May 2020

 

 

 

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Self Isolating at Anchor in Bahia Falsa

 

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Friday May 1st 2020

Today Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon. Wind northwest 20 km/h becoming light this morning. High 18. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Becoming clear this evening. Low plus 2.

I slept really well in my aft cabin and surfaced just before eight, in time for the VHF net.

It is May Day.

"Labor Day (Día del Trabajo), also known as May Day (Primero de Mayo), is a public holiday in Mexico on May 1. Events and observations associated with the holidays we list may be canceled or otherwise affected due to measures taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Good news, infections, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to be low here in La Paz.

Something that I seldom mention, but should, is that this is not my first brush with an epidemic.  In 1952, my mother contracted polio while at my grandmother's funeral and she spent a long, long time in an iron lung and then in recovery.

She was told she would never walk again, but she is indomitable and did, then cross-country skied and hiked until age and arthritis overtook her. Still, at 101, she walks a few steps daily with support.

My best friend was crippled in his left arm by that same epidemic.  My brother and I may have had a touch. Were we quarantined? I assume so, but I was young and don't recall.

We've had a few epidemics since then and each was a scary unknown in its time, but people went about their business and took appropriate measures and the epidemic passed and life went on.

Until lately, people were expected to be responsible and they were.  I cannot recall such overreaction and governmental overreach as we see today, ever.

I attribute this insanity to TV and social media addiction.  Both of these bring each and every outrage or atypical case--and outright propaganda--into our livingrooms and bedrooms constantly; and to a population accustomed to being preempted and mollycoddled, with many spending far too much time in school for their intellect with a resulting general lowering of standards and respect for real intelligence. The result has come to eventual election of a cretin as Prime Minister. (My apologies if I am smearing cretins here).

Flow Hive Experiences from Calgary Beekeepers

Ales Katona Apr 30 12:55PM -0600

Here are my experiences in a nutshell:  

1. The bees do have trouble initially, especially if the frames are new/empty, but if the flow is strong and they're constrained they will go in and build them in 1-2 weeks (slow initially tho). This can cause swarming of course.

2. If/once you have them "pre-built" they go in easier but it's still worse than traditional frames, they still don't like walking on it.

3. Once broken tho they fill it pretty fast.

4. Make sure not to miss them being full! Especially if you have canola around, empty as soon as they're mostly full otherwise it crystalizes and you're hosed (with hot water! :D)

5. The "myth" about bees going in while you tap the honey is mostly baloney, a few might fall into the jar as you tap but it's not a big problem.

6. The bees do refill once you tap out the contents, there's no problem with that, they seem to know the cells are empty even if uncapped. 

Overall the experience is much much nicer than typical extraction, at least for me, it's also much less distracting for the hive, but the initial "break in" to get them to use the frames is somewhat painful.

I had more trouble when they still had space left with say a medium traditional super beneath it. It also depends on how good the flow and the hive are.  

A strong hive with good flow will use the frames ok, with some slow initial build of the cells when they're still just plastic, but nothing too drastic. Do give them at least 1 week for that tho, and don't expect them to build anything before the main flow.  

If your hive isn't in perfect condition tho I might not use them. I have one weaker hive this year and I'm probably not going to use this on that one.  

The price is pretty high, I got it soon as a supporter since I love the idea, but it still needs some work and of course it'd be nice if they could lower the price to something more realistic.

I can't really give you advice there it depends on your budget.  

I think overall tho that if this gets perfected it'd be a great replacement to the "barbaric" way we did the extraction before.  

Ales

Robert Engelen  Apr 30 02:05PM -0600

I have a couple flow supers that I have used for several years.

I also had the experience with bees being slow to take to one in the first year (fixed by rolling on a little melted wax - similar to what you sometimes need to do for plastic foundation), and for the other the bees immediately started using it.

They are still slower to use both supers than if I provide a box of drawn frames, which I think is to be expected and very likely reduces the overall honey volume. No matter what anyone says, you cannot trust the readiness as visible through the window looking at the outside frame. I always check each frame I plan to extract to see that it is capped - perhaps my bees don’t follow the rules for filling supers!
 
I have an electric extractor, and still choose to use the flows for reasons other than economics or convenience .

They are great for guests. It’s fun to watch the bees through the window, and i can involve others in the harvest with no protective gear.

Any claims that the extractor is anything other than gentle are simply not true from my experience and I typically harvest in shorts and flip flops.

I also like the concept of the frames filling sequentially so that I can get different honey - however the bees don’t always help this and seem to work 2-3 frames at a time.
 
Hillary Kerney recently posted her flow experiences and reasons why and why not to use flow. I found it a good read. https://beekeepinglikeagirl.com/is-the-flowhive-bad-for-bees/
 
Unfortunately, the biggest reason not to use flow is the negativity you will experience from other beekeepers if you admit to having one. Lots of opinions from passionate people who have never used one, and may not be equipped to relate to your reasons for having it.
 
Robert

I continue to receive comments and will get to them later, but I really should scrape the dinghy before the gets high and it gets too hot.

"Fact is that some counties and cities are going bankrupt (and interestingly the states that are in the US are all? blue states)."

Blue states tend to have more (most?) of the large cities, red states tend to be more rural, so it's natural that states with large cities would have higher rates of infection/more hospital expenses and suffer greater economic losses from a shut down (higher numbers of people, in close quarters to each other, mean more infections and an ever greater need for some type of lock down) which have cost them (so far) more in terms of this pandemic.

Also, a far greater number of the blue state put far more money into the federal pot then they get out of it (if the blue states had been able to keep more of their own money for themselves they'd be in much better shape now) whereas a far greater number of red states get far more money from the federal pot (i.e. from the blue states) than they put into it (so any "prosperity" they may be showing at the moment, compared to blue states, is not their prosperity to begin with).

It will be interesting to see what happens if/when covid-19 starts to spread in higher numbers in the more rural, red states, especially since rural areas don't tend to have much in the way of hospitals etc compared to cities.

*   *   *   *   *   *

I, like you, am torn on the issue of seeing this virus as a way to 'trim the deadwood".

On one hand, there those who are quite aged and maybe near the end of their time on earth anyway, or they are both aged and ill and require tremendous amounts of costly care every day... AND they aren't really enjoying life anymore either.

But on the other hand, the other folks who are most susceptible to dying from this virus are people who are maybe not so aged but are overweight, or have diabetes, or high blood pressure (which is what? 30%? 40%? 50%? of the population?), and that would be a tremendous death toll. Especially when many (most?) people who are not old but are overweight/have diabetes/have high blood pressure are often otherwise quite healthy and living normal, productive lives, working, raising families, and what not (and whose death would also be a real hit to our supply chains, work force, talent and experience, people who can teach or lead others, their children, etc).

On the third hand, we do tend to expend a tremendous amount of resources on keeping everyone alive for as long as possible, even when it isn't even humane to do so, or we keep them alive even when it's almost certain they'll be left with a lifetime of issues to deal with (as often happens, for example, with babies that are born extremely prematurely, or who need lifesaving surgeries both in the womb and/or after birth, or who are born with severe genetic issues, etc).

On the fourth hand, of those with chronic or serious illnesses that we do keep alive, many (most?) really want to be alive and are glad for every day that they are.

I'm getting old but I most definitely don't want to die yet, and you're even older than I am but I'm willing to bet you're not ready to shuffle of this mortal coil yet either.

 Catherine

Of course she is right. 

My bags are packed, but I'll linger here as long as I can, and as long as life is worth living.

*   *   *   *    *   *

I am on cellular data here.  It costs me $500 MXN ($28.47 CAD) for 8 GB of fast data. 

I have to keep tabs on it as YouTube will swallow a lot unless i make sure to select a low BW setting and keep checking to make sure it has not defaulted to HD.

To monitor usage I run Networx and get a report when I want. I use an older, free version that works fine for my purposes.

*   *   *   *    *   *

I have repeatedly brought up the puzzling fact that the virus seems to be a big nothingburger in some regions like California and a total catastrophe in other places like Wuhan, Northern Italy and a few boroughs in NYC.

Different virus strains, demographics, , social customs, genetics, differences in climate and environment are all possible explanations.  We see things like this when we examine varroa resistance.  Supposedly varroa resistant bee strains that perform well in one region are often reputed to fail utterly when tried elsewhere.

Next: vaccines (but no 5G)

I support vaccines and am the first inline every year for the flu shot.  I've have all the possible shingles inoculations, at my own expense, mind you. I don't doubt for a moment that vaccines are the reason we don't see smallpox or polio. But in my experience, nothing is perfect and vaccines have had spectacular failures. They tend to get hushed up because the good far far outweighs the bad--unless you happen to be collateral damage. 

In light of the current fantasy that we will have  a magic vaccine bullet soon and that we need to accelerate the approvals so we can go back to the sort of mass events we had in the past, just as if we had learned nothing about what happens when we put 10,000 into some close-packed event.

I leave it to you to read more if you care to here before you line up to be the first.  I don't have the time or inclination right now, but might follow up the Wuhan vaccine story sometime and if we are offered a vaccine with little testing.

Anyhow.  There is this:

As I previously said I don't want to get into any anti-vax baloney,  but should mention for sake of full disclosure that I noticed in one of my deep dives that one very convincing expert in the vaccine field mentioned the possible cause of the apparent strangely high mortality in Wuhan was that that population had had an earlier universal vaccination for some other coronavirus. 

In my experience crazy rumours may be just that, but when on the grapevine of scientist specialists who don't stick their necks out...

