Mike Jastrzebski's Blog, page 29

My 3 words for 2014

by Christine Kling

As I am writing this blog post in advance, today is New Years Day here where we are anchored off Rotuma, the northernmost of the Fijian islands. I am aboard the sailing vessel Learnativity with her captain, Wayne and his lovely dog Ruby, aka The Wonder Dog. It took us 3 days to cover the 350 miles of ocean that separate this island from our last anchorage off the island of Navadra. There was little or no wind on the passage, but Learnativity is a motor sailor with a massive fuel capacity, so we motored north across an increasingly glassy sea and we had lots of quiet time to read, write and chat, as well as enjoy our meals in the cockpit as the boat rose and fell on the long low swells.

The setting here in Rotuma now is this palm-fringed bay speckled with coral reefs and framed by white sand beaches that would make even the least introspective individual pause to catch his breath. I’ve been sitting here contemplating how my life has changed in the last few weeks of 2013. Last year I decided instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, I would choose 3 words to focus on during the year. This afternoon I’ve been evaluating how well I lived up to the three words I chose when 2013 was the brand new baby so full of hope and promise. Last year my words were:

Intend – focus, discipline, determination, goals, effort

Treasure – appreciate, value, mindfulness

Stretch – being open to new people, becoming more fit

So, how did I do? I always struggle with will power and discipline, but when I wrote this blog post on New Year’s Day in 2013, I barely had a rough outline of the beginning of Dragon’s Triangle. In the next 10 months I turned that melange of ideas into a finished novel of roughly 475 pages. I’m proud of that effort and of the book. I don’t know how it will be received, but I know the book is filled with all my good intent. The second word I chose, Treasure, is one that I feel I still need to work on. I try hard to live a life filled with gratitude and wonder, but I know there are times when I am surrounded by beauty, yet too inward-looking. This is something I will continue to address in my 3 words for the new year. And finally, the word Stretch. Writing DT was a huge stretch for me. No question. And I have become more fit, reducing my own size by at least one size. Most importantly, in the last few weeks of this year, I stretched the credulity of friends and family when based on the experience of only emails and Skype calls, I flew around the world to meet someone new. Had I not been able to make that stretch, I wouldn’t be sitting here on this boat today.

So, I’ve been thinking about my new words during this 3-day 2-night passage and during the eventful first 24 hours here at Rotuma when we were anchored on the other side of the island. After our evening meal on New’s Eve, we were surprised by a huge shudder as the boat came off a rolling swell and hit the sandy bottom. We discovered the clutch had let go on the anchor windlass thus letting more chain creep out until the boat was in shallow water and grounding. Within minutes we found ourselves hard aground in breaking surf and forced to sit for hours waiting for the tide as the boat pounded on the sand. It may sound odd, but even then as the clock turned 12:00 and we knew there were no tugs, no rescue agents to call, I was thinking to myself I wonder what will my new year’s 3 words be? What most amazed me about last night’s grounding experience was the way Wayne and I went to work as a team to solve the problem without any feverish panic, rancor or blame. The experience made me want to find a word that communicated both the unflappable calm with which we faced the situation and overcame it, and yet the magnificent heart-pounding excitement one feels when face to face with the power of the sea.

So, after many hours of thinking and trying on different words and rejecting them, here are my 3 words for 2014. Some people might call it cheating that I include synonyms and explanations, but I do that so that I can focus on the particular meanings of these words.

Awe – wonder, reverence, respect

Tribe – family, community. This includes appreciating my own extended family, the opportunity to blend with other families (my son is engaged to be married), being a part of the cruising community and reaching out to the community of readers and writers.

Heart – courage, tenacity, fortitude, willpower. I chose this word for many reasons: first, I tend to overthink situations in my work and my personal life. The heart is the metaphorical home of emotion. But the heart is also that big muscle that keeps our bodies alive and so the word also pertains to my ongoing desire to meet the third third of my life in the best shape I’ve been in for years. And finally, I want to be more courageous in both my writing and my personal life.

