Sailing with Nine of Cups
| Vessel Name: | Nine of Cups |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Liberty 458 |
| Hailing Port: | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Crew: | Marcie & David |
| About: | We've lived aboard Nine of Cups since 2000 and have managed to accumulate 86,000+ nm under the keel since that time. We completed a circumnavigation in April 2015 and managed to sail around the five great southern capes. Come along with us for the ride! |
| Extra: |
07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA
Taking a breather ...
Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.
06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Keeping fit
We’ve written before about keeping fit on the boat. David is so much better at a regimented exercise program than I am. I have all the best intentions, but I can always think of something better to do than sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts and running in place. It doesn’t take much to distract me. Walking, [...]
04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Happy 240th Birthday, America
Growing up in New England, I took for granted just how lovely a summer’s morning can be in Massachusetts. It’s comfortably cool and everything smells clean and fresh. Spider webs glisten with morning dew and it’s just great to be alive and breathe in the new day. Being back at Lin’s house conjures up wonderful childhood memories of summer mornings past. And this is not just any morning … it’s the 4th of July, the best holiday of the summertime in the USA.
02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Leaving Cups and a Road Trip
Leaving Nine of Cups is never easy. We know she’ll pout while we’re gone and so we do our best to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible before we leave. We were whirling dervishes trying to get everything ready.
01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia
Hunting & Gathering - Virginia Beach
We had lots to do before leaving Cups. David was intent on getting as many chores done in advance of our departure as possible so that once we return in September, we can spend time sailing in the Chesapeake rather than doing repairs and maintenance. Much of what we needed in the way of parts and supplies, [...]
Blue View: Fish Hooks
Now we fish more like a single-hook long-liner. I troll with a lure attached to some seriously heavy tackle, and if we hook something, we tow it until it tires, then we crank it in with a winch. If it breaks the line, it is much more fish than we want to try to bring aboard. We catch enough fish that when Marcie is provisioning for a passage, she assumes 40-50% of our protein will be fish.
Since fishing is such a big part of our lives, I have a fair assortment of fishing tackle which was collected over the years. I used to buy expensive lures, but now I find that weighted champagne corks with feathers and tinsel are just as effective and a lot less painful to lose.
Before metal hooks were available, people throughout the world carved hooks from bone or shell. They were bright and sparkly and probably worked as both a lure and a hook. When we were in southern Chile, we were wandering around a small fishing village and came across a local artist who specialized in bone carvings, some of which were stylized fish hooks. They were absolutely beautiful, and after negotiating a fair price, I bought one … as a present for Marcie.
Since then, we have discovered artists in almost all the island cultures throughout the South Pacific who have used the look of the traditional fish hooks of their culture to create works of art. Each culture seems to have its own style. I have collected hooks from Easter Island, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Tonga, and New Zealand. They are made from bone, shell, wood and even greenstone (jade), and each is unique and a thing of beauty.
Since the beauty of the hooks is their artistry and material, I spent some time mounting them into a shadow box display which hangs in the salon. And since I can now call it artwork, Marcie has less trouble accepting the fact that I've accumulated more fishing tackle.
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