Here are the potential vaccines for COVID-19 being tested in humans

COVID-19 cases in Canada much higher than we think: Montreal researchers
Duh. I could have told them that.

“How widespread is COVID-19 in the general population, really?” Lewis said. “That’s what we need to get a much better picture of. It’s important for policymakers who have to make difficult choices about how long to impose costly social distancing measures.”

Duh, again.
How much are these guys getting paid?
I could have told them that in one minute for half the price.

'The CDC is actually a vaccine company'
Robert F. Kennedy Jr
(RT is funded in whole or in part by the Russian government.)
 See much more, including blowback, here

Science
— and vaccines —
will save us all

Frankly, I doubt some/many of us would be here to question vaccines if it had not been for vaccines in our past but that does not mean we should not question current motives and practices.

Danielle Smith is an extremely bright and honest interviewer and commentator. This interview is amazing.  The more I hear about WHO and the damage their advice has caused, the more I want to gag.

Chief Medical Officers questioned on lockdown’s adverse health impacts

At 16:40 in this podcast WHO's Mike Ryan was asked a simple question.
What a weasel.

Fact is that Sweden has handled this the way we should have. As for the nursing homes, they are a disaster at the best of times and many are a disgrace.

Canada needs a much better CBC
Conrad Black has a razor-sharp mind.
Everything he writes is worth my time.

I used to listen to CBC all day, but now only listen to the news and Calgary morning show  occasionally to see what is happening around Alberta. 

They still do have some worthwhile programs, but have promoted David Suzuki and his hypocritical and slanted views for decades.  One major reason I listen is the freedom from commercials.  If only, instead, Danielle and CHQR had that free ride from taxpayers. She alone is worth ten CBC staff.

I inflated the dinghy and scraped off the marine growth, then looked for the leak.

I mixed up some soapy water in a spray bottle, sprayed the damaged area and found nothing along the scraped side.

Then I heard air escaping at the bow. It turned out that the rope from the bow that I use to hold the outboard from falling down when underway had sawed through in several spots.  That should be fairly easy to fix.

I mixed up some of the expensive epoxy that I keep for just such an eventuality and applied it to the holes after trimming them with a box knife. It takes several hours to set and then comes the moment of truth.

I noticed another seam that needs repair, too, so that job will be done after this sets up

At right is a chart of is where I am anchored now at Bahia Falsa (lower arrow), and where I was anchored previously (upper arrow). If you want to see the real marine chart used as a source, click here.

It appears my dinghy is holding its shape.

I ran out of Internet it seems and I can't seem to renew.

I went to bed at nine.  After while I went up top, then at midnight went back down to the aft cabin.

Event 201 Pandemic Exercise

 Highlights Reel

Quote of the Day
 All around the cobbler’s bench
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey thought ’twas all in good fun,
Pop! goes the weasel

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Two years.

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Saturday May 2nd 2020

Today Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon. Wind becoming south 20 km/h this afternoon. High 20. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Wind south 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Wind becoming southeast 20 gusting to 40 overnight. Low 9.

I slept until 0755 again and am tired even after nine hours of sleep (I was up for an hour at four).

Today I've been out here anchored in Bahia Falsa for a week a week and am thinking of going to town, but don't really need to.

The fleet of boats anchored here is thinning out as some are leaving to go north in the Sea and I may be alone her before long. I'd prefer not to be the only cruising boat in sight at night, for security reasons.  We'll see.

I'm having trouble renewing my Internet today and may need to be in town for that.  Otherwise, I may drop off the 'net sometime today. 

If I do go to town, I don't want to find myself prohibited from returning here, so I'll check the current situation before going back.

I was asked in an email why I considered the WHO responder to the question about Sweden to be a weasel. 

Simple.  His disrespectful tone and overly long qualifications, rather than a simple, yes, it seems that limited restrictions and relying on people to be careful seems so far to be as successful as the draconian measures adopted elsewhere.

Although he was correct in his long worries and we don't know now what we may or may not know later, fact is WHO was dead wrong and directly responsible, along with the Chinese government and a trusted person in our government, for not admitting the seriousness and transmissibility of the virus as soon as it was known and failing to advise measures early on that would have prevented the economic damage we are experiencing. 

Moreover, our Canadian government relied on the advice of a Chinese dual citizen to remove the mention of the virus--and China--in advice to arrivals from China, and failed to test or monitor arrivals until long after the horse left the barn. 

Although people arrived from Wuhan and travelled freely at that time, if I return to Canada, I am expected to place myself under arrest.  Any claims that the facts were not known early this year and obvious are disingenuous.  I was reporting them here.

Anyhow, with little bandwidth and a beautiful day ahead, I hope to forget this nonsense for a while and work on some projects onboard.

My dinghy is holding air, so I'll fully inflate it and check for leaks, then launch it again.

I went out and began the process.  So far, no more leaks, but I know there has to be at least a pinhole or two, so I'll keep checking.

Today's report: "In Baja California Sur, there were 18 new cases (+157%) in the last 24hrs for a total of 331, and no additional deaths bringing the total to 19. The numbers are still very low but the virus seems to be accelerating in Baja California Sur

*   *   *   *   *   *

Back to things we really should know but which seem to be have been suppressed probably for political or PC reasons.

Some research I've seen shows that some ethnic groups are much more susceptible to attack from this virus than others.

Some oriental groups are at the top of the lists and--guess what--Swedish genotypes are at the very bottom. Moreover, immigrant communities in Sweden are hit far harder than the native population. The reasons could be cultural, but could the reason be genetic?  If so, that might help explain why Sweden is getting off relatively lightly without a lockdown.

Another missing piece that it has been suggested quietly by a vaccination expert is that a prior universal vaccination in Wuhan set the population there up to react uniquely badly to this virus. We were all shocked at the reports of thousands of deaths and we're seen nothing remotely like it since, not even in Italy.

Come to think of it, if this was known inside China and was shared with WHO and no one else, perhaps this explains why WHO failed to give an adequate warning to the world even though they knew full well early on that the Wu(WHO)Flu was transmissible between people.  Obviously it had to be with so many people getting it in Wuhan, but WHO and China denied it. I can't believe our 'leaders' were so blind.

Maybe they thought their situation was unique?  Maybe for that reason? That would explain something that otherwise makes little sense unless one puts on a tin hat.

*   *   *   *   *   *

I could not find more leaks, so I launched the dinghy and it floats. If it holds its shape until afternoon, I'll mount the outboard. We'll see. Time will tell. 

At 1100, it is getting hot out here. There is no wind.  Time for a swim.

*   *   *   *   *   *

At noon, the dinghy seems to have softened a bit.  Oh, oh. 

*   *   *   *   *   *

As We Mull Leaving Lockdown, Is Sweden Model the Way Forward?

*   *   *   *   *   *

Here Are The Key Findings From The Bombshell Government Dossier On China's Bat Virus Program

*   *   *   *   *   *

Lockdowns Ending But Their Politics Still Rule
'This approach to politics is no different than the approach to medicine of a doctor ordering unnecessary tests or not recommending a change in diet precisely because he fears a malpractice suit.'

I've raised an eyebrow or two for my choice of sources. Zero Hedge does not get much respect except from the people who want to know the gossip and rumours, like politicians and traders.

Politicians need to know who will be throwing rocks at their next parade. Traders depend on knowing the current gestalt (gossip) to direct and grow their funds and avoid being blindsided because rumour becomes truth in an instant when yesterday's 'truth' is taken out to the curb.

Philip K. Dick (no relation) says — 'Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.' Unfortunately, in the short term, like it or not, perception is the 'reality' we have to deal with and we had better know it or our PC neighbour will turn us in to the current PC gestapo.

That 'reality' may not last, but being aware of what is on the wind at the moment is critical in order to be home when Opportunity knocks--or away for a while when Nemesis comes looking.

My policy is to find ideas wherever they are and go from there. Even the most foolish or biased source can be right now and then and even the most trustworthy source can lead us far astray.

I pumped up the dinghy again and it is seeping air somewhere,  Slowly.  I'll have to soap it down again.

I decided to search out the source of the diesel leak that was pooling fuel under the engine.  At first I had suspected the filter, but that proved to be okay and a closer examination showed a wet track of fuel down from the injector junction.  I tightened that and the bolt took a quarter turn, so I think I may have fixed it.

One down, five more things to go... The fresh water leak is the biggest pain, but first I'll check the dinghy again.

Well, sure enough, I found two more small leaks. I'll patch them now and I know I'll have to to do a better job later. Meantime, the dinghy is out of service.

I'm tempted to return to La Paz and if I go. I should leave soon.  Tomorrow is Sunday, though.  I also just put glue on the dinghy and should not be towing it around and subjecting it to bumping and banging over swells.

I'm itching for some excitement, though.  Maybe I just need to meditate.

I wonder how long these restrictions can be enforced without complete social and economic collapse.  It looks as if they will be relaxed here soon, if you consider a month from now to be soon.

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”― Joseph Heller

Will sent me this.  Am I reading this correctly?  Will says we've been hoaxed. How else can one read it?

For the masochists:
Provisional-Death-Counts-COVID-19-Pneumonia-and-Influenza

More Data | And More | Excess Deaths


Does this chart indicate a massacre to you? Maybe recently. Maybe not.
Most recent data is probably subject to question until time passes.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Brace For A Monday Massacre: Buffett Liquidates All Airline Holdings As Berkshire Sees Another Leg Lower

I bailed on equities five years back.  It was getting too crazy even then. I missed a huge five-year run up--and the sudden drop right back down to where I got off.  To my mind the drop was inevitable, eventually. As I said before, I hate Snakes and Ladders.