As ever, I hope you, the readers of this blog will let me know what you think and consider finding your own 3 words for 2014. If you do, I hope you’ll share your special words with me.

Happy 2014!

Fair Winds!

Christine

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January 2nd…

C.E. Grundler

So, this is how I see the calendar, this time of year.

December 31st, often under the influence of something of the alcoholic variety, resolutions are made, often with the best of intentions. You know the drill — I’m going to eat healthier, exercise more, get more sleep. All uttered while staying up till the wee hours of the morning, glass in hand and surrounded by a spread of less than healthy dining options.

January 1st, bleary-eyed from too much food, drink, and too little sleep,  wake somewhere around noon to groan and pull a pillow over burning eyes. Seriously, no one EVER starts their New Years Resolutions on New Year’s Day. New Year’s Day is the day to sleep it off, reheat the still abundant holiday leftovers, and vow that “Tomorrow I start, for real.” Be sure to say that with sincerity — it counts more that way.

January 2nd. Okay. It’s officially Tomorrow. At least, according to yesterday it is. And if that statement makes sense to you, then you’re still catching up on that whole ‘get more sleep’ thing as well. Let me know if you’re having any better luck than me, and please, please, tell me how.

Anyhow, here it is, 1/2/14, and it’s time to get down to business. For me, aside from the usual promises, there’s that business of writing and getting that &@%#*$ boat out of that shed and afloat at last. The trick to achieving all of these things (see December 31st general resolutions,) or at least as much of as many of them as possible, is to keep myself on track and not let myself get derailed. And therein lies the challenge, because getting derailed has been a constant over the last year(s). Don’t get derailed. That’s the idea, in theory at least. Ask me in May and I’ll let you know how that’s worked out.

So here’s my plan. Step one: at long last (1/1/14)FINALLY download a trial to Scrivener. Realize that a house full of hung-over people playing loud video games is not conducive to focusing. Sleep. Wake up next morning (or thereabouts,) wake up computer, (seems hungover as well,) run through the tutorial (my current position,) and start using that program, (see this post, as an example.) I know many of you swear by Scrivener, though I believe the first time I checked the program out, a Windows version was still in development. So far, I’m really liking what I’m seeing, and I can understand why this program might be a wonderful aid in getting far too many thoughts rounded up and organized into a complete draft. Over the last few months, keeping my notes collected and organized has been like herding cats. Scrivener appears to have numerous Cat Herding functions, so I think this might help. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

Come May, we’ll see how far I’ve gotten. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll include a picture of myself, smiling on the deck of my boat, in the sun, in an absolutely adorable little bikini. That is, so long as I stick to ALL my resolutions.

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Good-bye/Hello

www.michaelhaskins.net

What do you expect me to write on New Year’s Eve? Come on, it’s gotta be a list of my promises to myself on what I will do better than I did in 2013. Of course, these lists any of us make usually fade into oblivion within weeks; the good ones among us may make it a month or two and those out there with no life might make it through to the next year. I hate those people!

What’s on the top of my list? I want to write more, or maybe write longer, stretching my writing time into the early afternoon.

Next, I want to finish a book in six months. Do #1 and maybe that’s possible.

I want to read more. I love reading and really need to get some of those stacked books off the shelf before it breaks. If you write, you need to read and while I do read, I want to spend more time reading and less time watching TV or sleeping.

However, my wife and I record the programs we like and watch them a day or two after they’ve aired. This is quality time for us. Probably the one thing we do together that we both enjoy. So, I cannot eliminate TV. I watch the 6 pm local news and the 6:30 pm network news. Sometimes in the morning, with my coffee and the papers, I watch Morning Joe. That surprises many of my friends because I am a bleeding heart liberal, but the show is mostly evenly matched and has some great debates. I’m not closed minded, just a Boston Liberal. I record Morning Joe too, but what I don’t catch in the morning, I rarely ever watch later in the day. Maybe that should go on my list? Watch Morning Joe at night.

