Here is a recent picture of splendid as she exists in my time, eah?
I also got a recent picture of Namaste sailing in Australia flying her
drifter and wanted to post it. I really love that little boat!
If you only read my blogs in hopes of finding a cruising or sailing tip, stop reading now. If you read my blogs in hopes to find inspiration to voyage then perhaps it is time for a change? So many of my readers write me and say they just cant pull it off now because of, …….?
Perhaps I’ve gone a little mad but I’ve learned how to control the time on Splendid, really!
I’ve been in the middle of reading two books, “Einstein’s dreams“ and “the mind of God”. Einstein’s dreams particularly got me thinking. The book is about the notion of time. “Mechanical” (man-made time, the clock) time, and “body” time. I’ve been writing a bit about it in my script and like to refer to “body” time as “innate” time as it is the time that comes from within. I.e., is it time for me to eat, hunt, work, love, sleep, and so on? I’ve drawn many of my own conclusions over the past week and plan to change my life accordingly, not to mention permanently.
I feel like I’ve been looking at a print of an ornate design with a friend hovering over my shoulder saying, “Can you see the picture, can you see it Alex”? After a bit of time your brain processes the complex nature of the drawing and it pops into view. This is how I feel about my relationship with time, I see it!
Five days ago I placed tape over the clock that hangs in the saloon of Splendid and removed/scrambled the clock from the bar on my computer screen and phone. I haven’t had a sense of mechanical time for the last five moons/suns and I must say I like it. I’m amazed at how often my eyes unknowingly stray to the tape on the clock, why does it matter? I know morning from mid-day, evening from night. Man-made time (the clock) is really irrelevant and I’m doing away with it for the most part. I have to admit there are times I want to peek under the tape but I don’t. 
When our stomach growls we should not look to our wrist to see if it is “time” to eat, nor when the clock strikes noon should we force food into our mouths if we are not hungry or just “could” eat. Also when we are tired we should not have to consult the ticking governor for permission to rest. This behavior resembles that of poor Pavlov’s dog, and this is not how I wish to live my life. Even I, living this life-style, am a slave to the tock.
In my opinion mechanical time and living by the clock, is the absence of harmony and the concept of freedom cannot exist in this environment.
I’ve taken better control of my time. I’ve found that I do things with more precision as I take more time not knowing the exact time, and fragments of stress have quickly dissolved living in innate time.
The only problem I thought I’d have living without the clock is my pressure pot. If I’m baking I can easily open the oven to look inside but it’s not so easy with the pressure pot. Funnily enough, I’m cooking better in the pressure pot, I don’t know why but I just seem to have a better sense of when my food is done?
Today is a strange day, its really gray and I don’t have a good sense of the sun. It was light when I woke up which is unusual. I usually wake between 4 and 5am as I like to watch the new day roll in with a cup of coffee on deck, and I go to bed between 9 and 10pm. Waking in the light this morning leads me to believe I stayed up much later than usual last night. I think I read, played guitar, and assembled some of the new film till about midnight, maybe 2am? However I woke feeling like I had a really great nights sleep. I didn’t wake up in the night as usual, nor have I been. Not having a clock forces me to listen to my body for rest and nourishment, and this “time” always changes, makes sense eah? I’ve been mediating a lot on
time. I’ve written about it a number of times over the years but I’m getting a little deeper into it now with a greater understanding of it.
I’m sure many of you have trained a dog to sit, stay, come. Could you teach a dog to come in five minutes, or even 10 seconds for that matter? Is it because he is so dumb he can’t understand? The bigger question is, if you could teach him mechanical time, would he come in five minutes? I’d use this analogy with a cat but the cat would just look at you with the “F-off” eyes they are so famous for. I think cats are masters of their own time & universe.
I’m about to make a broad statement but I believe it to be true.
I believe mechanical time to be evil. 
Evil as described by wikipedia:
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good.
During the dawn of mechanical time artists also depicted mechanical time as evil, now we just take it as a given. I believe the measurement of time is that dark shadow in the corner we can never really put our finger on. It’s the monster that lives in the closet of every child’s room, 
and the one we unknowingly/unwillingly learn to live with, the green-eyed monster if you will. It is the force that forces mother and father to spend most of their time away from their children when they are young in order to work (keep time). The evil eye in the sky, the clock tower that watches us from above, and the boogie man. Maybe you’re getting the idea, I really don’t like the clock or the television for that matter!
When the ancient Egyptians invented the water clock and the concept to measure/control small amounts of time I believe they opened Pandora’s box and released this monster that controls us today. The Myans further perfected the measurement of time with the sundial. Then the hour glass came later, then the mechanical and digital clocks. It’s all been down hill from the moment the concept of measuring, or harnessing time was born and we haven’t lost “mechanical” time since. Or perhaps it hasn’t let go of us?
