Elliott Bay Panorama
Click the image to enlarge into a panorama.
On April 22, 2013 I found myself 20 floors up on the roof of a condominium overlooking Elliott Bay. From left to right the view starts at Safeco field with its retractable roof, to Harbor Island, to West Seattle and Duwamish Head. In the distance is Bainbridge Island with Flagpole Point and Eagle Harbor watched over by the magnificent snow capped Olympics. On the far right is Elliott Bay Marina at the foot of Magnolia Bluff. The Great Northwest really shines on a sunny day. This little panorama is a Photoshop compilation of 10 iPhone pics.
Breakers
The second novel in William McCloskey’s trilogy. The characters mature and the fishing grows from smaller boats to bigger boats. The politics get interesting, as foreign interests endeavor to use every loophole to obtain the Alaskan bounty they lost when the 200 mile limit on fishing was imposed. Breakers is a great read, factual in many aspects, but fictional and romanticized just enough to keep the pages turning rapidly. It captures the energy of commercial fishing, and superimposes human faces to weave the story. Fishing fans should read it twice. It is a well told story, McCloskey talking about what he knows and loves. No more pretentious than that. If you love big water and big adventure. This book’s for you!
Boots the Cat – adopting humans
Occasionally, I post something with little maritime or literary content. Well, it would be a bit of a stretch to say we have maritime content here, but……… Boots does love tuna.
This 2 minute vieo illustrates how quickly humans can be adopted and trained. This human wants to sharpen his amateur audio/video/editing skills, and there is nothing better than a true story close to home. It is posted on YouTube and since it is in HD, it is viewable in full screen mode. Enjoy.
Freak Wave – BBC documentary
Absolutely incredible documentary. Drop everything for the next 50 minutes and watch. Compliments to Capt. R. Rodriguez at the Bitter End Blog for the link. This is Part 1 of 5. Be sure to check out the others.
Part 2 …….. Part 3 ………. Part 4 ………… Part 5
Do Freak Waves occur in the Great NorthWet? You bet! Check out page 211 of Extreme Waves by Craig B. Smith.
Highliners
A fun and entertaining read. Nothing too weighty; just right for a cozy night at anchor. Highliners is book one of a trilogy including Breakers and Raiders. William McCloskey begins the tale of Hank Crawford, August, 1963, fresh out of college on his way to a cannery job on Kodiak Island, looking for overtime and big dollars. The volume ends in 1975, with the fisherman characters and the changing nature of the fishery filled out. The story is timeless and well told. Plucky, rebellious young man leaves home to follow a dream despite parental opposition. Gradually he finds his sea legs and charts his course. Gradually he becomes part of a dynamic close knit community. A viking-like adventurous lifestyle is portrayed and a bit romanticized. Fishermen competing among themselves and then bonding together as a group, lobbying government to protect their interests and limit foreign fishing. The story builds on its own with little need for gratuituous language. The rhythm of the sea underlies every chapter and although the characters are fictional the times they occupy are factual. A must read for all salty fish lovers because it defines fishing commercial fishing in Alaska. The last frontier.