As a kid we sometimes played Snakes and ladders at the cottage and I hated that game.  You could get right to the last squares and be about to win, then land on a snake that went almost down to the start again. I have never liked losing.

Equities are recovering at the moment, but I am not tempted.

"...Worse, explaining why he still hasn't made a major acquisition despite the recent 35% drop in the market, the billionaire investor said "we have not done anything because we haven’t seen anything that attractive,"

" ...but that Buffett sees the current market rebound as nothing more than a dead cat bounce as he prepares to snap up the real bargains after the next crash."

There may be figurative blood in the streets, but Warren Buffet is bailing and that should tell us something. He  is turning ninety, though, so his horizon may be closer than in the past. Mine is.

I wonder about Prem Wasa, another very shrewd follower of Benjamin Graham, but Canadian.  I'll look when I get internet later today.  Right now, I am without as the website won't take my credit cards

Bill called and we chatted for an hour or so.  We're spent hours on the phone off and on ever since we were teens.

I watched more of Schitt's Creek and went to bed by ten. 

The series is mindless, but harmless. The premise is interesting and come to think of it, between Barney, Carolyn, and myself, at one time we basically bought Swalwell, and today, after 52 years I am the longest standing resident by far.

Quote of the Day
 The truth is rarely pure and never simple.
Oscar Wilde

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Sunday May 3rd 2020

Today Increasing cloudiness early this morning. 60 percent chance of showers late this morning and this afternoon. Wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming northwest 30 gusting to 50 this afternoon. High 17. UV index 5 or moderate.
Tonight Periods of rain. Amount 5 mm. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Low plus 4.

I slept well, with some odd dreams, and woke just before four.

I was dreaming that my mother (101 y.o.) was pregnant and that made me wonder. I'm still wondering.

Moments later the anchor alarm went off.  The external battery had run down, and Android had stalled the app. I found another battery and went back to bed.

At least I thought I woke before it went off, but now I wonder. This happens too often. 

I think I must be sleeping lightly on the edge of consciousness and semi-awake at such times.  Any event brings me to the the surface, thinking I have already been awake for moments.  Otherwise I would have dozed on, unconscious.

Consciousness is a very funny thing if you examine it which, apparently, most of us do not.

A while later, I got up and made coffee. My mood has changed and I am feeling more organized after a week of being uninspired.

My back is sore again and I assume now it must be from my contortions yesterday accessing the engine and electrical.  I took an ibuprofen.

I see the boat battery is still at 12.5 volts after a week at anchor.  That is pretty good. The solar is keeping up. Just the same, the batteries will need a top-up before long to maintain their condition. Maybe I should equalize, too.

The wind is blowing from the south and southwest as it does off and on all night, every night, at this time of year and the swells are tossing Baja Magic around lightly.

The boat swings and changes angles in the wind and waves. Some waves slap the hull. Others rock the boat gently, others yet toss the boat quarter to quarter. Then there are lulls, and then the motion resumes.

Every wave is different. Waves may all look similar to the lay person, but sailors and surfers know differently.

The size, shape, direction, angle, and power can vary greatly between any two successive waves. Each wave, like each snowflake, is unique.

I have now been away from my dock in town for one full week and still have about 80% battery, a full forward tank of water, and a full carboy of drinking water, plus food enough I could stay another week.

I have things to do also. I should reconcile accounts and pay bills.

I have been railing against the crazy overreach by governments and this morning realised how deeply this is going to affect close friends with small businesses they have built up over years.

Once destroyed, these businesses will not come back and these people will be ruined.  Many are past their prime and approaching retirement.  They took decades to build and the capital is always thin.  Even a few months of being frozen means that they are gone.

The criminal aspect is that, as demonstrated by Sweden, extreme measures were totally unnecessary and the drastic actions only became prudent, if they ever were, due to negligence and delays in recognizing and mitigating the danger when we saw what was happening in Wuhan and the potential for worldwide disaster was obvious.

I'm afraid that our government is totally incompetent and has absolutely no idea how the world works. They are idealists, the most dangerous people there are, and the last people who should ever be given any power at all.

Boy, oh boy, do I agree with that one, that Canada (and the U.S.) should have been placing arrivals from China and anyone who'd passed through China recently (any arrival, not just Chinese nationals) under quarantine the minute they touched down at the very beginning of all this. Followed by ANY traveler coming into the country. I don't know anyone who saw pictures of the crowded airports back then who didn't have a feeling of chill horror at the gross negligence.

********************

Interesting chart re: deaths. I wonder how many fewer flu deaths than average the U.S. (or any other country) are having simply by virtue of social distancing, and how many fewer deaths from motor vehicle accidents due to fewer people on the road.

On the other hand, there is likely a rise in some of our other leading causes of deaths (cancer, heart disease) simply because people are no longer getting the medical care they need, or, at very minimum, are not getting the same level of medical care they might have had just a couple of months ago.

Our healthcare system is going to be a real zoo going forward - the backlog of surgeries and other health related items (dentistry, optical care, podiatry, etc) that were all put on hold due to lock down will still all have to be dealt with alongside all the additional health issues that will inevitably occur during lock down and staged recovery.

Catherine

People have forgotten that there are worse things than death and many of them begin when idealists get the helm.  If we are lucky, they just drive the economy into the ground. Worst case, millions suffer and die.

Why Sweden Has Already Won The Debate On COVID-19 "Lockdown" Policy

"You wouldn’t know it by listening to western politicians or mainstream media stenographers, there are also non-lockdown countries. They are led by Sweden, Iceland, Belarus, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Surprisingly to some, their results have been as good or better than the lockdown countries, but without having to endure the socio-economic chaos we are now witnessing across the world."

Something I find most annoying and disingenuous is the media's habit  of reporting 'new cases' as if this is somehow meaningful for any purpose other than to promote fear and justify the ongoing oppression.

Are these new hospitalizations?  If so, how serious?  Or are they new detections in general testing or self-reported cases? 

Inquiring minds need to know.

Norway's $1 Trillion Wealth Fund Doubled Down On US Stocks During March Market Rout
I find this interesting.
They bought Carnival Cruise stock, too.

I did a little web work and accounting, then Job One was the dinghy so I flipped it over and searched out the source of the bubbles I saw yesterday. In spite of much more damaged-looking spots, the actual leak is a tiny hole, hardly visible.  I deflated the tube, dried and cleaned around the spot and smeared on a dab of epoxy. I did a nearby spot, too, for good luck. 

The glue should be set enough to inflate the craft by noon. Then we will see if it holds air.  I'd like to mount the outboard and go for a spin before I return to La Paz.

I have not decided if I'll go back today or not. Maybe not.  I really don't need to and I am in a different mood today.

The water temperature is 75°F today--at the surface right behind the boat at any rate. That is a quite a change from January. It is still not exactly soupy, though.

As I say sometime, I write this diary simply to show how what I think I'm doing and what am actually doing are not the same.  Frankly, I doubt I am different from everyone in that regard and it is something we all should think about, often!

Here is an example. Almost two weeks ago, I encountered a fresh water system leak and began to work on it. 

The next day, I emptied a locker, climbed down in, got hot and dirty, tore out some paneling inside a cupboard next to the fridge, exposed the top of the water tank (right), realised getting access to the actual problem might require a saw and some destruction and and finished for the day.

I then got busy with other things while I pondered the problem.

Days later, I noticed that the ham radio was  not working and tore apart the paneling above the nav station, searching for the problem. Duh. 

I should have realised that there was a connection to the first project, but I my enthusiasm for the first project had been so extinguished by the need to get drastic and the fear that I might open a can of worms that I did not even look in the most obvious place: where I had disturbed wiring and hoses. 

In fact, I even went searching in the engine compartment yesterday when I was working on the fuel leak.

Today  I looked on top to the water tank and immediately saw that the wire connector had corroded right off and two wires were separated, I assume that had happened when I was pawing around in there earlier.

Duh again.

I've been putting off contacting two ham friends pending getting this fixed.

Duh, Duh, Duh.

I found a water leak and since I have rescue tape, I taped it up.  That stopped that leak, but it seems there is still another and it is less accessible.

I gave up for now, raised anchor, and sailed for La Paz, arriving around four and tying up in my new spot.  It was hot as Hades in the sheltered marina, a big change from the open bay.

I settled in, cooled with the fans, then walked to Oxxo and renewed my phone data.  Oxxo had no beer and neither did the gas station tienda across the road or the Six I passed on the way back. 

When I came to Banditos, I was hot and thirsty.  They advertise "to go only" due to the lockdown but I asked if they have beer. "Yes".  Could I sit down and have one.  "Yes, but come to the back."

We're in lockdown, but this is Mexico.  Everything is negotiable.  I sat down in the shade, out of sight from the street and the hostess set up a fan to keep me comfortable. I had two leisurely Pacificos, enjoying the loud, and surprisingly clear sixties and seventies music that was playing.

I then bought a 24 to go and the hostess insisted on sending a young fellow along to carry the box for me. She said I should tip him maybe twenty pesos. I asked how much I should tip her.  "Nothing", she said with a smile.

We walked the two blocks to the boat. I tipped him and went below.

It is good to be back at the dock.   I'm now in a high foot traffic part of the dock compared to before and my by neighbours greet me as they pass.  Even that slight amount of social life is better than none.

I had a few beers and made some phone calls and went to bed at dusk.