I don’t think man, or any species for that matter was meant to have their life (time) micro-managed as we do, by a mechanical device. And worse off we think it’s perfectly normal and are relatively unaware of this force. Western man, (not the Kuna or indigenous man), is absolutely obsessed with time, myself included, I hope to change this.
“Einstein’s dreams” made a point that makes a lot of sense to me. What if we were to think of/measure time as a quality, and not a quantity? Did we have a productive day? Did we have a happy morning? Was the time we took to make love to our woman quality regardless of how many minutes (perhaps hours) it took?
My French friends were just over for coffee and we were talking about time. When they were in Africa they said the tribe they were visiting had a saying, “you have the clock (white man), we have the time”.
What I do between 7:14am, and 9:22 am is really irrelevant. It’s time to wake up, perhaps eat something, and drink coffee, It’s MY time, not the clocks! Perhaps I need to do some early work on Splendid. Does it really matter if I start at 6:13, or 8:47?
We live and die by the clock and the clock demands servitude without us realizing it. How many of us find in our older years that much of our lives were wasted on the pursuit of money? I consider money another measurement of time as we have to trade our innate time (life/freedom) in order to get it. Perhaps the wrist-watch is more of a hand cuff? Expensive watches seem a bit grossly nonsensical. How much of your life (innate time) did you trade for the expensive time-piece on your wrist that tells you what, where, and more importantly when to do it? I guess the concept is akin to having an attractive jailer as opposed to an average one?
Ask yourself a simple question. If there were two of you, exact copies, one living solely by innate time in another dimension or time, and then you (the one your conscious of) living now, in mechanical time, who would be more whole or happy in their lives? Would your alternate-self trade his life being governed by his heart (the time within) for a more “productive” life (nice car, house, “security” or health care)? Would he feel his time on this earth was worth it if he died at 70, 60, or 50 as opposed to trading his past for the servitude to the clock and living to 80?
Personally I’ve decided to take control of my time. I will control the clock as opposed to letting it control me. I know I’ll need mechanical time if I have an appointment or charter in the future. But mechanical time will no longer live on the wall of my home, on my wrist, or on the screen of my computer forever in my eyesight, and I will only look upon it with the eyes of a cat, and as it’s master.
I’m going to make it a bit of a process for me to find mechanical time. I’m thinking I’ll keep it in my GPS. It’s a bit of a chore to dig it from where it is hidden, wait for it to boot up, and navigate my way to the time screen. I’m sure I won’t be looking at it every day or even every week for that matter. Don’t look for accuracy in the time on my emails because I’ve scrambled the time on my computer. I just don’t want it staring me in the face trying micromanaging my life anymore.
I know some of you think it sounds a bit mad, but if you’re up to it try to go a weekend without knowing mechanical time and you’ll see what I mean. It has more of a hold on us than we realize. And if you don’t have the time to peruse such an experiment that may set you free perhaps you should wonder why?
I have no idea how long it took me to write this blog but it was the better part of the morning, It took as long as it needed to and I’ll go to work on Splendid now. I will work on Splendid not to sail in March, but to make my ship better today.
On another note I’ve started assembling the intro to my new film and I’m uber-excited. It will be something special and I will take my time producing it so I can get what I really want out of it.
I got my external timer for my camera and I’m hoping to take my first time-lapse shot of a sunset this evening : )
I’ve also heard from a few people that have bought the new original BlueSphere T-shirts and they all love them. They say they are good quality. I have not met one (t-shirt) personally yet, hopefully this week. We will launch a baseball hat shortly. I met a nice guy with a company that makes t’s & hats and we have started a nice little relationship.
Time is on my side.
Peace, love, and freedom from the clock!!
alex
Wow man that was absolutely spot on. Expect backlash from this. Time doesn’t like it when you wont play. More importantly those who dwell in platos cave will call for your crucifixion. My girl and i have discussed this at length for awhile. I was really blown away by this log. We dont feel so lonely anymore. We became time pirates a while back after a heavy dose of the red pill. Although we could’nt extricate time from ourselves we started pirating it. Stealing it without compunction until we have become fat on it. It has earned us the black flag amongst those from our previous corporate lives. We wear it as our shroud of pride. However she stopped me from throwing my watch overboard as we passed sombrero light. She said we might need it someday for dead reckoning and we shouldnt throw trash into a marine preserve. Ok fine So now it lives in isolation at the bottom of my chart locker. You cant make time man you can only take it. Ran into a guy last night at dockside who helped you with splendids decks. It was funny we were just talking about boats and you came up. erin or eric something. anyway he told me a story about you being at the docks and then anchoring out and being hassled by the man for it. The way he told it was hilarious. funny canadian dude. Anyway small world huh.
Hey Alex,
I haven’t posted very often but always read the blog. This post hit a nerve with me and I agree with Brett that it’s “absolutely spot on”. I haven’t worn a watch in at least ten years. I don’t have a watch so I didn’t keep track oh how long it’s been :-).
One of my favourite things about travelling and/or vacationing is losing all sense of time. I enjoy not knowing what time it is, waking up with the sun, eating when I’m hungry, going to sleep when I’m tired.
