For some reason I could never catch a fish, But damn do I miss canoeing. Fresh air, road trip, nobody around for miles. Shooting things. FIRE! Food. going to the bathroom outside. Getting stoopid. Sex in tents. Fried stuff on the coleman for brekkie. Campfire coffee. Jumping in the lake to get clean. Wild animals. Dirt biking.
I’m going sailing on Thursday. To Japan.
Well, to Ishigaki, which is the closest bit. 22hrs on the open ocean, if nothing slows us down. Nothing in any direction except water. We did a similar run last year and I drove 6hrs straight one night in a kind of trance. Sunset dead ahead. Orion rising dead ahead. Not a cloud to obscure the stars. Everyone else asleep, just three of us on deck talking in whispers. 30 knots of wind and a flat sea, spinnacker billowing out in front.
We turned of all the electronic stuff and did it the old-fashioned way. Wind on your face and a star to steer by. Fucking A.
This year we’re expecting it to piss down, and be quite rough. I’m looking forward to it. There’s something strangely attractive about being soaked from head to foot, in the middle of the night, waves coming over the pointy end, knackered, hungry, and somehow more alive than on normal days.
Good thread, Detritus. Pity about all the metrosexuals.
How many times do I have to read this thread because I forgot what “How Many?” was referring to? (Not a criticism of anybody but my creeping senility.)
It’s about fishing.
[quote=“M0NSTER”]
I miss the silence of the outdoors. The conversation that fishing or hunting brings with good company. The good food and the debauchery that belong in a weekend that doesn’t need a reminder.
FUCK…I miss Ontario.[/quote]
I hear ya MONSTER!
Took my wife canoeing and hiking in Algonquin two summers ago and she got to see and I got to remember the serenity of truly isolated places and be amongst bears (didn’t see any, but they were around), moose, beaver, wolves (heard them howling at night)…
This one’s fer you MONSTER, just to bring a bit of eyewater to yer eyes:
[quote=“Neil Young”]
HELPLESS
There is a town in north Ontario,
With dream comfort memory to spare,
And in my mind I still need a place to go,
All my changes were there.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars,
Yellow moon on the rise,
Big birds flying across the sky,
Throwing shadows on our eyes.
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Baby, can you hear me now?
The chains are locked and tied across the door,
Baby, sing with me somehow.
Blue, blue windows behind the stars,
Yellow moon on the rise,
Big birds flying across the sky,
Throwing shadows on our eyes.
Leave us
Helpless, helpless, helpless…[/quote]
All of that (with the exception of shooting things) can be done here.
I spent all day at a river last Saturday and saw not a soul.
My dive site doesn’t get used by anyone else. Last time we went we had to hack a trail down to the water.
It’s not nearly as hard to get off the beaten track here as you think. It’s just a matter of will. Sure, we all miss that kind of solitude, but it is obtainable in Taiwan, and probably closer to your home than you think.
Get out there. We’ve done more of these type of weekends in Taiwan than you can count, and although you may not have the open vistas of Northern Canada, river trekking up a jungle canyon or pitching your tent next to the ocean certainly have their appeal as well.
[quote]Everyone else asleep, just three of us on deck talking in whispers. 30 knots of wind and a flat sea, spinnacker billowing out in front.
[/quote]
30kts and you can talk in whispers? with a Flat sea offshore? With a spinnaker set? I remember sticking the mast of a New York 40 into Long Island Sound with a spinnaker set in 30kts. 
[/code]
Uhm… Oh yeah. Fishing. I forgot again.
Thanks for the reminder, MJB. It’s simply a matter of reminding myself of these possibilities. It’s easy to forget that you can “go outside” when you let yourself get bogged down with the city, work, and all that other stuff.
Just to clarify, I was talking about target shooting! Never kill what you don’t have to eat.
Feel free to post any ideas or maps.
[quote=“Elegua”][quote]Everyone else asleep, just three of us on deck talking in whispers. 30 knots of wind and a flat sea, spinnacker billowing out in front.
[/quote]
30kts and you can talk in whispers? with a Flat sea offshore? With a spinnaker set? I remember sticking the mast of a New York 40 into Long Island Sound with a spinnaker set in 30kts.
[/code][/quote]
These things are relative, except for the windspeed. OK, 30 was in the gusts, which built smoothly, and was quite manageable with about 14 tonnes of boat. We set the bag in 15-20, and by late evening it was around 25. It burst about 10 minutes after I was forced to relinquish the helm by my jealous crewmates.
Whispers were low voices, and the ‘flat’ sea was a long swell with not much chop. We weren’t bouncing around or in any discomfort. Compared to broaching in Cook Strait with waves coming over the deck and everyone yelling, it was a quiet flat night sail.
Happy now?
The forecast for this week is for cloudy with occasional rain. Why is it pissing down every time I stick my nose outside?
I just started organizing our next holiday this morning. Couple of Landcruisers out of Port Douglas and waaay up to north of Daintree and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Remote remote. Really roughing it. Can’t wait. 
Spent quite a bit of tme up that way…you’ll love it. Just beware of box jellyfish and crocs if you’re venturing near water. Truly God’s country.!
Poor fish. 
[quote=“Loretta”][quote=“Elegua”][quote]Everyone else asleep, just three of us on deck talking in whispers. 30 knots of wind and a flat sea, spinnacker billowing out in front.
[/quote]
30kts and you can talk in whispers? with a Flat sea offshore? With a spinnaker set? I remember sticking the mast of a New York 40 into Long Island Sound with a spinnaker set in 30kts.
[/code][/quote]
These things are relative, except for the windspeed. OK, 30 was in the gusts, which built smoothly, and was quite manageable with about 14 tonnes of boat. We set the bag in 15-20, and by late evening it was around 25. It burst about 10 minutes after I was forced to relinquish the helm by my jealous crewmates.
Whispers were low voices, and the ‘flat’ sea was a long swell with not much chop. We weren’t bouncing around or in any discomfort. Compared to broaching in Cook Strait with waves coming over the deck and everyone yelling, it was a quiet flat night sail.
Happy now?
The forecast for this week is for cloudy with occasional rain. Why is it pissing down every time I stick my nose outside?[/quote]
OK. It’s only because I’m insanely jelouse. Yes…I remember the lukcy cruises where it was all down hill and 200+ mile days and we wouldn’t douse the spinnaker for several days at a time. Of course, that was 1 cruise out of 10. The other 9 all uphill in slop. 
Tasty fish. 
Wild barramundi on the fly, baby.
Tasty fish. Wild barramundi on the fly, baby.[/quote]
Fishing…Bah! Never caught nothin’ except maybe my date. Fishing was just an excuse to make a picnick and stand behind my date saying - 'this is how you cast"
True. True. Having been fortunate enough to escape the confines of the cities I can get a taste of solitude just about any time I have a couple of hours of free time. Just a 10 minute ride on the scooter and a half hour walk and if you wanted to find me you’d be like Bush lookin’ for WMD’s. Country life does have it’s drawbacks as well but every time I have to go into Kaohsiung for something I realize what a good decision it was to move a 1/2 hour drive away.