Ok, like about 99% of us that ain’t in the 1% who have it all, I need to exercise. Think about it. A writer’s only exercise is pacing the room. For me that includes under the house. My house is built eight-feet above the flood plain, by Monroe County ordinance. I like it. The space is like a Florida room and I can smoke my cigar and sip my Jameson’s while using my laptop to write. But, alas, it ain’t exercise.

I suppose if I keep the list short enough I might actually extend the life of some item to two months! Okay, what’ve I got? 1) write more, 2) read more, 3) write a book in six months; 4) watch Morning Joe at night, and 5) exercise.

I think #1 & #3 could go together, but what the hell, the list is short and so is life.

What are you hoping to accomplish in 2014?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

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Resolutions

By Mike Jastrzebski

With 2014 only two days away I decided that it was time to write out a few resolutions. Of course the problems with resolutions is that they are easier to write out than to carry out, so I decided to choose mine carefully and to split them between my two passions in life–writing and cruising.

On the writing front the number one item on my list is to finish the re-write of my next Wes Darling Mystery, Stranded Naked Blues. I’ve had the first draft completed for eight months now and I’ve just been picking at it a little here and a little there. It’s time to settle down and get it done.

I also need to get back to work on my YA urban fantasy series tentatively titled, The Believers. I’m shooting for a three book series and have two books in the series partially completed.

My third and final resolution is to get away from the dock and back out cruising. I’ve been busy installing a water maker, had new rigging put on the boat and just ordered a new auto pilot. There’s only one more major job to complete before we can leave and that’s the bottom job. I know I have some blistering and I’m afraid that I may need to have the bottom peeled before I can paint so I can’t set an exact date, but ASAP sounds good to me. I really miss hanging on the hook and moving about.

How about you readers out there? Anyone want to list one or two of their own resolutions? I’d love to read what others are planning for the New Year.

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Fijian Christmas

by Christine Kling

Some people might think snow and evergreen trees are a necessity for getting into the Christmas spirit, but I can assure you it doesn’t get much better than Christmas in Fiji.

We are back in the Vuda Point Marina sorting things out after a little shake down trip. We took off a few days ago and went out to anchor off the lovely island in the photo above. We spent a couple of nights out there and got to go snorkeling and started to sort the boat out, but en route, we hadn’t been able to get the autopilot to work. Wayne had earlier told me that he’d felt a lighting bolt strike about 500 feet from the boat just before I arrived. From a similar experience I’d had on another boat, we deduced it might be the fluxgate compass that suffered from the lightning’s EMF and that turned out to be right. Fortunately, Wayne carries a spare, so he switched in the new one and we had the autopilot back for the 25 mile return trip to the marina. We decided to return because we needed to do several things back at the marina, not the least of which was that we’d left all the meat and chicken  in the deep freeze of the neighbor’s boat where we were trying to get it frozen rock hard. So we sailed back over here on Christmas Eve. It was a good thing to make that little sail of 25 miles each way so that I could begin to learn how to sail this huge complicated boat with in-boom roller furling, electric winches, enormous diesel engine, etc. (Note to self- you’re REALLY not on Talespinner anymore). When we got back to Vuda Point Marina, we decided to head for the pool for a swim (and they had water aerobics noodles there!!) and that night we went out to dinner at the restaurant at the adjoining resort called First Landing (http://firstlandingresort.com). We had a fabulous gourmet Prix Fixe meal and got to hear this amazing Fijian Church choir singing a combination of Fijian and English Christmas carols. The Fijian waiters were darting around wearing Santa hats with flashing Christmas lights, and we had a window table for the sunset. It was a magical night.

Another reason we had decided to stick around for a few days was that there was an area of disturbed weather that was showing some potential to develop into a tropical storm. We had thought it might be somewhat fun to depart on Christmas Day, but we decided we could use another trip to the market for more fresh food, and we’d give that area of weather another day to develop or crumble apart. Thankfully, it did the latter more or less, but it still bears watching. Cyclone season in the South Pacific is much less predictable than the Caribbean.