Even in my everyday world of working in an office, I’m lucky enough to have a job with flexible hours. As long as I get my stuff done there’s no reason to be in at 8 am. I don’t have to be at work from 8-5 and if a client needs something from me, they can leave a message or send me an email. There’s no such thing as an emergency in my line of work – well there is, but they should be calling 911 and not me. Over the years, I’ve learned that I’m not a morning person am more productive later in the day. Strangely enough though, when I am on vacation I am usually up earlier than normal. Is that some kind of indication that I don’t enjoy going to work? Most probably, but I don’t have one of those “do something you enjoy and you’ll never work a day in your life” jobs. It pays me well but is more of a means to an end, which is buying a boat with my girlfriend and sailing away. We don’t have the capital right now to do it the way we want (catamaran) but we’re getting closer every month. Still, there are time when I need to be somewhere or meet someone at a certain time but there are tons of clocks around that I don’t need to carry one. I don’t have a cell phone either, as there’s no need to be reachable 24 hours a day or to know the time always displayed on the face.
I got a lot of benefit from reading the 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss) which is mainly about time management and creating mini-retirements now to do what you want to do while you’re able-bodied instead of delaying your enjoyment. I’m looking to create a continuous mini-retirement with the boat and if we have to come back and work to refill the kitty then that’s fine.
Anyway, great post and looking forward to the book and new movie.
Lorry
Preach it brother.
I’m really buckling down on the film. I’m going to have to do a little balancing act with working on splendid but at the end of the day I have the time. My tripod exploded yesterday and I had to order a new one (arrrgggg). I wanted something heavier as it is a lot better for time-lapse shooting, I need uber-stable in wind for time lapse.
The film is really taking on its own life which is good. It will have a much different feel from the first two and is more of a main-stream project not just for the sailing community, but surely for my community of friends.
I wage a war on the clock :)
okay, you have to watch this, sailing at 51 knots!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2boayPZ3GbE&feature=related
BTW does anyone know about trapping lobsters? I was looking at these taps on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOBSTER-CRAB-TRAP-Folding-Trap-BRAND-NEW-TR301-/370488953162?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5642dcc94a
;0
I woudnt mind having extra food around in mani-sayta
http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/boa/2666874191.html
Hey check out this sweet boat for sale. I cant do any thing about it right now but mabey someone out here will.
Im in the middle of the quarter at school, and I have kind of commited my self to saving up a large chunk of change before I buy my keeper boat. I will just do what I can and try not to forget that good things come to those who wait. At least I can look.
Isaac,
unless you realy, really, REALLY love working with wood I wouldnt go near that boat with a 10′ pole. I love wooden boats, and I especially love to sail them, I just wouldnt want to own one. But to each their own.
Yeah you are right. I do like wooden boats and that one is pretty sweet, but who wants another fulltime job? Plus I would always question every joint, ancor point and rib, etc…
Whats the weather like where you are at right now? Its 48 and windy in the sound. I had to use my girlfriends (Cathy) hair dryer to cure my epoxy on my livingston last night, I am begining to plan some plastic spray booth that I can heat up to like 70 or so, so I can hopefully spray the bottom this winter. I found a gallon and a half of fleet car white urethane that comes with reducer and catalyst online for reasonably cheap. It is funny that in town things are usually more expensive than online, but people complain when money is circulated outside of the community. Ok..
At the public library here in town they have coin machine that gives out dollar coins for the copy machine and printer. At 8.1 grams a piece I figured that I need at least 893 lbs worth to afford my live aboard. 56 bucks per lb.
Any plans for tonight? I want to turn off the lights and lock the doors, but Cathy will probobly hand out candy. Happy haloween, take care!
Could you imagine working by the job rather than the hour? Instead of 8 hrs. a day, we could get ‘X’ number of tasks accomplished and go home early. We’d work faster, more efficient, and more precise. We’d get it done right the first time, or re-do it before we leave work.
Boy, my mind is spinning at the implications of this!
BTW, I have a very nice watch… in a tiny wicker basket by my bed. I have no idea if I need to turn it back for Daylight savings time, or if it’s still there from last year.
No pans for Halloween, truthfully didn’t even realize it was that time of year.
B.Hinton, I have a nice watch too, a TAG ($1,200) I got back in the day. I brought it in a few years back and they wanted a few hundred for maintenance and t get it ticking again, needless to say i didn’t fix it and it still lives in the bottom of a drawer somewhere? I’m thinking maybe to bury it under a coconut tree on Linton Island, maybe something positive will grow from it, better yet, I’ll get some video of giving it to one of the monkeys, they like shiny things and I’m sure will make better use/have more fun with it. Perhaps I’ll be the first guy in the world to give a monkey an expensive designer watch? Maybe I should pay t get it working first?
I did my first time-lapse test yesterday and it came out okay but the day was grey and the clouds were not so dramatic. I’ve got all the technical stuff worked out though.
