Opua: reshoed, restored
Opua: reshoed, restored
The photo was taken two nights ago.
You are supposed to be noticing the shoes.
THE HAWKE OF TUONELA is presently facing the same direction, but the sky is mostly overcast as it has been for two days, and the wind is considerably stronger: twenty knots, gusting twenty-five. THE HAWKE OF TUONELA is hobby-horsing, occasionally slapping her stern into the water; rigging is rattling; the mooring is groaning; and the wind sounds like a CTA train slowing as it approaches a platform.
I managed to get ashore to shower and run a few errands before the wind, which is predicted to gust 35, came up. I have rowed the Avon to windward against 25 knots. I’m not sure I can against 35; but I didn’t expect this basin would get that much and it hasn’t.
I did expect to get wet rowing back out, but I didn’t.
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After I wrote about buying my annual pair of Sebago Schooner boat shoes last year, one of you--thanks, James--noted that the following day, the stock of Sebago’s parent company went up in value by $29,000,000. If you believe I was responsible, perhaps you should sell before reading further.
During a routine skin examination, I mentioned to the dermatologist a small tender spot on the bottom of my right foot. He glanced at it and said, “Buy a new pair of shoes.”
This was only a few days before I was due to fly here, so I went online to Amazon and began paging through hundreds of boat shoes, finally settling on the above, which are, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, called Red Setters. At least the manufacturer has the good judgement not to put a big image of a dog (sea dog?) on the side. There are small red setters on the sole and insole.
Despite the name, they are comfortable and seem to have a good deck gripping sole and be well made. However, you know that THE HAWKE OF TUONELA hasn’t taken a drop of water over her deck in ages, so they have yet to be truly tested.
You may recall that when my height was measured last December, I was found to be only 6’ tall, after having been 6’ 1” for more than fifty years.
While wearing my new, thick soled, elevator boat shoes, I am again 6’ 1”.
Saturday, February 4, 2012