Quote of the Day
We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion.
The great task in life is to find reality.
Iris Murdoc

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Monday May 4th 2020

Today Mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Wind northwest 20 km/h increasing to 40 gusting to 70 this morning. High 10. UV index 4 or moderate.
Tonight Cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers early this evening then partly cloudy. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light late this evening. Low plus 2.

I woke at six.  It is a beautiful morning, I'm expecting a diver to come to clean the hull.

Luis, the diver, came around ten and his son scraped the hull.

Luis agrees that my hull is growing sea critters far more quickly than it should.  The Coppercoat is a failure, so I may have to haul the boat and have new paint applied before too long.

Then Dennis came for his money for the emergency sail repair a few weeks ago.  I'll have him replace the clear plastic windows in the bimini some time.

Next, I washed the topsides.  It was pretty filthy from blowing desert dust and the scrapings from the dinghy. When I raised the dinghy for repair, I had scraped  the bottom and the scrapings had all fallen on the decks. I filled the water tanks, too. 

The dinghy?  It seems to be holding air now. I'll know better in a day.

While I am in town, I have yet to get groceries and any supplies I need for the projects underway.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Is Sweden's Covid-19 Handling a Failure or a Success?

Leftists Fume As Michael Moore Turns On Fraudulent "Green" Movement In Latest Movie

"More than any other documentary to date, this film exposes the wholesale fraud behind subsidized industries like biomass fuels, wind turbines, and even not-so ‘green’ electric car..."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Data Shows World Rejecting Governments' Shelter-In-Place Tyranny
Good charts.

The Jackpot Chronicles: When Tin Foil Hats Meet Radical Uncertainty

*   *   *   *   *   *

900 Lockdown-"Snitches" Fear Violent Reprisals After Names, Addresses Published Online
Oh, Darn!

*   *   *   *   *   *

China Warns Of Possible Armed Conflict With US Over Coronavirus Backlash

"...Chinese officials had a “special responsibility” to inform their people and the world of the threat posed by the coronavirus “since they were the first to learn of it,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in response to questions from Reuters.

Without directly addressing the assessment made in the Chinese report, Ortagus added: “Beijing’s efforts to silence scientists, journalists, and citizens and spread disinformation exacerbated the dangers of this health crisis.” -Reuters

"...China's early coverup of the outbreak - including silencing and/or disappearing whistleblowing doctors and journalists, lying about the transmissibility of the virus while hoarding personal protective equipment (PPE), quarantining Wuhan domestically while allowing international travel, and using the World Health Organization to run cover - has drawn global scorn as COVID has infected over 3.5 million and killed nearly 250,000 in five months.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Bankrupt Cities And States Get The National Disaster They've Been Hoping For

*   *   *   *   *   *

Public vs. Private

*   *   *   *   *   *

The Inevitable Coronavirus Censorship Crisis is Here

Matt Taibbi is one of my favourite objective, centrist, sane no-holds-barred writers.

"The moment we’re in right now equates to September 2008, when the world was melting down and historic, transformational decisions were being made at light speed. This time around, I want to catch as much of it in real time as possible, and will do so here on Substack."

*   *   *   *   *   *

The Fox News/MSNBC mirror: Chris Hayes debunks video as Tucker Carlson hypes it

*   *   *   *   *   *

Deadly "Murder Hornet" Swarms Arrive In North America

Gell-Mann Amnesia

"If you or your company has EVER been the primary subject of a newspaper article, you know exactly what Crichton is talking about. The article is simply wrong. Not just wrong in minor detail, but wrong in motivation, cause, implication, fundamental facts … everything. You read it and you think, “how can I get this travesty of an article edited/retracted/rewritten? how is it possible that the writer got this situation so wrong?”

"And yet, despite having this searing experience with media articles where we actually have meaningful personal knowledge, we believe without hesitation the next story we read where we don’t!

*   *   *   *   *   *

Seniors with COVID-19 show unusual symptoms, doctors say
Hmmm.  They start to act... old?.
How strange.

*   *   *   *   *   *

I have to remember to relax more. I notice sometimes that I have an urgent feeling I need to do something. Fact is, I don't.  I don't have to do anything at all, so why the nagging feeling?  Right now I feel I need to go shopping and really, I don't.  I would like to have some eggs and fruit, but I have enough food to last a week if I am not fussy.  Three weeks, maybe.

Just the same, I think I'll go to Chedraui or Walmart. Chedraui is closer and has eggs, but Walmart has better selection.

Who is the Criminal Director of the World Health Organization?

Coronavirus: Are Our Scientists Lying To Us?

Pseudo-Science behind the Assault on Hydroxychloroquine

"On April 6, Peter Navarro told CNN that “Virtually Every COVID-19 Patient In New York Is given Hydroxychloroquine.” This might explain decrease in COVID-19 deaths in the New York state after April 15. The time lag is because COVID-19 deaths happen on average 14 days after showing symptoms."

Actually, I went to Soriana, mostly because I wanted an ice cream cone from the shop downstairs. I had my cone (50 pesos) and went upstairs to shop for groceries.

Uber took me back home and I put everything away and watched YouTube for a while.

For groceries, I have the choice of Soriana, Chedraui, Walmart or Ley.  Each  has an advantage in one area or another, except Ley.  If Ley has any advantage, I have yet to discover it. The Ley store on Cinco de Mayo is a mess; the isles are tight and the stock is spotty.

Walmart has the best produce, but lately no eggs. The other two, Soriana and Chedraui, are pretty close in features, but the Sorianas are classier in terms of decor. I like them all except Ley and they are all just 40 pesos away by Uber.

Dear Crisis Experts, You Are the Crisis

I made supper, read a bit, watched more of Schitt's Creek, and went to bed.

Schitt's Creek meets my minimum standards for entertainment. It is bearable fluff and a good time-waster.  There are no bloody graphically murders or torture sessions, no fake sex;  just vapid humour and some sly commentary on modern life and expectations.   The characters are believable in a cartoon fashion and all quite likeable.

Apparently Schitt's Creek ran six seasons and is done.

Quote of the Day
Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because
Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.
Mark Twain

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Tuesday May 5th 2020

Today Fog dissipating this morning then mainly sunny. Wind becoming southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 this afternoon. High 16. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight A few clouds. Wind southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light late this evening. Low plus 2.

I slept right through last night.  I was aware that I was dozing at several points, but did not get up even once.

This is the first day of the rest of my life.  Again.

I'm still at the dock in town.  My intention as to go right back out to Falsa, but now that I am here, I am happy to be here.

That's my problem.  I like being here, no matter where "here" is.  That's why I have not travelled the world.  In my mind, there is little reason to.

I enjoyed this talk: The pursuit of ignorance.  One notable mention: "You always get what you screen for".

That is an interesting topic. People are unaware of screening or masking but it is everywhere. Together with sorting, speed and and scaling, masking explains the power of computing.

We think of Internet IPs addresses as numbers or addresses, but they are simply masks.  While they do direct to a specific 'location', they actually  mask out all others which are equally immanent.  Similarly, our brains constantly sort and mask out all most of the competing stimulae and interpretations (hallucinations) that compete constantly, selecting by elimination what we want to be 'real'.

See Aldous Huxley, Doors of Perception.

As I have related previously, I am a victim of the education system, and that was even before it became politicized, unionized, and before teachers decided they are now "educators".   It partly stripped me of my native intuitive understanding and implanted a dim substitute, but did not break my spirit.

There is something frightening in my mind about the idea of someone trying to educate another. Teach?  That is benign and helpful.  Educate?  That is rape.

The Dubious COVID Models, The Tests and Now the Consequences

"...Since late in January the world has undergone staggering changes which in many cases may be irreparable. We have given decisions over every aspect of our lives to the judgment of tests and to the projections of computer models for the coronavirus first claimed to have erupted in Wuhan China, now dubbed SARS-CoV-2. With astonishing lack of transparency or checking, one government after the other has imposed China-model lockdowns on their entire populations. It begins to look as if we are being led like sheep to slaughter for corrupted science.

Lockdown Stockholm Syndrome

."..I continue to be baffled by those who cannot bring themselves to admit that Sweden has carried out a relatively sensible policy on Covid-19, whilst the response of so many other countries has been authoritarian and frankly unhinged. The idea of quarantining millions of perfectly healthy people and stopping them from doing normal, healthy things is something that has apparently never occurred to any national leaders in the past, or at least if it did, they presumably never enacted it for fear of revolt.

"No such fear today. It is simply staggering to see how so many people have not only come to accept the inevitable destruction of the economy and curtailment of civil liberties as a price worth paying to deal with an illness which is killing numbers on roughly the same levels as a bad flu season, but have actually become cheerleaders for the giant social experiment being done to them.

"It reminds me of the chilling and dispiriting line at the end of 1984: “He loved Big Brother.” Today, for reasons that are not at all clear to me, many appear to “Love Lockdown”

Politicians Have Destroyed Markets and Ignored Human Rights with Alarming Enthusiasm

"...millions have had their lives turned upside down. Most entrepreneurs and self-employed persons have had their livelihoods jeopardized.

 "The economic devastation wrecked upon Western economies by governments will have consequences for many years to come. It will inevitably lower European and US citizens' quality of life for a long time, impacting their health as well.

"It is important to understand that this disaster is not the result of the coronavirus pandemic, which is a public health problem, but of overzealous government officials reacting to the pandemic.

This ongoing trainwreck and self-immolation is clearly a direct and predictable byproduct of globalization.

Whatever the benefits, and they are many, globalization has reduced and is eliminating the diversity of sources, methods and thought that has thusfar ensured survival of our species, turning our many smaller, and very diverse communities onto one large homogeneous vulnerable target, physically and politically.