Cheers.
No pans for Halloween, truthfully didn’t even realize it was that time of year.
B.Hinton, I have a nice watch too, a TAG ($1,200) I got back in the day. I brought it in a few years back and they wanted a few hundred for maintenance and t get it ticking again, needless to say i didn’t fix it and it still lives in the bottom of a drawer somewhere? I’m thinking maybe to bury it under a coconut tree on Linton Island, maybe something positive will grow from it, better yet, I’ll get some video of giving it to one of the monkeys, they like shiny things and I’m sure will make better use/have more fun with it. Perhaps I’ll be the first guy in the world to give a monkey an expensive designer watch? Maybe I should pay t get it working first?
I did my first time-lapse test yesterday and it came out okay but the day was grey and the clouds were not so dramatic. I’ve got all the technical stuff worked out though.
Cheers.
hi Alex, craig from Jax! wifi still working! 60 days Exumas bahamas! still Married! haven”t killed the 3 1/2 Year old! out of here November 19TH! Love you man! you go BOY!
Craig, man I miss you guys, really!!!! Give Lisa and the monster a hug for me. Wish we could get some winngs and a few beers and shoot the ship.
Is the wifi still working well?
When you live free outside “the system”, time is irrelevant, and has no importance. Time only matters to those of us who must interact with other system-dwellers. In order for us to coexist and function within the system, we must have an “agreement” between each other that says, “1pm means the same thing to you as it does to me”. When you live outside the man-made and man-engineered system there is no need for for a man-made, man-engineered “agreement” … called time. When you live outside the system, the only “agreement” you need to make is with your own personal God. Two hands circling the face of a mechanical device means nothing to a man who is truly free. The free man is one with nature, and all he needs in order to get his bearings is to see the rise and the setting of the sun. And a good cup of coffee ;-)!
– Contrarian
David,
Spot on M8. My friends here are very understanding. I’ve had a few dinner engagements and when they give me a time I reply “pre or post sunset, I don’t use a clock?”. I haven’t had any problems yet although some seem to think I’m being rebellious or something. I’m really not i just feel more centered and closer to nature. I find myself looking for the sun and moon more often and have a better sense of them, what a better habit than looking for a clock! I’ve seen a few cocks here and there and I’m amazed my sense of time is always within an hour of mechanical time. I have been using mechnical time in the sense when I shoot time-lapse I need to set a timer and choose durations for the shutter to fire but that is about as close as I’ve been. The tape is still over my clock on the wall. I tried removing the clock but the backing sticky tape wants to pull off the veneer. I’ll get the heat gun out in the next few days and put it away.
I see this as just another step in the refinement of my freedom, and it works.
The sun is just now loosing it”s yellow color and I’m guessing its about 8am your time. My time to get my backpack together and ride to Colon to get a new 6 month visa.
Life is good :)
You are right, Alex, the concept that you have hit upon is … freedom is possible when you loose all attachment to things. When most of us think of “things” we think of material objects, so we get this idea conceptually and it makes perfect sense, but is it possible that time could also be considered a “thing” that prevents us from being truly free? Sterling Hayden said, “What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade”. If time is a thing too, then does it also “divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade?” Seems logical then, that if you can rid yourself of this thing too, then perhaps true lasting freedom is really possible? You could then extend this idea even further, and consider that if you lost all sense of time, have you in effect, “stopped time?” And if you are able to stop time, have you then found the elusive “fountain of youth?” Travel even further down the rabbit hole and ask yourself this question: How old would you be if you had no idea how old you were? The possibilities are quite endless. Hmmm ….
– David
AKA, Contrarian ;-)
Hey Alex- did you ever get the LED lights from Singapore? I ordered six to switch out the lights in Zosha my W28 . They came in no problem with delivery; however; the adapters do not fit the sockets in the lights-the adapter is too small for the fixture socket? any suggestions?
Take care……..I plan on leaving in the Spring………might make it to Panama…..if I do, you know I’ll look you up……….seeya
Rich
Contrarian,
I’m with you, I know many will think such ideas are “silly” but it is making an enormous difference in my life, and yes I fell like I have stopped “mechanical’s time and control over my life. I really do believe it to be an “evil” force and the heartbeat of the matrix and “A” society that I so deeply disagree with!
I had a really wonderful day. I went to Colon to Immigration and the nice lady stamped me into Panama until the end of September next year, I have a lot of time to not worry about visa or cruising permission. I had commented on how pretty she looked as she was dressed up for some sort of national holiday today and she reciprocated with more kindness, funny how that works? She was a heavy woman and I don’t think the bearer of many complements on her looks. But I really could tell how much effort she put into herself for the day and just voiced it in very bad Spanish.
