Soul Searching

Today's Blog is going to be different.

I've done some soul searching and I need feedback from my readers.

I started this as a personal journey, just using blogger as a device to capture my thoughts and to help me transcribe Dr. Holcomb's journal.

That transcription is creating a Microsoft Word document. I copy a paragraph or two onto the post as I go, then . . . well, if you are reading this you know the rest.

But I now need help.

I've been using Charlie Bergstedt's Blog and others to track the weather and water conditions on SF Bay for about as long as I've been writing this blog. In fact it was Charlie's Blog and a little push from a dear friend, that got me started. I wanted to know how Charlie did it, and discovered Blogger. I haven't learned enough about Blogger to really make a quality Blog, but I'm learning inch by inch.

Then, a couple of months ago, I happened upon The Skip's Blog. From there I found and starting reading Tillerman's blog, from his comments about EVK4, I started reading that blog.

Ok, so some of you are smarter than I am, you understand how blogs work, how the internet connects people all over the world (I had to read a book to figure this out).

As soon as I started linking and tossing out challenges and stealing ideas from Tillerman and EVK4, signs of life in Google Analytics started to appear.

But the quality of EVK4, the simplicity of it, the openness of it. The extraordinary fact that his boat, Lady Bug, is within spitting distance (for some) of the OCSC docks I use to embark on most of my sailing adventures. That has really made me step back and think about what I'm doing with this Blog.

Since I started this blog and turned on the Google Analytics Function, 509 visits from 26 countries have been logged. Yeah, this pales in contrast to EVK4 and Tillerman, they have hundreds of thousands of visits from probably every country in the world, as well as interplanetary visitors, but whateeever duuude, I just want to go sailing, and share that with whoever wants to join me.

I know who maybe 5 of these people are who read this blog on a regular basis.

But 26 countries? What the . . .?

Ok, so the vast majority are people who stumble on this site. They don't even get this far into it, and quickly leave. Who cares about them?

I don't.

But I do care about the strangers who come back and read more pages. Even if they live in Australia or Rio . . . or Poland? Hello? is there even sailing in Poland? If so, please email me and let me know. Seriously, that would be cool.

I'm a Californian, we on the left coast don't really understand the rest of the world.

There is a joke that when the really bad earthquake comes on the Pacific Coast, we'll be able to go skiing at Tahoe, then Sail the Atlantic Ocean along the beach in what used to be Nevada. San Francisco, the city that can, will live forever.

But I digress, I'm very good at that.

I would like to be better at Blogging, if I have friends who sail in Poland that I don't know about . . .

Or Rio. hmmm, Rio sounds really nice, I just didn't want Poland to feel bad.

SO PLEASE email me, where ever you are, and let me know what you like about this blog, what you don't like, etc. You can even put a comment on this blog, but hey, if you don't want to publicly admit to reading this, an email would be fine.

If you have a nasty thing to flame me with, you can place an anonymous comment, and nobody will ever know who you are, including me. I don't moderate the comments, haven't had to - cause I don't get any.

I'll still do what ever I like, but who knows? the feedback may just improve your reading experience.

Captain John


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Ok, now that I've finished begging for feedback, here is your next Journal entry:

The headlands that make up the small indentations on either side of the Lower California Coast are bold and rocky. They rise, generally, in the mountains back of them, to heighths of four to six thousand feet and are spectacular in appearance. They are beautiful when the sun shines upon them directly and this beauty is even enhanced in the shadows that come with the early dawn and dusk.

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Wow, that's cool, that's the kind of writing I expected in my Grandfather's journal. Makes me want to get on a boat, sail out the gate and head south.

(Just kidding Richard, I know OCSC's insurance stops as soon as I leave the gate - I'll be a good boy and just dream for now).

Sand in My Box

"I dug my toes into the sand . . ." is one line from a favorite song of mine, and that is how I feel as I embark upon my blog journey.

Much thanks goes to Anne and her kids, the inspiration for what you are about to recieve.

Captain John