Globalization has broken down the firewalls of custom, language, distance, suspicion, and expense in time money, effort and risk that used to protect us and prevent one local catastrophe from wiping out all of our civilizations and our species.

That is a huge topic.

Scientific team finds new, unique mutation in coronavirus study

"Lim's team has identified a SARS-CoV-2 mutation that had never been found before—where 81 of the letters have vanished, permanently deleted from the genome.

"One of the reasons why this mutation is of interest is because it mirrors a large deletion that arose in the 2003 SARS outbreak," said Lim, an assistant professor at ASU's Biodesign Institute.

"During the middle and late phases of the SARS epidemic, SARS-CoV accumulated mutations that attenuated the virus.

"Scientists believe that a weakened virus that causes less severe disease may have a selective advantage if it is able to spread efficiently through populations by people who are infected unknowingly.

Elvis Was King, Ike Was President, & 116,000 Americans Died In A Pandemic

"Also that year, the so-called Asian Flu killed 116,000 Americans... The estimated number of deaths was 1.1 million worldwide and 116,000 in the United States.

Like the current pandemic, there was a demographic pattern to the deaths. It hit the elderly population with heart and lung disease. In a frightening twist, the virus could also be fatal for pregnant women. The infection rate was probably even higher than the Spanish flu of 1918 (675,000 Americans died from this), but this lowered the overall case fatality rate to 0.67%. A vaccine became available in late 1957 but was not widely distributed.

The population of the U.S. at the time was 172 million, which is a little more than half of the current population. Life expectancy was 69 as versus 78 today...

What’s remarkable when we look back at this year, nothing was shut down. Restaurants, schools, theaters, sporting events, travel – everything continued without interruption. Without a 24-hour news cycle with thousands of news agencies and a billion websites hungry for traffic, mostly people paid no attention other than to keep basic hygiene. It was covered in the press as a medical problem. The notion that there was a political solution never occurred to anyone.

Again, this was a very serious flu, and it persisted for 10 years until it mutated to become the Hong Kong flu of 1968. The New York Times had some but not much coverage.

WTF?  That was 1957.  I was there and I don't even remember that part. It was nothing to most of us. I do recall 1952 and polio, though. That was hitting people of all ages and there was no lockdown.

Helicopter government.  That's what we get after decades of helicopter parenting.  The kids were never allowed to be responsible for themselves and their own safety. People demand a nanny state.

F/A-18F Carrier Break
For flyers.

How to crash an airplane
For everyone. Surprisingly gripping

*   *   *   *  

I went out to buy a fuse at Sea Mar across the road. Everyone is wearing a mask and standing six feet apart. It seems so silly.  Virtue signaling I think, and sign of a social disease far worse than the Wu(WHO)Flu and one that will end up killing and enslaving far more people than the Wu(WHO)Flu ever would.

Hmmm.  Seems I was wrong? Happens daily and that is why I write.

I know there were no school closures where I lived and I always played freely outside with my friends and went to summer camp ... and I never got to miss sitting interminably in itchy wool slacks in church.

Anyhow...

" It's not quite true that there were no lock downs during the various polio crises (there were several waves of polio outbreak).

The disease seemed to affect children in particular so provinces in Canada closed their schools, movie theaters, swimming pools, etc, and children were not allowed to travel outside of their own town. And then, since there wasn't much known about it (how it was transmitted, etc) and no treatments for it, parents in particular took it upon themselves to create their own set of rules (lock downs) for their children, including things like not allowing them to play outside, definitely not being allowed to play with other children, and having to take a bath and change all their clothing if they were allowed out briefly. There was definitely social distancing taking place, some of it was mandated by government, and some of it was driven by the populace itself.

My mother never got over her fear of polio, or of us kids getting it, having seen some of her classmates succumb to it and having lived through the helpless terror that was felt by all during the epidemics. She was sure, for example, that kids who huddled in damp towels after swimming had an increased chance of getting polio (probably because the disease surged in summer and fall), so my siblings and I were never allowed to take a towel to the pool but had to, rather, dry off in the sun after swimming. A vaccine had been developed by the time my mom had us kids, but she probably also never got over the fear that the vaccine might not work, as was the case with some of the early vaccines.

I think the "once burnt, twice shy" that my mom could never shake is likely to affect us now too. Covid-19 is another all new virus like polio once was, there are no vaccines or definitive treatment for it, information about it seems to change almost daily, and research is showing that the vast majority of people (with right leaning folks trending even higher than left leaning folks - and isn't that interesting) do NOT want their country to re-open yet.

Catherine

Well, as I say, I am left-leaning.  Slightly, and I definitely think we need to allow people their rights. Now.

Meantime, though, identifying hot spots and protecting the vulnerable is paramount.

The story of polio

"Provincial public health departments tried to quarantine the sick, closed schools, and restricted children from travelling or going to movie theatres.

"Over time, it became clear that these measures did not prevent polio's spread.

QED.

There are things government should do and things they never should do. Our governments have crossed that line and need to be beaten back, strongly.

What ever happened to "Give me liberty or give me death?" Was that just a slogan? 

Maybe in Canada it never got much traction outside the Metis.

The Brits and Easterners hung Riel (and apologized later) but that one is not over yet. At least one can hope.

And what about the "Home of the free and land of the brave".  That line might just still have a few patriotic adherents down in the US. At least one can hope.

*   *   *   *  

I'm chasing leaks. Seems that tightening the bolt did not stop the diesel leak and the fresh water is still leaking, too.

OH, I've been meaning to also say a little something about your assertion that Canada is now a police state.

I can't speak for all of Canada, but where I live (one of Canada's "hotspots"), I'm not really seeing it.

There are still lots of people on the road and lots of people working (although it's true that most businesses still in full operation have let employees that can work from home do so, while implementing safety measures for those that must be in the physical place of business. And of course they teleconference now instead of traveling to customers and no longer require in-house group meetings, etc. Some of them may keep some of these changes going forward, I would think, it would certainly save them money on operating expenses).

There are more people than before out walking on the sidewalk or riding their bicycles. My house backs onto a park and bike path and both of those are also busier than they usually are at this time of year.

Many food establishments and/or other types of business remained open but instead of inside dining or having shoppers going up and down aisles they beefed up their delivery, now offer curbside pickup and/or have a restriction on the number of people that can be inside at one time and ONLY to pick up phone or internet orders.

Garden centers are in full swing (with social distancing protocols in place for shoppers, plexiglass guards for their cashiers, tap machines for credit/debit, and more substantial/more frequent cleaning protocols) as are hardware/liquor/grocery/pet food stores and pharmacies as well as businesses that deal with home or auto repair and maintenance (none of which were ever ordered to close), and so on, the list is quite long.

The list of businesses that WEREN'T able to operate seems fairly small (to me anyway) by comparison, businesses that really can't do social distancing while working such as hairdressers/barbers, nail salons, beauty spas, dentists, optometrist, and other personal care type operations.

I've seen no police presence or monitoring (although I've heard the odd story about this or that group of people being busted somewhere or other in Canada for not social distancing in a public place, or for throwing a party, etc, but then again what else do journalists have to write about these days) and so far I've seen only a single security guard (unarmed of course) at two different stores (a grocery store and Canadian Tire) doing nothing more than counting out the number of people that could enter the store as other shoppers exited (you ARE allowed to browse the aisles in places like Canadian Tire, Home Depot, grocery stores, etc). To be honest, there's been no real change in my life, other than standing 6 feet away from others when I'm out running errands/shopping.

That's not to say that some businesses aren't suffering. There ARE businesses that couldn't be open for much of the last two months and I'm sure they are reeling from it.

For me, personally, the only thing that took me back for a moment (and only for a moment, and probably only because it was so novel and unexpected) was at the very beginning here in Calgary when the very first thing to happen was all the public libraries and gyms/pools being shut down for two months (they've since extended the timeline for opening to June 1). But after the initial surprise it wasn't hard to adapt, these things are so minor in the big scheme of things, there are so many other options these days - and every time I turn on a tap I'm reminded that things could, literally, be SO much worse.

Our premiere just opened golf courses and mountain parks yesterday (Monday). Mountain parks had been closed because they couldn't keep the public bathrooms cleaned on a person by person basis so they'd all been locked up, and that, unfortunately, meant that people who were flocking to the mountains for something to do and with the nicer spring weather were going to the bathroom in all kinds of inappropriate places (and I don't mean off the trail in a hole dug in the soil and then covered, far from it), I don't know what the bathroom situation is NOW.

Kenney also announced that dentists, optometrists, hairdressers, nail techs, etc (but not spas?), can open mid-May, but dentists/optometrists are saying they likely won't open before the end of the month as they still need to obtain adequate PPE (having given all of their PPE to hospitals at the start of covid-19 and not wanting to use the shoddy PPE Kenney purchased for the province after he gave Alberta's stockpile of much higher quality PPE to other provinces), and they want to rework the layout of their work space and implement barriers for their front desk staff, etc. Hairdressers/nail techs, etc, are saying they aren't likely to be open before the end of the month either simply because they have don't have the medical, clean space know-how that folks in healthcare, like dentists, have, so they have to figure out some best practices pretty much from scratch.

I hope that gives you a better picture of what's happening here - or at least in Calgary - it's nowhere near as dire as one might think :-)

 Catherine

 p.s. to my last email - you don't even see that many people wearing masks in public, the majority are going without. There's also the odd get-together with friends and/or family now that the weather is warmer (or at least in my neighborhood there is), with people sitting outside only and several feet apart from anyone outside their "home bubble", everyone brings their own food and/or drink, and visits are generally shorter than pre-covid because folks have to keep in mind that they will eventually have to go to the bathroom and need to be at home to do it. People are quite adaptable.