The sun went down a few hours ago and I’m drinking green tea. Something I would never do being strangled by the hands of the clock, for God’s sake, what if I was to stay up too late, or wake up in the night? Man I used to get so stressed if I couldn’t sleep. Now I just lay in the hammock, read, or play guitar. I’ve also been “wasting” a lot of time with the guitar when I should be working? I don’t know if I will cross an ocean in March, but I know I will be a free man…, priceless! I can also play “blowing in the wind” : )
Life really is so F’ing simple it blows my mind.
Rich,
I actually got my LED’s from China today and noticed the adapters don’t fit. However in about an hour I rewired 5 lights cutting out the housing that holds the incandescent bulbs and hard wiring them to the switch. That with a few dabs of glue from the hot glue gun, and baddabing, LED lights! I have a few fixtures that will be a little more difficult and plan on breaking the incandescent bulbs 2morrow and soldering in some wire to make my own adapters, THE LIGHTS ARE AWSOME THO!!!! Nice color, bright, and they draw nothing.
I’ve been battling with my script! Do just make a film that explains how to cruise and live minimalistically on a sailboat or am I allowed to discuss my own philosophies? I friend said I got a bit “preachy” last year and If I did I didn’t mean too. It wasn’t the easiest year. He also said I’m back to the old resemblance of “me” which made me laugh.
I think it’s important for people to open their minds to new ideas about living out of western “society” in order to find the freedom they seek. Strange concepts like understanding eusocial concepts and the role we play in it, time, and exercises to clean our minds/re-program ourselves to live as free men in a world free of Christian (no disrespect) and western morality. I believe we all have our places in this world. Some of us are hunters, some musicians & artists, some farmers, and some thinkers. I seem to have some innate desire to help people who seek it find their way out of “a”, not “the” society that we are meant to live in. The sailboat is the only place I know of where a man can still be free, and I know in my heart and from experience that minimalism is the path to freedom. Knowing how to anchor, make tofu, wine, or sail is really just the mechanics of a philosophy I believe in.
I’ve just come to some sort of writers block and need to find my way. I’m going to focus on producing some really beautiful time lapse video which I know I’ll use in the film one way or the other.
Anyway, I’m babbling with all my new found time.
I found/bought two perfectly ripe avocados today. I love avocados and don’t think I’ve had one in well over a year. I’m going to put some time into preparing them with some blackened fish, beans, rice, and my uber-famous (to me) home made corn tortillas. I also might drink the whole pot of green tea and stay up all night, moowhohahaha!
I also got my first PBS t-shirt today. There are not many t-shirts with “stuff/writing” on them that I would wear, I would, and will wear my own t-shirts, kind’a cool. Jeff (vagabond graphics), you did a really nice job, they came out GR8! I think everyone should order a few dozen for holiday gifts (hahahahah).
I’m refocusing my efforts towards the galley.
Peace-out!
Hey Alex
I found your blog a few weeks ago and have finally read up to the present day. I admire all of your philosophical thoughts, on freedom, liberty, minimalism and now time. I have been thinking about much of this for a few years now but I’ve never been able to word it in such an eloquent way.
As soon as I’m out from under school debt I plan to become a live aboard. But as it is I can only afford the weekend jaunt on my 22 footer. I have loved reading your blog and learning from all your experiences.
TJ
Hey Alex, I havent read all of your previous logs, where are you at port right now? I am a sucker for description, hows the weather, hows the swimming, and is the coffie cheap?
Isaac
TJ, good for you M8, stay away from the credit. I just met a couple down here cruising on a 22 footer.
Isaac, I’m in Caribbean Panama just anchored off of the rain forest. Can be a bit wet at times and usually between 85, and 95f. Swimming, snorkeling, and spear fishing is good and coffee is grown locally and very cheap. I pay about a buck and a half a pound. The coffee guys in the street n Cartagena Colombia (200 miles away) sell GR8 coffee in the street for a dime a cup.
Another note about LED lighting. Even though the LED lights are very efficient & bright I’m putting them on dimmers. I ordered two different types of LED digital dimmers to test as I will buy a few for Splendid.
The is the one I like and it is under $4:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400236923356?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I also tested this one which s a bit more expensive and comes with a wireless remote:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/IR-Remote-LED-Light-Dimmer-Brightness-Control-12V-24V-/220883102720?pt=AU_Lighting_Fans&hash=item336da8ac00
It seems a little cheesy to me and I like the first one better. The remote is cool but I know once the batteries go I’ll never get around to replacing them and I’ll just be using the knob to dim anyway.
I’m also using waterproof LED light strips which are awesome in Splendid’s lighting.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-600-LED-3528-Waterproof-Warm-White-SMD-Epoxy-Flexible-Lamp-Strip-Light-12V-/130593605697?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e67fc4841
LED technology has gotten really cheap, durable, and efficient. Investing a little in relighting your boat will save you money on diesel (charging), and more importantly its much better for the environment, especially if you live on solar power as I do.
It’s really nice to control the lights on a dimmer and save even more power and achieve the ambience you like.
