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Little Harbor Publishing Announcing Release of Manning Up In Alaska by Dick Drechsler

Little Harbor Publishing Announcing Release of Manning Up In Alaska by Dick Drechsler

Hobie kayaks: paddle, peddle or sail

Late spring 2009 in Princess Bay, near Sidney, B.C. dawns clear and cold. It's the first sunshine we've seen in probably four or five months! At least it's the first of several days of sun in a row. Time to splash the kayaks.

Cappy and I release the bungie cords and drop them over from the bow, where they've been lashed for oh, so very long! Cappy generously drops in the pedals, plugs in the seats and fastens the paddles. We're off for another adventure around the cove.

We're in great shape! Later that evening, we let the fleet rest while we watch Adam Lambert on American Idol. He wows us by singing "Ring of Fire." It was the most dramatic and unusual arrangement of a country and western song -- particularly a Johnny Cash song -- we'd ever heard. Simon hated it. None of the judges "got it." This was an incredible, unbelieveable performance.

Several weeks later, we are back in the USA. From Roche Harbor, to Aleck Bay; on to Port Townsend where we pick up our sails for our two Hobies. The plan was to photograph Walt, from PT Outdoors, delivering the sails and start sailing around immediately.







Mother nature dictated differently with a horrendous storm with 20-to-25-knot winds and horizontal rain. We stayed over in Port Townsend an extra day. Our reward was a great sail down Admiralty Inlet to Port Ludlow on Thursday -- complete with a flying spinnaker. A small plane took an extra fly-by and saluted us with a tip of the wing.

We arrived in Port Ludlow in time for the weekend and perfect, sunny, almost-warm weather. We hardly put the instrument covers on before splashing and outfitting the kayaks! We laughed as we sailed around the protected little cove and remembered how afraid we had been to get the sails earlier, for fear we'd get dumped in this 50-degree water. As stable as these puppies are, you'd have to go through a gale to get dumped, I would imagine!

Rescue at Sea, by Clayton Evans

Meeting Gail Evans at Betty Duyndam's 'Birthday Bash' was truly one of the big highlights of the evening. She is an articulate, highly-educated and lively Canadian -- a paragon of the Vancouver Island educational system. Her husband, Clayton's, book was a revelation that the history and world of rescue dives even deeper than the enthralling TV footage of amazing rescues you see. Go to my post -- http://www.examiner.com/x-2424-Yachting-Examiner~y2009m2d22-Coast-Guard-drama -- to get a better idea of the enormity of this intriguing subject.

Blending your passions in personal & professional life

You've heard of "blended families." Well, it has become obvious that Husband Dick and I have married ourselves to our avocations as writers, and myself as a writer/PR professional, as well as with boating, travel and enjoying our friends, new and old. Our very lives have become a series of 'blended passions.'

Passion #1: Travel opens your brain synapses. It will stave off Alzheimers, not to mention small-mindedness. Travel frees your heart from fear and makes you braver.

Passion #2: Writing is easier for me than talking (and Heaven knows, I do enough of that)!

Passion #3: Reading is the listening part of writing.

Passion #4: Eating & Drinking. I'm enjoying this "for two," now that Dick can't.

Passion #5: Socializing, which goes with all of the above!

What drives you? I'm listening.