Catherine

Edit: ...the odd SMALL get-together! No more than a handful of people. Shouting at each other from afar. :-)

Police overreach in Canada and the folly of our national government is well documented.

Glad to hear, though, that the police state is retreating and that Alberta people have enough sense to pretend it is not happening--and I assume, not snitching on neighbours or being arrested for being outside the way I hear they are in other parts of the Dominion or called stupid or irresponsible.

Alberta is Alberta, and Calgary is Calgary.  No place on Earth is like Calgary.  Gotta love Alberta.  Fresh starts for everyone.

When I moved to Alberta fifty some years ago, I cried, but before long, I thought I'd "died and went to heaven" as my farmer neighbours were inclined to say. 

The natives were and are respected by the locals and hold a place of honour in the Stampede parade, John Ware was an icon.

People wore whatever they liked, drank coffee in the country cafes all morning, drove beat-up trucks, and worked until dark.

When a group of men walked down the street in Calgary, the guy in jeans and boots was the boss and the suits were lackeys.

People came from all over the world and got along.  Still do. Somehow, even with mass immigration, Alberta has not lost its character although, sadly, the Calgary I once lived in is no longer there.

The country hamlet where I live is only a hundred years old and I have lived there more than fifty of them.

Anyhow, Alberta is not Canada and Canada is not Alberta.  Frankly, I have given up hope for Canada lately as I have watched a shallow, vain, untrained, inexperienced, idealistic pilot and his unqualified virtue-signaling crew deliberately and happily driving the country into the ground.

Perhaps this event will wake them from their fantasy.

Faint hope.

I hate DST.  It is seven-thirty and feels like six-thirty at the latest.

I'm going to watch some video and go to bed.

I did spend time on my Spanish today.

Hasta la mañana.

I went to bed and could not sleep, so got up and sat in the cockpit a while.  This marina is so very different from Marina Palmira, where I was for two years. This one is less classy, but far more personal and near the centre of action in town.

Quote of the Day
 If socialists understood economics they wouldn't be socialists.
Friedrich Hayek

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Wednesday May 6th 2020

Today Sunny. Increasing cloudiness early this afternoon. Wind becoming southeast 20 km/h near noon. High 19. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight Cloudy. Becoming partly cloudy this evening. Wind southeast 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low plus 4.

I'm up at five.  Thanks to so-called daylight saving, it is still dark. I guess we are saving the daylight I could use right now for later when I want to go to bed.

I've had breakfast and coffee and am going back to bed.

I lay down for five minutes and got up again. The coffee was so good I'm having another.

I'm aware that my writing has gotten darker and more negative lately.  I'm also spending too much thinking about the discord between what people are told and seem to think is happening and what is actually going on, and too much time writing. 

Simple fact is, I'm bored and somewhat lonely due to the isolation that has become the fashion. People are worried, unnatural, and withdrawn. The streets and the shops are empty. Gathering places are closed up, and for what? 

*   *   *   *   *   *

There is brave talk of a war on the virus, 'battling' the 'covid', but if you ask me, we are the most timid army ever.

What kind of army won't go over the wall and face the enemy bravely?  Instead of carrying on and advancing, everyone is in retreat and in hiding from an unseen bogeyman.

This is no war.  It is surrender and hiding, waiting in vain hope for a promised saviour (vaccine) with daily rumours of one somewhere nearby but a year off at best. 

Meanwhile, evidence mounts that the enemy has lost his might, is devolving, and the once deadly scourge has become less fierce.

Herd immunity, that Holy Grail is within reach, but only if we man up and engage the enemy.

*   *   *   *   *   *

If you have any doubt whatsoever that the police are out of control in Canada, check this out. It is outrageous and not an isolated incdent.


Click the image to see the video

If these clowns don't get fired, there is no justice. I'm betting they won't.

Virus of Mass Destruction

The end of exponential growth: The decline in the spread of coronavirus

WHO says no evidence shows that having coronavirus prevents a second infection
Does anyone believe anything WHO says anymore?

Coronavirus Mutates Into Now-Dominant, More Contagious Form As Doctors Ponder 'East Coast vs. West Coast' Strains

Scientist Whose Doomsday Models Sparked Global Lockdown Resigns After Breaking Quarantine To Bang Married Lover
Our Crime Prime Minister is not the only hypocrite.

 Twitter, YouTube and Google are now not 'common carriers', as they previously claimed, but are now publications and should be held subject to the laws regulating publications
YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Insults His Own Users as Basement-Dwelling Idiots

"Last month, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki recently said that information which challenged the World Health Organization would be removed, despite the fact that the WHO was directly complicit in helping China cover-up the severity of coronavirus in its early stages and despite the fact the organization gave harmful advice in ordering countries not to close their borders early on.

*   *   *   *   *   *

I called Mom, then I got on my knees with a brush and gave the cockpit sole a really good scrub and hosed it off.

Ordinary bleach is marvelous for removing dirt and restoring the gel coat to new-looking white, but it easy to accidentally destroy clothing or other fabrics with splashes.

To maintain the white, a  gloss coat is advisable.  I've used Poly-Glow in Ontario, but it is expensive here.  Online sailors' forums have posts saying that floor coating works just as well for less than 1/10 the price. I see that Home Depot here has a brand that was well considered.  I just need to get there I guess.

Then I inflated and soaped the dinghy looking for the tiny remaining leak that is very slowly letting the dinghy go soft.

I soon found a pinhole right on the edge of my last  previous epoxy touch-up.  I guess I had left a little too much pressure in the tube and the pressure caused a tiny pinhole.

I could not see any other leak, so I let more of the air out and wiped the spot and dabbed on a drop of epoxy.

This epoxy is not cheap, but it is marvelous.  It is flexible and sticks to anything, even polyethylene.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Barb writes...

Hi Allen,

 

I stopped in at your place yesterday to check out your yard and when I arrived, there was a large deer right at your front door, lovely sight, but she was probably munching on some of the plants.  The yard has a few branches and some leaves that have to be gathered but looks good.  The backyard after last year’s trimming looks barren, but I’m sure will look much better once it starts blooming.

 

The businesses, at least in Three Hills, are mostly open with salons, dentists and such opening soon, though with limitations. 

 

It is hit or miss if people are abiding by the distancing rule.  I was at the IGA yesterday and they have a sign at the front door that says “only one person in the vestibule at a time” but as I was waiting with my cart for the person in front of me to get her cart sanitized and to wash her hands, people were exiting the store and then there were three of us in the entry!

 

It’s really ridiculous and futile to think that we can contain anything with these limited restrictions. 

 

They also have someone announcing every few minutes the rules of your shopping….”follow the footsteps”, but as you turn to go down the next isle you have to almost brush up against the people waiting in the checkout line.  I encountered many of these instances at all the places that I had to go to throughout the day.

 

And here’s something else to be concerned about.

https://www.cp24.com/news/here-come-covid-19-tracing-apps-and-privacy-trade-offs-1.4925280

 

 <snip>

 

So for me, I’m just trying to stay out of the fray, plant a vegetable garden, stay away from the dole and there are a few of us with our tin hats at the ready.

 

Take care, and we will see you soon.
 

I'm at the point where the thought of going home has faded but I guess someday, somehow...

I do have or did have lives elsewhere. Swalwell, Sudbury, and the Salish Sea await, if this insanity ever ends and it sounds as if people may be waking up. 

Meantime, for me, this is just one more perfect day stranded in Paradise. Can't complain. Life's Been Good

Jose writes...

"[Here's] A pretty sedate article, and a bit simplistic, but he covers a lot and presents some questions without getting too extreme or political.  I was surprised at the low-ish infection rates that the antibody tests are revealing.  Some would argue that we need to get those numbers up sooner rather than later.... but if one says that the pushback will be that you are a skinhead libertarian or a Trump supporter.

What Antibody Studies Can Tell You — and More Importantly, What They Can’t

Then I washed the carpet runners.

I can't believe that the major indices are rolling over as slowly as they are, but it seems there are still bulls out that have not been slaughtered. Rising on low volume is never a good sign, though. 

Maybe I'm wrong and the world will just go right back to 'normal' soon? That would be nice.  Won't happen, though.

Next, I made some bean stew for supper, with extra for the next few days . I have a steak to go with it.

My stew recipe? Same as ever +/-. 

Pinto beans, brown rice, peruanos beans, garlic powder, cumin crushed and whole, Mediterranean spice, salt, half a diced onion, half a diced orange pepper, crushed chilies, diced carrot, canned corn, canned mushrooms, diced broccoli, diced cabbage, all with some water brought to a simmer and cooked until the beans and rice are right.

I walked to Bandidos with the case of empties expecting to get a refund and when I got there I remembered that they are closed on Wednesdays and walked back.

I had a shower on board and started watching YouTube video. 

Somehow I started at Tucker Carlson and progressed on to Candace Owens.  She is quite a phenomenon.

Candace Owens speaks to crowd of over 2,000 at San Diego County Republican event

Candace Owens - Liberty University Convocation
If you don't watch it all, start at 29:50


(Speaking about DJT)

then I turned to Deeyah Khan

What We Don’t Know About Europe’s Muslim Kids and Why We Should Care

I guess this is my night to listen to strong women with clear eyes.

I realized after I sent you the "Canada is not a police state/the lock down isn't really affecting me", that it provided only a very tiny snapshot of my own relatively privileged life as a retired senior, but not a bigger picture of the lives of others under the covid-19 shut down. It was a very self centered, narrow viewpoint.