Cheers
made it to kona…..now have gripa (sp) ……more to follow……the gulfstar is still for sale….can’t belive it is still available??????? G
Gary,
The Gulfstar might be waiting for Chuck to buy it?
Well every fixture on Splendid is LED. I had to make some adapters from breaking a few good incandescent bulbs on 4 of the fixtures but all the rest got hard wired in. I also made a coconut cockpit light which I love!!! I went to the island to find/open the coconut and two of the monkeys sat with me and ate it. I took all the water though
I’m starting to take mid-day naps with my new time thing; my body just doesn’t want to work in the hi-heat of the day. I think I’m staying up till about midnight these days?
I’m going to get a new video up within a week and show off all the LED’s, man they draw nothing, especially when I dim them for good mood lighting.
I have the cash for the Gulfstar 50, and have talked to him on the phone, but he said it doesnt have a moorage. Listing says do not respond unless you have mooring or slip now too. I dont have those in Maui. Kind of scratching my head, perfect opportunity, but not sure where I could put it. He didnt know of any place available for moorage after the tsunami and it needs work before crossing back to the mainland.
I thought about flying out, but was hoping for more to go on. Any ideas Alex or Gary? Been looking for a bigger boat for the family for a while, and seems perfect. Just need someplace there to put it to start the work. Its been3 years since I was last in maui, and would even working on the boat there seems great.
Great stuff about the leds. Been meaning to upgrade the current boat for some time.
This is kind of off topic but my question is about google ad sense and your web site. Do you generate any income from this? If you do is it worth it or substantial? I have been looking at developing a web site and thought that Ad Sense might be a way to generate some extra income. I have heard from others that is almost impossible to earn any thing off this unless you have a massive following. I know there are many of us that follow your site and one would think that a guy could earn a few bucks to at least pay for the site?
Hey Alex!
Welcome to the peasant lifestyle! Get up at sunrise, work (in the fields?) till the sun is high and hot, seek shade, have lunch and a drink and boom! it’s siesta time! That’s pretty much how Greece (used to ) works. There is even a law that prohibits making noise (power tools, loud music etc) between 2:30pm and 5:00pm Even some shops close during these hours. (Maybe that’s why Greece is going down the tubes. I’m worried about my boat savings… taking the “plunge” might come sooner that later…)
Siestas, more of a thing of the past, are great… if you like waking up. Once a day is usually fine for me. Cat naps work, but in the heat of the summer(100+F), it’s impossible to get anything done than pass out! So hooray for siestas!
Also congrates on your freedom of time. I took my watch off and replaced it with a funky bracelet a year ago. I have no idea where the watch is now?!
Speaking of GR, what’s written on those cups in the pic? I can’t make out the second word. (Andio (goodbye) +?
could be some word related to sight(?)
Cheers
Peter
Mark,
I hear the engine is working on the gulfstar and I’m sure if you/someone was aboard taking responsibility for her they would work everything out and find what they needed. I’ve done almost all of my own work on Splendid at anchor. I don’t know how much you know about diesels but the first thing I would do is sort out the motor, polish the hell out of the fuel, and cut open the tanks if they don’t have inspection ports and make sure I had a clean fuel source. I would also make sure I had a large single racor (1000fh) or preferably a dual filter system and move aboard to start cleaning. I’d also make sure my ground tackle was in order before leaving the mooring. I have no money so I always need to finely prioritize my projects, do it on the hook, and myself. I’m sure if you have a bunch of cash you’ll find a marina and people in Hawaii to work for you. I’m sure Gary will have some comments/insight since he is there now, if he doesn’t pop in, in a few days I can give him a ring if you like.
Curtis,
If I’m lucky I’ll pull in $300-400 a year with adsense, and I have a large following that I have been building over nearly a decade. I live on under 8k a year that is with everything, and working when I can. I’m thinking my income will be decreasing to perhaps 5k a year or less with the economy. People are much more frugal with a film download or donation these days. If you’re thinking to easily generate enough money from of a website to go cruising I wouldn’t count on it. Most of my friends out here work for other cruisers doing engine work, fiberglass, canvas, refrigeration, or whatever. I am exceptionally fortunate with Project BlueSphere but also focus a lot of my time into its content. More than half of the battle is to adopt a minimalist view on life. This attitude is as important, if not more, than your income. Truly if the shit hit the fan and my income was at zero I’d still be drinking wine, eating fish & lobster, and living well, not that much would change. This philosophy coupled with some skills and hard work will grant you what you seek. Less is WAYYYYYY more. Living…, and more importantly wanting to live on a micro income is the key, at least for me.
Peter,
I don’t know what is says on the water clock pots, I got the image from Wikipedia.
I had a strange experience last night. I decided to make it a movie night which I don’t do often, although I have a pretty righteous film collection. I made some popcorn and watched “lovely bones” before sleeping. The film REALLY disturbed me and I had a horrible nights sleep. I woke up fearful and felt something was lurking outside on deck. I don’t mean to blow smoke up my own ass, but I’m a pretty solid guy, and have a fearless attitude for the most part. I’m not usually scared of the dark. The film really got under my skin. I woke again later after having a dream of loosing Guin, I woke up panicked which is such a contrast to the previous weeks of solitude living in my own time.