Christmas morning friends from a beautiful UK-flagged Grand Soliel 54 stopped by and told us that the marina restaurant called The Boatshed on the point would be closed for Christmas, but they had a barbecue,  so they were heading over in the afternoon to cook their Christmas dinner. We followed them over around 3:00 and had another fabulous meal. I took a pork roast and cut slices into the meat and inserted fresh ginger, then rubbed the whole thing with cinnamon (no cloves, though- I’m just starting to find my way around this galley). I chopped up apples, potatoes, and onions and threw it all into a tin foil package. Wayne brought chilled champagne and the four adults sat around in this beautiful setting talking while the 5-year-old daughter of the British couple played with Wayne’s dog Ruby. It certainly was a Christmas dinner to remember.

The plan now is to depart in the next hour and work our way up through the Yasawa group. Then we’ll jump off and sail to Rotuma (still in Fiji) stop for a couple of days and then head out for the 2-week trip to Majuro. I have incredible confidence in both this boat and her captain and I’m looking forward to night watches, listening to music, reading books on my Kindle and starting the new Seychelle novel.

We will be celebrating the new year at sea, so I’m sending out my very best wishes to all my friends, family and readers for the very best beginning to 2014!

Fair Winds!

Christine

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Taking a rain-check on Christmas…

 

Toss some lights on it, a (crooked) star, one ornament, and we’re good to go!

C.E. Grundler

While everyone around me is coming down from the pre-holiday frenzy that is Christmas, here in my personal corner of N.J., it’s still a few days off.

Yes, I’ve checked the calendar. I know it’s currently December 26th. But here in my house, we’ve taken a vote and the consensus was, for sanity’s sake, we’ll all wait till Saturday.

That’s not to say we didn’t celebrate yesterday. We did. But the big planned meals, the guests, the gifts, they’re all in holding pattern. It’s just that there was too much to do, too little time, too many people with too many obligations between the 24th and 25th. Half the gifts weren’t even wrapped yet, and the tree — well, the tree had been standing bare since it came in two weeks ago, still waiting for someone to stand still long enough to decorate it. And somewhere along the way we’d lost sight of what we were celebrating, and why. So ultimately we as a family agreed that all involved would be far more relaxed if we simply held off a few more days.

As a result, yesterday’s ‘not-Christmas’ was delightfully pleasant, merry, and best of all, 100% stress-free. There was no pressure to be three different places at once. No worries over gifts, no mess of wrapping paper. No racing in and out of the kitchen, preparing meals. Yesterday was all about simply enjoying the holiday with family, eating some take-out from Dragon House, and taking a few minutes to actually decorate the tree — more  or less, at least. Two strings of lights, a star on top, and a lone ornament — it looks quite lovely as is. (Between now and Saturday, I may throw a few more decorations on. Then again, I might not.) And wonder of wonders, Christmas still came. It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. It even arrived without the Roast Beast. And truth be told, it was the best Christmas any of us can remember in years.

I think there’s a lesson in there somewhere, and we’ve all agreed that from this point forward, we have a new holiday tradition in our family.

 

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A Christmas Orange

As I write this post in expectation of Christmas Eve Day, I recall the story – dating back to the late 1800s – of a Christmas gift given to a young boy named Thomas who lived in New Brunswick, Canada.

At age 8, young Tom lost his mother to death; then, two years later, his father would pass, as well.

Tom and his younger brother, Anthony, went to live on a farm with an aunt and uncle who provided for the boys. As soon as Tom was old enough to work he went to Nova Scotia, eventually heading south to New England where opportunity allowed young men to apply their skills.

Tom found a career as a carpenter, he set aside money, and when his savings allowed, he paid for his young brother, Anthony, to join him in the states.

Later, Tom married and began a family. He built government housing during the First World War, started his own business, and managed to slog through the challenges of the Great Depression.