My daughter-in-law lost her gig economy job due to covid-19 and has no idea when she will be able to work again. She and my son are very grateful for the $2000/mo CERB payment that Trudeau is providing to people who don't qualify for EI as they really didn't know how they were going to pay rent, etc, on just his income (he, thankfully, is still working), but CERB is only good for four months and then what? And what is happening to people who lost their income but don't qualify for either EI or CERB? How are they even surviving?

A much older neighbor of mine had waited over two years for an ok from his doctor for hip replacement surgery (unfortunately his doctor didn't take his pain and mobility issues seriously until he was a complete wreck), and then he'd had to wait an additional 6 months for his scheduled surgery date (with the same doctor now recommending morphine for his pain while he waited), only to have his long-awaited, scheduled surgery date cancelled just days before he was to go in due to the covid-19 shutdown which included hospitals cancelling all "elective" surgery. He's now in ever more rapidly increasing and utterly debilitating round-the-clock agony, and his tiny, also older wife is beside herself trying to keep him comfortable and help him get around (all by herself) to tend to his basic needs. As to when the hospital will be able to reschedule his surgery, and how long he'll have to wait for it the next time around with the backlog they'll have to wor k though, is anybody's guess.

When all the public libraries closed I was able to switch easily from my usual weekly haul of library books and movies to subscribing to Netflix and re-reading some of my own books - but what about folks who depend on the library as their sole source of internet access?

With government offices closed and no access to internet, how does a person apply for EI or CERB, get a bus pass (transit is still running), find out about ever changing bus routes, or access anything else that has to go through city, province, or federal government?

Without internet (and with stores often ringing busy for hours) how does one more easily research which stores are still open and what their hours are (businesses that are open have cut back store hours so staff have more time to clean between business days), or what stores have what stock (an issue with a number of basic and/or essential items these days), or place on online order and online delivery date (staff certainly don't have the time, nor the patience, even if you do get through on the phone, to go over their list of stock with callers).

How do you book a time slot to get food from the food bank (their phone lines are also very busy), or find out what the "senior's hours" are in stores (many stores have special hours for seniors or anyone with health issues, as well as times set aside for healthcare workers and first responders, in order to offer these groups a time to shop when the store is cleaner, closed to other shoppers, far less busy, and hopefully less of a risk infection-wise), and any number of other things that one uses internet for, including, now, access to schooling for children and a source of entertainment and connection with others for almost everyone.

I can't imagine what anyone would do these days without internet access, it's become such a vital cog in the functioning of our society, and our world.

These are just a few examples of the different issues being experienced by others during the shutdown. It's easy to forget about things like that when your own life has not been so impacted.

Catherine

Yes,  We are fortunate.

I don't know if I'll survive it or not, and I'm not at all worried for myself, but I worry greatly for those innocents whose lives have been thrown into limbo by tenured, privileged people with too much power and too little understanding.

More old news:
Your genes could determine whether the coronavirus puts you in the hospital – and we’re starting to unravel which ones matter

And from the unintended consequences department they just keep coming...
Nearly 1.5 Million More Tuberculosis Deaths Expected Due To Coronavirus Lockdowns

"The fear we have in the community is that researchers are heading towards just developing a vaccine for Covid. That’s on the agenda of everyone now and very few remain focused on the others [diseases]. We don’t have a vaccine for TB, we don’t have a vaccine for HIV, we don’t have a vaccine for malaria and out of all this, TB is the oldest. So why this reaction? I think because we are a world of idiots. What can I say?"

After the YouTube videos, I watched more Schitt's Creek.  I think that series is starting to wear out for me.

Alexis is just too damn cute and her facial exercises are getting to me. David, well, what can we say?  Johnny is the sane? one, and his wife?  Maybe he is not sane.

Quote of the Day
 The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little
they really know about what they imagine they can design.
F. A. Hayek

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Thursday May 7th 2020

Today A mix of sun and cloud. 30 percent chance of showers late this afternoon with risk of a thunderstorm. Wind becoming south 20 km/h gusting to 40 this afternoon. High 19. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight Mainly cloudy. 60 percent chance of showers this evening and after midnight. Risk of a thunderstorm early this evening. Wind south 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Wind becoming northwest 20 gusting to 40 near midnight. Low 8.

I  slept poorly last night. 

I should probably blame eating spaghetti in the evening. It must be the brand of tomato sauce. I'm usually okay with tomato sauce but occasionally I encounter a spaghetti or pizza sauce that keeps me awake.

I see the dinghy held its air overnight.  I guess I found al the leaks.

A very worthwhile read...
Jonathan Kay on COVID-19: It's not the size of the event, but the behaviour that matters

"...Absent a vaccine, however, other forms of activity won’t be safe for months or even years. These include bars, dance clubs, concerts, singing groups, singles meet-ups, trade conventions, board-game cafés, mass attendance sports events, and certain forms of physiotherapy and esthetic care..."

"...Meanwhile, many other common forms of mass-gathering activities that do not typically involve sustained face-to-face contact and agitated respiratory states — watching movies in a theatre, buying items in a store, sitting on a train, bus or plane, working in a cubicle farm, attending a college class — are almost completely absent from my database, despite the fact that billions of people partake in these activities every day..."

Intentional moral hazard?
 COVID 19 is a Statistical Nonsense

Not only is there no need for an examination to pronounce death from COVID19, nor is there any necessity for a positive test or even an indicative CT scan.

The problem is the symptoms of COVID19 are largely indistinguishable from a range of other respiratory illnesses. A study from the University of Toronto found:

“The symptoms can vary, with some patients remaining asymptomatic, while others present with fever, cough, fatigue, and a host of other symptoms. The symptoms may be similar to patients with influenza or the common cold.”

This is priceless
Surviving 2020 #1: Bug-Out Bunkers, Taoism and the Warring States

"A common thread within most discussions of surviving bad times--especially really bad times--runs more or less like this: stockpile a bunch of canned/dried food and other valuable accoutrements of civilized life (generators, tools, canned goods, firearms, etc.) in a remote area far from urban centers, and then wait out the bad times, all the while protecting your stash with an array of weaponry and technology (night vision binocs, etc.)...

"If someone were to ask for a less risky survival strategy, I would suggest moving into town and start showing a little generosity rather than a lot of hoarding.

*   *   *   *   *

Meet Now is Skype's free answer to Zoom video calls.
 Here's how to use it

From Healthy Returns...

"We tend to hear about the worst cases, and those can easily overshadow the fact that many patients recover from the coronavirus, whether in the hospital or at home.

"There are other people who have had it and didn’t even know it. Which is why serologic tests can make a difference. If COVID-19 antibodies are present, this tells us the individual was probably infected at some point.

"Data out of Iceland showed that at least half of those with confirmed infections had no symptoms. And the vast majority of the other half had mild to moderate cold-like symptoms.

"More recent data from the mass testing of prisoners in several states showed an even higher rate of asymptomatic patients. Of the more than 3,300 state prisoners who tested positive in Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia, 96% showed no symptoms.

"What we can say is that the vast majority of COVID-19 patients—well north of 80% and probably well north of 90%—experience moderate symptoms, at most.

This takes us back to "Why did this virus hit Wuhan so hard?" Genetics?  Prior vaccinations? Local environmental conditions, air quality? a co-infection?

Young COVID-Positive Redditors Describe Agony Of Ongoing Symptoms Nearly Two Months After Getting Sick

We've heard this before more than once
Database Of Wuhan's 'Batwoman' Altered 48 Hours Before COVID-19 Samples Ordered Destroyed

Tin Hat Zone
Warning.  I have no opinion about this and have not watched or analyzed most of it

Plandemic Movie Video Removed by YouTube: WATCH

Plandemic The Movie, Part 1

https://plandemicmovie.com/

When Governments Switched Their Story from "Flatten the Curve" to "Lockdown until Vaccine"

Jailed Salon Owner Freed By TX Supreme Court; Rakes In $500K From GoFundMe Donations

Joe Walsh - Life Of illusion
So much pain!

EXPOSED: The Man Behind the Overblown COVID Predictions!
Crowder is a character, acts like an adolescent, and wastes a lot of our time, but he is a blast.

Donald Trump - Liberty University Convocation
Not what I expected after all the media noise.

I never watched or even saw any of "The Apprentice" even once and I almost never watch TV, so all I knew of Trump was from articles in a predominantly 'liberal' press and other media.

Tonight I watched this video and some of the debates with Hillary and can see why people voted for him and how he has identified and deals with issues that the previous administrations were ignoring.  Things are not so great right now, but I hate to think where we would be if Hillary had won. 

IMO Trump is the right man who showed up at the right time.  POTUS is not a job for fools or for nice guys.  Compare this hard-headed pragmatist with our current naive Canadian government.

