Spring 2002

So far it's mostly just plans, but I'm working on something right now. My wife and the harbor officials are in despair. In spite of strong antisailing campaigns and threats, I'm still planning to realize my plan to sail with a dinghy from Osaka to Koshiki-island. My plan is to sail thru the Inland Sea, jumping from island to island, cross over to Kyushu, sail around it from the south, and finally a short leg to the Koshiki-island. A total distance of about two thousand km. I calculate that it could take about a month counting in a few days of bad weather, but if the winds are good and the sun is shining, it could go much faster. Then again, it could go much slower too. The biggest difficulty, as I see it, is the starting place. I have to cross some major shipping lines coming to Osaka, Kobe, and other places along the industrialized coast line, but I should be able to get past all of it in one day. So the first day is what I'm mostly worried about. Later, when it's time to cross over from Shikoku to Kyushu, there could be some big ships sailing thru the strait, and sailing round the southern tip of Kyushu means sailing against the current. And after I leave Shikoku it will be mostly open sea coast, with only a few islands here and there. One more problem seems to be the officials at the yacht harbor. There is a dedicated sailing area for dinghies, and nobody is supposed to cross the borders, but I have got some indications that it maybe, possibly, could work out somehow.

When it comes to my sailing experience...well, I wouldn't worry too much about it. My total experience is a whopping total of three days on a big yacht, and three times with this dinghy, including the first time we tried it out with a friend and almost turned it around a few times. You never learn as good as when you make mistakes, and I am starting to feel very confident about this. Not that I ever really had any doubts of course, but now my confidence is growing by the day. I have bought maps and other equipment for the trip, but the one detail that gives me most of the head ache is how to protect my video camera during the journey.

By a happy chance I was invited to be a member of a racing yacht called the Sun Luck. We didn't win the race, not even close to, but afterwards we had some good sailing in fine weather. Check out the QuickTime movie.

July 7th, 2002

The rainy season lasted longer than usually, typhoons keep on coming, I've suffered some serious colds (our daughter brings back some interesting viruses from the kindergarten every now and then), and my grandma died just days ago. It seems like the sailing trip to Kyushu wasn't meant to happen this summer.