In time, his business grew and more than 500 homes would be built under his name. Love for his family, physical labor, and the camaraderie of the job site energized him, and simple honesty served him well as a businessman. In fact, it was said that the local bank more readily provided loans on houses he built because of confidence that “the nails you can’t see will all be in the right places.”

Tom and his wife lived into their late 80s and even in his final decade, Tom would faithfully go to job sites, bringing along coffee and donuts for the workers. Toward the end, he spent afternoons on the breezeway listening to a ball game or playing cards.

These stories come to me at this time of year because I recall the account that early in this man’s life Christmas would bring this boy a single present, an orange.

Tom – Thomas P. Leger – was my grandfather. He was perhaps the most happy and content man I have ever met. Maybe it makes perfect sense that this person who faced early hardship found joy, that family would mean so much to one who had lost both parents at such an early age. In any case, his life story offers encouragement and hope.

If I wonder about the resiliency of a young person, I think of my grandfather’s example. Or in times of offering words of encouragement to those facing hardship, my grandfather’s life reminds me that optimism is warranted.

And while Tom Leger’s life is a wonderful story, it is not rare, a fact that brings even more hope when thinking of those who face the Christmas season with challenges or burdens.

As I write these words, news came to me that a dear friend – Amico “Chip” Barone – passed away far too early in life after a long fight with cancer. This, and another recent loss, brings sadness to many at a time that is usually so full of happiness. And I know that untold others may be approaching this Christmas with challenges related to their own loss, illness, or hardship.

So then, more than ever, I offer the most sincere wishes for a Merry Christmas, and perhaps the beauty and symbolism of a Florida orange can underscore the daily joy of our shared lives, the spirit of Christmas, and the promise of tomorrow.

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Eat, Drink and be Merry

I’d like to wish all of you who take the time to read our blog, whether you’re a writer, a sailor, friend, or family best wishes for the holidays. Merry Christmas to all!

Mike, Mary and Belle

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What a difference a week makes!

by Christine Kling

Bula bula! from Vuda Point Marina in Fiji. For my blog post last week, I wrote the headline, “What’s next?” I had finished my novel and in that post I explained how I was feeling somewhat at a loss as to what to do with my time and myself. I had no clue then that what was next for me was 3 flights and 19 hours of travel to get from my boat in Merritt Island,  here to the island of Viti Levu where I am joining a boat for the roughly 2000 mile passage north from Fiji to the Marshall Islands. But when this opportunity presented itself, my refrain changed from “What’s next?” to “Why not?”

Yes, I know, the friends and family who learned about this trip in the last few days were all shaking their heads and wondering at the wisdom of flying three quarters of the way around the world to go sailing on a boat with a fellow I’ve never met. I get that, but hey, life is a risk. I don’t want to be sitting around someday saying to myself, “If only I’d taken that chance.” I love sailing and I’ve had a hankering lately to get back to making some long passages. Part of the Write on the Water philosophy is that if you don’t go out there and grab life by the throat you won’t have nearly as many good stories to tell.

So, here I am. The boat is the sailing vessel Learnativity, a 52-foot steel cutter-rigged motor sailor built in Victoria, British Columbia and launched in 1994. The captain Wayne has been sailing singlehanded with his sweet little dog Ruby since his departure from the San Francisco Bay area in 2008. And he has been a reader of this blog, so that says he must be of good character, right? In fact, he’s been quite the gentleman, and as two experienced sailors, we settled right into the jobs of getting the boat ready to go with a short trip to the fuel dock and a tour of the boatyard. They are prepping for hurricane season here and the sailboats in the yard are put into these holes dug into the ground to accommodate their keels. There are no stands, they just rest on the tires on the ground, so there’s no way they could blow over. I think it makes the yard look like it’s full of dwarf boats.

Yesterday, we traveled all around various shops, markets and grocery stores getting the mounds of provisions for what will be a good three week sail when a few stops are factored in. Given that the last time I was in Fiji was in 1976, it has been quite an amazing experience to see how this country that once had village-life as the predominant culture has entered into the 21st century. There are now more cars than carts on the roads and electronics from cell phones to computers seem to be as common as they were in Thailand and the Philippines. The one thing that hasn’t changed though is the smiles on the faces of the Fijian people.