My point is I’m going to be much more careful with the energy/media I let into my life. There is so much subconscious garbage in the modern world/time that interferes with our sense of inner peace.
I can tell its Friday as a few jet skis just went by. There is a place on Isla Grande that rents them and they only emerge on the weekend, or maybe it’s Saturday????
This “time” thing I’m doing is really a significant addition to my life. I know some of you are still rolling your eyes but living in this place spending the days watching the mist and rain fall from the mountains, listing to the sounds of the jungle, and having no sense of mechanical time is brilliant. I feel so much closer to my own life, writing, film/photography, and music. I don’t even think it would be possible to live in such a way surrounded by stores, televising, cars, phones, and all the other blah, blah, blah.
Today is going to be one of those surreal days where I have no sense of the sun as the sky is a dark gray and rain will gently fall all day, nothing dramatic, just wet. Days like this I’m really far away from time as I only get a sense when the sun starts to set. I wish I had been doing this when I was crossing the Pacific. Gray days like this are really peaceful and I will spend more time with my guitar and book than with a grinder, paintbrush, or volt meter.
I am so looking forward to voyaging again!!!!!
I did make a big mistake with time recently. I bought two avocados and I saved one for too long and lost it, I’m really bummed.
Anyway my stomach is growling and I’m going to make some oatmeal.
Pace, Love, and time
Not exactly about AdSense, but here’s a post about getting sponsors.
windtraveler.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-get-sponsors.html
There’s also a lot of info online about how to best use AdSense and AdWords.
I’ve done pretty well with my sponsors over the years for equipment, but they do want to see traffic. It’s all about having good numbers (impressions). I’ve also tried Amazon books, and selling marine gear (that I believed in) but it just didn’t work for me. My niche is the videos for sure. I’ve also had people like online casinos that wanted to advertise but I haven’t gone that way because I just don’t want to promote stuff like that. I’ve also turned down a number of companies wanting to advertise marine gear that I thought was, well…, crappy.
It is possible to make a few bucks but its work, I’ve also met some digital artists/ web developers who are able to work as they cruise as long as they have a broadband connection. Having a broadband connection is pretty limiting for cruising tho unless you have and can afford a BGAN system. Iridium is good for email but not really cost effective to upload a picture or two.
If you want it bad enough I’m sure you’ll find a way to make a micro income, if your lucky maybe more. My buddy Ali who was the welder in my second film does really well welding but he has pretty much planted roots in Panama. I was talking to a friend the other day and we need someone on a boat around here with a lathe to machine parts?
Curtis,
PS, I’m also planning on supplementing my income by shooting stock video & photographs. The stock houses like http://www.pond5.com are picky about the quality of their images. I’m focusing on HD time-lapse as it is quite difficult to get right, it is also very time consuming to make. But if you have a predisposition for photography/video another maybe another option.
Thought i would let the people out there know that the Tumble Weed is for sale on ebay. She is a Tayana 1978. I have watched the videos on You tube and purchased the dvd of their voyage from Washington State to the Marquesas Islands. This is a great boat that needs some cosmetic work only. There is no reserve bid and right now the bids are up to $6100 with 8 days to go. She is located in Mexico and there is 8 days left in the Auction. I am watching her like a hawk you should too.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/37-Tayana-Ketch-Year-1978-Sailboat-/260885480151?pt=Sailboats&hash=item3cbdfc82d7
An added bonus, lt’s cheap to restore a boat in Mexico :)
Man, what is the world comming too with t37’s so cheap :(
If someone is interested in that Tayana in Puerto Vallarta and wants someone to look at it, Pat and Ali Schulte (Bumfuzzle) is there right now and you may be able to persuade him to go take a quick peek and take some additional pictures. That’s how they bought their current boat. A friend (not sure if it was an internet friend or if it was a real world friend) went to check out a boat for them and they bought it based on his pics and recommendation.
Thanks for advice on the GulfStar 50. I dont have loads of cash, but enough to buy it. :) Last I was over there (not by boat), I had heard it was hard to find a place to anchor legally, and so the reason for wanting a slip / moorage. I am not against workng on it at anchor either. It seems like all that just works out when you are on the boat, and options just open up. Its just moving to Hawaii with a boat not ready to go is a little bigger of a jump. If it was where I was more familiar it wouldnt be an issue, but I have never sailed at Hawaii (other than day sail). I just heard it was hard to find a place to anchor, and for very long. I also wouldnt have a lot of cash after the initial amount to buy it, and I agree it wouldnt be an issue then. If Gary is familiar with the area, it would be great to hear advice.
The Tayana 37 looks great too. Wow.
