All Posts Tagged With: "sailing"

This week, we are sailing on the Chesapeake Bay — for ten days! It’s a sort of moving camping trip, but with a real toilet (sorry — that’s "head").

Sailing is magical. There’s nothing cooler than cutting the engine once the sails are up. The silence is wonderful — then, you start to notice the sound of the water swooshing past the hull, cries of birds nesting atop the channel markers, and other sensory gifts not available when using the "iron genny" (aka, engine). This truly is solar power at its most generous.

I’m reminded of William McDonough ‘s 1993 speech at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in which he told a story about Emerson:

In the 1830s, when his wife died, he went to Europe on a sailboat and returned on a steamship. He remarked on the return voyage that he missed the "Aeolian connection." If we abstract this, he went over on a solar-powered recyclable vehicle operated by craftspersons, working in the open air, practicing ancient arts. He returned in a steel rust bucket, spilling oil on the water and smoke into the sky, operated by people in a black dungeon shoveling coal into the mouth of a boiler. Both ships are objects of the same design. Both are manifestations of human intention.

When you make decisions, how aware are you of your intentions? We are all about intention and awareness here are GOforChange. The first two weeks of the EcoBlueprint Home Study course dig into this deeply. We have two new programs coming as well! Join me on a F*R*E*E phonecall to hear more: Friday, July 3 at 11:00 a.m. EST.

I’m writing this post the day before our trip, with some nervousness because the forecast calls for big winds tomorrow, out of the south, which is exactly where we are headed. *Sigh* Guess we’ll be spending the day on our ear, tacking our way down the Bay. Time to get out the ginger root!

Since sailing is such a treat for the senses, I’m moved to share this poem I recently came across. It was written lovingly on the chalkboard at the wonderful Dogwood Cafe at the Women’s Industrial Exchange (a Baltimore landmark of self-sufficiency for women artisans). Since Mary Oliver is one my all-time faves, I had to copy it down. (follow this! your heart will thank you!) Continued

"VoiCeS , which began in 2004, creates a deeper understanding of the Bay and the efforts to restore it. This professionally-taught, two-part program, meets each week (for eight weeks) and includes field trips and participant-led community projects. You’ll learn about the Bay’s biology, the issues we face, and how you and your community can help its restoration."

Connect to the GOforChange CollectiveX calender to search dates and locations.