Mirror.Dinghy"Tilman"

I got out for another sail today. As a stiff southeasterly had been blowing for severs  days, the ocean swells were up and sailing conditions remained fairly lively. When I told my barriers I was off sailing, he mumbled something about the wet weather and looked at me like I was slightly crazy ... but "I drink coffee and go sailing to sustain my sanity" I pleaded fruitlessly.    Never one to be put off, I monitored to a launching place, slightly sheltered and to  windward of a large bay. It's a great place, an ex WWII Catalina base on Lake Macquarie. No  surprises, I had the place t  myself. I toyed with the idea of hoisting the main alone, but being a thrillseeker, I gave it everything ensuring everything was set fairly flat.   I initially bore off downwind, I'm a sucker for anchored yachts, there were three in that direction and as I squirted past, I got some waves from those onboard tucked in behind their spray dodgers.  I was little bothered...

While towing Tilman to our favourite sailing grounds on Friday, I was being tortured by guilt. I should be parenting, working, cleaning house etc. My ex-wife played no small part in making me feel ashamed of sailing, it's something I feel guilty over letting her get away with.    Anyway, the Dalai Llama offers me excellent guidance:

   In middle age my penchant for finding a personal philosophy of life is bearing fruit.    I've long been reflecting on the positive emotional benefits of work. Not work one does as an employee necessarily, just that work that has meaning or purpose for the worker themselves. I developed the notion that "through work we gain freedom". For me it captured an idea that through work we gain confidence, maintain health and provide for our individual needs. Just recently I read the following in Tilman's Greenland book: "Strenuousness is the immortal path and sloth is the way of death". Slightly more dramatic than my own, but apt if we define death broadly as personal esteem, life-purpose and personal motivation and our creative being.   Now I am working on an observation of the ways in which people claim moral worth to justify their actions. I note a speech by Northern Territory's ex-Chief Minister Clair Martin, justifying changing laws to allow Xstrata Min...

    Working up stream Downwind, light air Finished for the day Friday I had Tilligerry Creek to explore. In favourable conditions, f2 x SE and ebb flow of 2 knots, we headed upstream a ways. On the wind watching the sails, the geology of the shoreline and moored craft was both relaxing and enjoyable.   This creek is reputed to be polluted by PFAS chemicals from the local RAAF base, but there was plenty of oyster farming and fishing going on so perhaps there will be many cancers down the track.    Oystercatchers, osprey and game if not tame pelicans were seen. And a sailor working on his cruising yacht said lovely things about Tilman under sail.