Quote of the Day
 "Emergencies” have always been the pretext
on which the safeguards of individual liberty have eroded.”
Friedrich Hayek

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Friday May 8th 2020

Today Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers this morning and early this afternoon then a mix of sun and cloud. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming north 40 gusting to 60 this morning. High 14. UV index 5 or moderate.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Wind north 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low plus 2

I see that things are getting to me.  Too much time in solitary, I guess.  The frustration with the water leak does not help.  I thought I'd be headed back out to a bay by now, but I put the job off and when I got down to doing it, I find I am unable to figure how to complete it.  I posted on the Beneteau forum which is usually very helpful and now I am waiting.
Here is the current standing of Sweden's covid-19 death rate when compared to some other highly impacted countries (more info is available here.):

Deaths per million
Belgium 726
Spain 558
Italy 495
UK 451
France 395
Netherlands 309
Sweden 301
Ireland 284
USA 230

Here's the death rate when comparing Sweden to its neighbors who implemented more standard shut down protocols:

Deaths per million
Sweden 301
Denmark 89
Finland 46
Norway 40

And here is the economic contraction due to covid-19 that the International Monetary Fund expects from Sweden and some of the other European countries:

Economic contraction
Sweden 6.9-9.7%
Italy 9.1%
Spain 8%
France 7.2%
UK 7%
Germany 6.5%
Denmark 6.5%
Finland 6%

The numbers shown for predicted economic contraction are all from the International Monetary Fund EXCEPT for Sweden - Sweden's numbers come from Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank (the IMF is predicting an economic downturn of 6.8% for Sweden).

FYI, the IMF's current prediction for Canada is 6.2%.

Catherine

Thanks.  I'm overwhelmed by anecdotes, studies, and data of varying quality. And opinions. There is no shortage of opinion.

As interesting as these are, I've come to doubt all and any numbers I see lately and predictions especially.  The reporting has a large subjective element and the populations are not comparable in many aspects besides numbers.

Just the same, we can make some guesses, but only guesses.  GIGO.

Beyond that and most distressing to me, I don't know what the numbers mean in real, human terms or what would have happened in alternate scenarios.

What, for example does "301 deaths per million" actually mean?  Who, why, how?  What is the 'normal' death rate for that specific group?  Did this number steal from another number, reducing the deaths from falls in the bathtub, for example?

Looking at this coldly and not thinking of each and every unique life represented, 301/1000000 is 0.03% or in the magnitude of a rounding error and would be swept under the rug in accounting.

*    *    *    *    *

I just realised that I am going crazy and have to get out of town, back to the bays, so I am putting things away to be ready for travel.

I quickly stashed everything, filled the water tanks and shoved off.  The exit from my new spot on the docks is easy. When I reached the channel, I pulled out the genoa, shut off the engine and ran north downwind towards Punta Prieta. I found the preventer and pulled out the main as well.  This is not fast boat but I was making almost four knots which was just fine. The distance is 7.5 miles, so why rush?

This is another postcard day with stunning blue water and clear sky. Shadows are soft.  The air is around 90° F and the water is around 75.

*    *    *    *    *

I arrived around 2:30, anchored and had a swim. As much as I enjoy being in town, getting out here is a relief.  There are three other boats anchored here.  One is Deerfoot II.  They have been here for a month or so now. Corina is another and was here when I left. The third is a travel-weary looking boat with a Canadian flag.

*    *    *    *    *

I have not made a point of going around to make friends previously as we are all isolating, but this time I may run by and say hello at least. I have yet to mount the outboard but should run it soon to run fuel though before the gasoline in the carb evaporates and gums up the carb.  It has been three weeks now, so am I too late.  Well see. I'll know right away if the float is stuck again.

*    *    *    *    *

This article may be about the same study as I mentioned earlier.  Regardless, this is good news and pretty much what I expected by now.
Study on genetic mutation suggests COVID-19 could 'weaken'
 A genetic mutation that weakened the strength of SARS has been seen in COVID-19.

*    *    *    *    *

   

What is going on?  With earnings suspended and the future cloudy, why are stocks selling near all-time highs?  Well, I guess the more you pay the more it is worth. Until it isn't.

*    *    *    *    *

I've followed Chris Martenson for years for his economic forecasting, but he also is a medicals doctor with good insight into the Wu(WHO)Flu.  His videos are worth watching. in this one he mentions the oxygen problem patients experience is due to restricted blood circulation due to thrombosis.  I also have seen mention elsewhere that anti-coagulants have been discovered to be useful in treatment.

Chris' latest video.

*    *    *    *    *

It is an open secret that YouTube has been crippling or banning videos that do not fit with Google's political philosophy.  In recnt months we are also finding that Google is filtering and hiding results and tailoring results to guide us along the 'right' paths.

YouTube Targets Chinese Blogger After She Posts Video On Coronavirus Origins

*    *    *    *    *

The Vigilant Citizen
“Together At Home” Was An Infomercial for the Global Elite and its Agenda

Quote of the Day
 “I am certain, however, that nothing has done so much to destroy
the juridical safeguards of individual freedom as the striving
after this mirage of social justice.”
F.A. Hayek

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Saturday May 9th 2020

Today Mainly sunny. Wind becoming north 20 km/h gusting to 40 this morning. High 14. UV index 6 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Wind north 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low zero.

The night was rough and windy but I slept well. I woke at four and was awake when the anchor alarm sounded.  We'd dragged a little.

Dragging is very unusual for this boat.  I have a Rocna anchor with 100 feet of chain out in 20 feet of water.  I've never dragged the anchor at 5:1 before that I can recall. I must be over a soft bottom.

I had breakfast and coffee, read a while, and went back to bed until daybreak. 

At sunrise, I woke thinking of Elon Musk's provocative premise and the if that is the case, then why not "Turtles all the way down".

ELON MUSK: THE CHANCE WE ARE NOT LIVING IN A COMPUTER SIMULATION IS 'ONE IN BILLIONS'

Men in Black II final scene

Authoritarianism in the Age of Pseudoscience

How Many Lives Will Politicians Sacrifice In The Name Of Fighting COVID-19?

According to a 1982 academic study, a 1% increase in the unemployment rate will be associated with 37,000 deaths [including 20,000 heart attacks, 920 suicides, 650 homicides], 4,000 state mental hospital admissions and 3,300 state prison admissions.

Scientific Research Finds That Closing Borders Is Most Effective Way Of Combating COVID-19
Well, Duh. Everyone knew that except the 'experts' at WHO and our "expert" in Ottawa who deliberately kept the border to China one and refused to institute measures when travelers continued to arrive from Wuhan.

Whitney: Sweden Is The Model

Ian Bremmer: The US is not Sweden

At dawn, I checked the wind speed out of curiosity and measured gusts at 16 knots. I'm sure it blew harder than that at times overnight but I only sampled for a few minutes this morning after it calmed a bit.

After I wrote this page, my software froze and for some reason I had not done a save so I had to write it all over again. 

Years ago, computers froze and crashed routinely, but a freeze is uncommon these days and I had dropped my guard.

The electric toilet is acting up again. A toilet is an essential system on a boat. so that is my top job for the day.  It is a dirty job, but in some ways not as dirty as digging through stories on the web.

Want to revisit the Erickson video that has been censored on YouTube? Google does not list it, but DuckDuckGo had it at the top of the results

DR. ERICKSON COVID-19 BRIEFING

This is a video two California medical doctors (immunologists) who presented their data concerning COVID-19. Because their findings conflicted with the globalist narrative, YouTube censors banned it.

The Google search and YouTube list many comments about the video but not the video itself, but there is this:

YouTube issues statement on removal of controversial video interview with Bakersfield doctors

Dr. Erickson Pressed on Findings About Flu & Coronavirus
Excellent!

More | More | More | More

The Chloroquine Lady Saga: From Leftist Star to HOMICIDE Case! | Louder with Crowder

CROWDER CONFRONTS: Lying Journalist Caught!! (Follow up) | Louder With Crowder

Hypocrisy

I took the toilet pump apart and although  there was a little hair wrapped around the chopper, I suspect the problem was that the impeller was loose on the shaft.  I'll reassemble it and we will see. I tore a paper gasket so will have to use some silicone, I guess. I hope I have some.

The anchor alarm went off a number of times this afternoon. Most annoying.  I figure it was GPS issues, maybe atmospheric? 

At any rate it seemed that Corina followed me everywhere so I finally decided to move.  Corina is on all-rope anchor line and therefore swings a full 400 foot diameter circle.  Most boats here employ all chain rode and swing smaller circles.

By then it was getting dark so I had a good chance to practice navigating and anchoring in the dark.  I generally don't like to be underway in close quarters in the dark, and the moon had yet to rise but I figured staying where I was was not a good plan. By then the wind was picking up, too.

I raised anchor in the dark.  No problem. Back at the helm though, I had to get things adjusted for the dark. My chart on the phone was blindingly bright and my windscreen was proving to be opaque in the dark with the navigation lights on. 

I had to be careful to stay in deep water and not hit any of the other boats.  Otherwise, it was a cinch. Once I turned the phone screen brightness down and opened the windscreen, I was ready to go.  Thank heavens for the spotlight I bought at Chedraui long ago.

I motored carefully around Corina and when abreast, for some reason found the boat turning. 

Was I touching bottom?  Had I encountered a line? The depth gauge was showing a foot and a half under the keel. That is shallow but fine. This area is a sloping sand beach and flats, so touching should not be serious unless there is a rock, but we were near the end of the rising tide and the drop by morning was five feet, so getting stuck would be a serious issue, leaving the boat lying on her side on the flats and potentially flooded.

I straightened the helm and reversed to get to deeper water and resumed in the dark, navigating by the phone chart to choose a clear spot to drop the anchor where I was clear of other boats and the shallows.

Judging distance in the dark is tricky, but with the chart assisting, I found a spot in twenty-five feet depth and put out 150 feet of chain for the night.  Once the anchor was set, Corina was still not as far away as I would have liked, but well clear.

I went below, wrote some email, did some reading and went to bed around midnight.

Read May 10th post >>

Quote of the Day
 The dead outnumber the living fourteen to one,
and we ignore the accumulated experience of such
a huge majority of mankind at our peril.
 Niall Ferguson

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