Wayne has a satellite phone, so I should be able to send in my weekly blog posts (no pictures, though). Like this post, however, they may come in at any point over the weekend. So I will do my best to keep you all updated on this grand adventure that will hopefully feed my need for long passages and new adventure stories.

One last word. Several years ago I was invited to a library luncheon in St. Pete at the fancy Don CeSar Hotel. It was a literary tea with the requisite finger sandwiches and I sat at a table with a crowd of lady library patrons. The head of the woman on my left only came halfway up to my shoulder and her face was thick with pink powder. She smiled and introduced herself then leaned in close to me and in a scolding whisper she said, “I’ve read your books and that Seychelle character of yours — she’s reckless.” I thought about that comment for many weeks after that and finally, I went to the dictionary and thesaurus and tried to understand the word. Here are some words that are supposedly synonyms:

adventurous, audacious, bold, daring, venturesome; hasty, headlong, hotheaded, impetuous, precipitate, rash, wild; blithe, carefree, happy-go-lucky, madcap, slaphappy.

So you know what? I decided I didn’t mind Seychelle being called that and it turns out she’s not all that different from her creator.

Fair winds!

Christine

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It’s beginning to look a lot like…

With all the snow we’ve had in the Hudson Valley over the last few days, it’s hard not to feel festive.  Around here it’s not normal to have snow piling up this early in December, but it certainly is pretty, especially with all the holiday decorations and lights. And as December 25th approaches, family members ask me the same question they do every year. “What do you want for Christmas?”

It’s a silly question, really, because every year my answer is the same.

Boat parts.

Simple, right? It’s easy. If it serves some purpose on the boat, then it’s the perfect gift for me. And it doesn’t even have to be a true ‘boat’ part — though if Santa wants to leave a diesel generator beneath the tree I wouldn’t complain — but anything chosen specifically for the boat is just fine with me. For example, a few years ago my daughter gave me the most beautiful and elegant set of Melamine plates, each with an intricate pattern that resembled a fine white doily on a black background.  Hey… Annabel Lee might not be afloat just yet, but at least we can dine in style.

When my husband traveled to Amsterdam, I insisted he not return with any silly touristy souvenirs. But when he returned bearing various bronze trimmings for the cabin from Andries de Jong, a chandlery dating back to 1787, I was delighted. He felt they’d fit right in aboard the boat, which makes sense, considering the cabin already contained many of their products to begin with.

And it goes both ways. When I don’t know what to give my husband, once again it’s boat parts to the rescue.  Such as the Emergency Rum Locker sign. It’s vital everything in the boat be clearly marked, be it life jackets or critical medications.

So what (other than a generator) would I like to find awaiting me on Christmas morning? I’m not even going to touch upon newer electronics to replace our now 35 year old original equipment. I’ll cross that bridge once she’s afloat. Newer stuff will always be coming out, and what is leading edge today will come down in price as bleeding edge technology eclipses the current options. I’d like all new canvas, but that will have to wait, again, till she’s afloat and the mast up. Solar panels are high on my wish list, but again, that’s another ‘once she’s afloat’ and everything else is done issues. New upholstery… that’d be nice, but not pressing. But there is one particular item I’ve lusted for even back when I was sailing Myra Lee, and it would fit even nicer aboard Annabel Lee.

Quite simply, all I want for Christmas is a Sardine.

Yes, a Sardine.

How lovely is that? How cozy would it be on a chilly night to fire that up? They’re made by Navigator Stove Works, and the Sardine has a glass panel option, so you can watch the dancing flames and glowing embers within. And I have a sturdy vintage tea kettle that would look perfect, sitting on top. Unfortunately the wait for these charming stoves, according to their site, ranges from four months to a year, depending on which model and options you choose. So I suppose I should place my order now, and that should put me on schedule for a splash this spring.

 

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