchased a piece of jewelry, a woven good, or a carving for keeps sake as it would serve well as a cherished reminder of or our visit to your islands.
STAY IN BALANCE WITH THE WORLD
Never would I have thought that the Haida people would have taken offense at Larry having his picture taken playfully pretending to push over the “Balance Rock”. I must ask. Have you really lost your sense of humor? You are way too serious and should lighten up a bit and see some fun in life. Perhaps you should try to understand other cultures as we try to understand and learn about yours. Maybe you should not be so demanding of those that visit you, to demand that they know your culture in such depth. Would we expect the same from you if you visited our island? I don’t think so. You assume that we should know all of your traditions; that we should speak using a changed vocabulary that you approve; to look at things your way, not other ways, other views and also to not look at some things, nor describe them nor photograph them. I must admit that your comments make us feel unwelcome to a place where we thought the people friendly and the landscape enchanting and the culture unique and worthy. Our words were never meant to be interpreted with the intent of malice nor did we intend to express anything other than to describe clearly what we saw and experienced. We came away from your islands with impressions of hope, admiration and respect for your people.
So, please forgive us for any offense that we have caused you.
November 2008 Ms Jayne and Larry, I stumbled across your website today. I was there for over an hour reading your stories and looking at the great pictures you have shared. I am a retired (06) Navy sailor of 20+ years. I currently work as a police officer at Kings Bay Submarine Naval Base in S. Georgia. I am assigned to the High Value Asset escort team, we provide armed patrol boat escort services for the submarine when they enter and leave the Base here in Ga. I enjoyed your story of the exploding windshield on the Protector. I too had a similar situation. I was on a 27' patrol boat in Puerto Rico, we came off the top of a wave crest into the trough and another wave washed over the whole boat, I was standing at the Navigators table on the port side inside the cabin. I looked up and all I saw was a wall of water, the windshield came out and hit me. Luckily it came out in one piece and did not shatter as yours did. I got a small scratch and almost had to change my "drawers" ! Anyways to the reason for my e-mail. I am looking at replacing our old radar and GPS units on our patrol boats. The old units are Raymarine, which I do not like. One of our other coxswains is trying to sell me on the Garmin 5212 Touch screen system. My questions are, which of these systems do you think would be easier to teach other novice boaters? Ease of user interface. Our boats do in excess of 35kts, but while doing actual escort duties we go 10-16kts. I would appreciate any advise. Also would you know of any articles doing comparison testing/evaluations of these units? Again Thanx Traveling S in the ICW, at Kings Bay be sure to take marker # 79 down your portside. I have been on the security boat many days out there and seen more than one vessel take it on the wrong side only to set there for several hours waiting for a tide shift. Be safe,
Larry and Jayne, I have visited your website for several months and have enjoyed reading about your adventures. Norris Palmer told me about your site shortly after you moved to San Juan Island. We have been friends with Norris and Karen since they lived in Texas and had sailboats at the same marina. We have visited them twice since they moved to SJ Island. My wife and I are adopting a 10 year old boy next week that has been living with us for 2 ½ years as our foster child. He loves Washington and the ocean and we are planning on moving to the Pacific NW in the next few years. Our goal is to cruise to Alaska after Cody gets a little older so he can help out. So I especially have enjoyed your logs about your Alaska trip. Until then I will continue to read your logs about your experiences and continue to make our plans. By the way, we have a Yorkshire terrier that isn’t real fond of sailing so we will have a little bit of a break in period for Oliver.
Best regards,
Larry and Jane,
I
had just recently discovered your blog and was following your travels
aboard the new CCY. My interest in Nordhavn originally led me to your
website, although I must admit I've been undecided as to whether to buy
a big passagemaker or a Down East type of vessel. Your "unexpected"
suspension of your cruising plans leads me to hope all is well with
Larry's health.
God's speed in your recovery if in fact you have had health issues.
I
look forward to following you cruises on the new CCY.
Sincerely,
David
Hello Larry, Jayne and Ziggy,
Enjoy reading your "Knotty Dog" website.
Just wanted to say Get Well
Soon Larry!
I learned to sail in Seattle area from a man
named Jay Dawson at Everett Marina. He was from California and
retired to Washington on his sailboat. He lived alone and was an
independent type who never liked to bother anyone. He started having
the kind of eye problem you mentioned and called his doctor. The
receptionist told him the doctor wasn't able to see him until days
later. Unfortunately Jay was not proactive to get an appointment or go
to the emergency room. In less than a week he lost vision in one eye
that never came back despite taking 40mg Prednisone daily.
Glad to hear you saw an opthamologist right
away! It might be interesting to ask your eye doctor if being on the
water a lot (sunlight reflection, wind on the eyes, concentrating on
objects ahead) can promote the problem. I've only heard of this
condition twice and both people were active boaters. Perhaps wearing
glasses and a hat most of the time to limit sun and wind irritation
and taking regular breaks at the helm can help prevent reocurrences.
Take care,
Joyce
San Diego
October 2008
Ziggy responds: Rosie, glad you have enjoyed the logs. Do not give up boating! Dad says we will be in Melbourne late January or early February. Looking forward to meeting you & you family.
March 2008
October 2007
Sorry, we got caught up in the history
and assumed the British got past the chains. In looking at the dates,
Kingston was burned by the British in 1777 so it was a different time
http://www.ci.kingston.ny.us/History/British.html . Sorry about
that.
Ziggy
Aug 2007
ZIGGY Asks.. what racist comments? Please lets us know what comments you are refering to.
Received March 2005
Received 1/20/04
Received 1/6/05
Michael D...... Received 9/15/04
There are several varieties of fruit
flies whose larvae eat their way through fruits.
Received 9-13-04
Received 9/13/04
Boat is more impressive thn pictures can show. and stories are great.. keep writting. - Howard & Jean Cann Westover Maryland 21871 Received 9-12-04
A (fruit) fly and a flea in a flu were imprisoned. So what should they do?
Steve and Jo Philadelphia, PA Received 9-11-04
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I
just finished reading all of your web pages last night and was wondering where
you were now, when behold, We were visiting Onancock this afternoon looking for
a resturant and found the boat docked by Hopkins store. You must have been
napping, all was open, shoes and bicycles were sitting on the dock. Maybe I
could have shouted out your name or stole your shoes!! We quietly left.
Dear
jayne & Larry,