Tuesday 12 October 2021

Someone may have noticed that pictures have lately begun accompanying most blog entries. Newfound diligence is due switching from dedicated camera to iPhone for recording surroundings. Since the thing is always at hand and easily transfers results to MacBook, laziness is now little deterrent to inclusions. Unless additional languor ensues expect this practice to continue. If for some recondite reason a burst of energy overwhelms me, may even add to "Gallery", which has been endowed exactly twice, in 2009 and again in 2017.

Theories are mixed, but the idea of Seven Seas probably originated in ancient Europe. Cursory look around the globe discovers far more than seven if you're looking for seas and not oceans. However, if one looks only at the Mediterranean that's exactly the number not counting the Med itself: Balearic (between Balearics and Spain), Ligurian (south and east of Monaco and the Cote d'Azure), Tyrrhenian (surrounded by Italy, Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia), Ionian (below Italian boot, west of Greece), Adriatic (between Italy and coast from Croatia to Albania), Aegean (between Greece and Turkey) and Sea of Crete (surrounding Crete). It's not the world ocean, but at two thousand nautical miles end to end, not to be scoffed at and around its waters Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Persian, Byzantine, Ottoman and European Union civilizations flourished. Might have missed a couple and just kidding about that last one. Empire building culminated, once they stopped painting their faces, realized how much wealth they could acquire and built a bunch of heavily armed ships, with the British who ruled the largest empire in history. They're not really in the Med except for Gibraltar, Malta & Cyprus and at one time Ionia & Menorca, but are mostly European with Norman ancestors plus some Vikings, French, Flemings, Bretons and the odd Anglo-Saxon. Besides once colonizing a huge chunk of the world, Brits are known for warm beer, steak and kidney pie, spotted dick and as architects of the Enlightenment, none of which seem very popular any more.

Wednesday

South Coast of Sicily is a hundred fifty nm across, a full day of sailing. Currently abeam west end, floating slowly along downwind, trying to make Pozzallo without starting noisy propulsion device before big winds come around tomorrow afternoon. GRIB (Gosh, you Really Intend to Believe it?) indicates helpful current and better winds shortly. We'll just have to see about that.

Jack & Jan