The blog posts have time stamps. Any thoughts on removing them or otherwise changing them? AM &PM, pre sunrise, post sunrise?
i will post info tonight …..there is a mooring for sale in lahaina for 2k…you can resell it when you leave. Gary
i will post info tonight …..there is a mooring for sale in lahaina for 2k…you can resell it when you leave. Gary
Alex!! How you bean Man!!
Long time no post but thought I would take the opportunity to say hello and comment on your latest musings…
Sailed the southern Chesapeake this last week and left the watch home…worked out fine. Now I’m getting ready to fly to Denver with 137 passengers that are all expecting a departure reasonably near the published time but of more importance I think they would all appreciate it if I calculate the flight time correctly and carry enough fuel to get us there. I’m just saying…(really just wanted to be the first to bust your balls on this)
Fisaga sits pretty in Hampton VA these days. Not far from that little marine we (borrowed) that first night away from Deltaville just two short years ago. All new canvas, new instruments and as per your request I have a 12volt power supply at the helm station now, not that the lamp cord tap into the battery bank didn’t work well!
Sure want to meet up with you down there one of these days. May make it happen this late winter/early spring. Until then I’ll just live vicariously through your blog.
Safe Travels my friend!
–Marty
s/v Fisaga
p.s. How much for the broken Tag??
Marty,
Good to hear from you too bro. If you run out of fuel just glide everyone home LOL :)
Come down for a visit and you can have the tag, you might make better use of it than me or the monkey??? It’s actually pretty nice, has a crushed titanium face, pretty sharp.
Did you ever make it to the bahamas?
Le, funnely enough, I dont even lok at the time stamps. My favorite new saying, “two days from now, tomorrow, will be yesterday’ So whats it all matter anyway?
I’m off to murder a fish or two.
Well I shot a nice fish & lobster for dinner but a friend came over with broccoli & Cherizo.
He has a westerbeake 5.5kw generator. He just spent $1000 in parts and didn’t get it running. He offered me $500 and the generator for my SCUBA compressor, HUMMMM????? Id surely rather have the generator that I could weld with and run the 110 water maker that is sitting in my closet. It turns fine and has compression.
Guess I’ll have to sleep on it????
I love hunting fish.
Hi Alex. How does a travle visa work?. I have my passport, but I have never had a chance to use it. I am curiose about visiting south america and other places, but I havent a clue about the process. How do you take care of your documents? Also I have been talking with some folks who have sailed up and down the west coast and they say that once you get out past the shelf the water calms way down. and that you can set your sails and even sleep on course. Sounds pretty wild to me but I am dying to learn more about sailing to and from Panama, Equador, and Santa Barbra. I plan to eventually live on a boat again, at least for a while. Once I am done with school, I should be able to focus my energy on this goal. As always any info/experience is appreciated. How was the lobster?
Isaac, are you in Santa Barbara? What School? I graduated from Brooks.
Visa”a are easy, if your driving down here or on a bus you just hand it to the immigration guy at the border and he stamps your passport, pretty simple. Wth a boat you usuallyy need to buy a cruising permit.
Deeper water is usually calmer that short tight waves in shallower water. Surch around on the internet and learn how waves work. I sleep at sea all the time but ”ve trained mysef to do it with one eye open if you will. I dont even need/use an egg timer anymore. I also have a permiter alarm set on the radar so if anything rolls all up in my area I know about it.
Alex,
Hey I have been reading just about all of your postings, I love what you are doing and have plans of my own to sail off and be “Free”. I Have the Dream of leaving and just never coming back. I am working, Paying off the rest of my debt, and looking for a nice live aboard with a full keel.. I was interested in those MacGregor 26M but I read alot about them and many people dont think there up for what i am about to put it through….
Now I have been thinking about how you have your solar panels, well have you considered an electric motor and tying everything together?
http://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/aquawatt/boats-motors-electric-out-board-motors-33554-215113.html
this is a website that I saw them on… I am thinking about making my boat fully efficient. if you have any ideas please let me know im up for anything.
Steven
Isaac, are you in Santa Barbara? What School? I graduated from Brooks.
Visa”a are easy, if your driving down here or on a bus you just hand it to the immigration guy at the border and he stamps your passport, pretty simple. Wth a boat you usuallyy need to buy a cruising permit.
Deeper water is usually calmer that short tight waves in shallower water. Surch around on the internet and learn how waves work. I sleep at sea all the time but ”ve trained mysef to do it with one eye open if you will. I dont even need/use an egg timer anymore. I also have a permiter alarm set on the radar so if anything rolls all up in my area I know about it.
Back on the topic of the “evil clock” …daylight savings time is just another example refuting your argument that time is irrelevant in the natural world and is an unhealthy construct invented by man. Daylight saving time is a perfect example of man manipulating his own invention. This is video emphasizes the insanity and ridiculousness of being “plugged in” to a system designed to manage and control the masses. Enjoy! :-) – articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/05/daylight-savings-time-and-the-need-to-get-rid-of-it.aspx?e_cid=20111105_DNL_art_2