my mid-life crisis

I guess I'm the only one out there that still wishes I were in my 20's or even 30's.  Is that right?  Just me?  Maybe that's why I just bought a Fujifilm X20 camera, above.  I think the camera designers at Fuji knew exactly what they were doing when they came up with a camera that looks painfully similar to the classic Leica M3, below, the camera that I used in the 1980s.  I would like to think that I took some nice photographs, all shot with Tri-X, hand processed and printed, with that rangefinder camera.  In fact there is a folio upstairs in a drawer where I could see some of those photographs.  But I won't look at it tonight, preferring to keep the idea of those "nice" photographs intact.

Buying the X20 was not a rash decision.  I've been looking at the camera for about a year, reading reviews and looking at sample images on the internet.  I wanted a digital camera that was small, well built and with a fair amount of manual control.  After a lot of thought and research, I concluded this was the camera for me.  

I do like the advanced optical viewfinder with real-time data display, and I like the ability to turn off the battery-eating lcd display on the back of the camera.  The lens is the 35 mm equivalent of a 28 to 110 mm lens, which covers about 90+% of what I want to shoot.  There are some nice macro shooting features, and the ability to shoot in full manual mode.

I've been shooting with the camera for about four days now, experimenting here and there.   I've made a few adjustments, turning off the lcd, increasing the sharpness, and increasing the contrast in the shadow areas - all of which were easily done on the menu.  

And I have shot a lot of images of isolated light, because somebody once told me that photography is nothing more that recording light and shadow.  And this camera seems to do that pretty well.

Am I recommending this camera?  Not at all.  Rangefinder cameras are a distinctly different kind of camera.  I like them, alway have.  But even when I was shooting the Leica M3 in the 80s I was the exception - SLR cameras were then, and are now, the norm.  But the rangefinder works for me.  

What gets the negative review on the X20?  Battery life.  But that is the same with all digital cameras.  I just have to deal with it.  Turning off the LCD and a lot of other features - face recognition - will help with that.  But I'll deal with the battery issues as long as I can shoot night shots as 400 iso and a long exposure - kind of like I used to shoot with my old Leica M3.  

Those were the days.....

steve

toothpicks included

One of the unexpected benefits of purchasing sails from Dabbler Sails, above and beyond the craftsmanship of very well designed sails, has been an email based friendship with Stuart Hopkins, sole proprietor and sailmaker of the loft.  We have found, through occasional exchanges, that we share a few common interests.  One being an admiration of the southern naturalist painter Walter Anderson, which I mentioned here, and another being fond memories of using Leica cameras.  

In an earlier post I had mentioned my memories of using a Leica M3, which inspired me to get the Fujifilm X20.  Stuart's memories were of the Leica IIIC, below, one which he used as a journalist and also while sailing his boat Sea Wind in the Bahamas.  His darkroom was the shuttered head of his sailboat - can you imagine that?  Above is one of his photographs which he describes as a smack "bilged on a 50 gallon drum for caulking."

With memories of his old Leica, Stuart had purchased a Fujifilm X20 too (Fuji new exactly what they were doing when they designed that camera to look like an classic camera).  I believe he likes the camera, but was unimpressed with the camera strap.  So he made his own camera strap, and one for me too.  Thank you very much, Stuart.

 The strap was sewn to the exact length I requested, and it came with circlips which Stuart said he made with an old technique he used in the Sea Wind days, "utilizing the ubiquitous/free ss spring wire core of outboard shift/throttle cables".  Stuart included instructions for feeding the circlips through the camera lughole, which involved a toothpick - and the toothpicks were included too.  How nice is that?  The strap is now on the camera, and I love it.

One more photo from Stuart's Bahama days, which I'll let him describe.

"The image is a typical working smack boat, beached at a ramshackle dock in the Berry Islands. She was up from Nassau, and would take the catch -- grouper, conch, spiny lobsters -- back to the Nassau waterfront and sell it live from the fish well. Hanging on a line, drying in sun, are pieces fish and conch, food for the crew. Reconstituted in a stew, or chewed as is when out fishing. 

 

These images from the early ‘70’s.  Very few such craft left except those built for the famous Georgetown, Exuma regattas. Often shared anchorages with the like, in the out islands, awaking to the sweet astringent odor of the sea grape wood cook fires, made in a little tin box on deck."

So I order new sails and I get a camera strap, stories of the Bahamas and a friendship too.  Or I should says "friendships" as I will include Stuart's partner, author and artist Dee Carstarphen - who has her own share of sailing stories to tell.  I hope to be writing about her artwork and her books in the future, but that will have to wait - I need to get back to packing for the trip.

steve

I can see clearly now, sharing

Busy, busy, busy.  Picked up spare spark plugs, two jetboil fuel canisters, a spoon and a spork for my freeze dried meals (though I'm told a spoon is the more efficient way to go I figure I can experiment at a cost of .79 cents) and a new pair of prescription polarized sunglasses.  I don't like to wear sunglasses and have not owned a pair for years.  But as of late, and maybe because of age, I find my eyes aching in the late afternoon sun.  I hope these will help.

I did a test charge of a dead Fuji X20 battery with the Goal Zero sherpa battery and solar panel.  On Sunday, a bright sunny day, the X20 battery went from dead to fully charged in about two hours, and the sherpa battery pack returned to a full charge in another 30 minutes or so.  This was in optimal conditions, so I won't expect that result every time.  But I do think the idea of keeping my batteries charged is feasible.

A note from SandyBottom lets me know I had the wrong start dates for the Watertribe Pamlico Challenge.  It begins a week from this coming Friday - I had thought it was scheduled to begin this coming Friday.  What does that change for me??  Location is all.  I had expected to possibly run into some of the fleet Monday or Tuesday on the ICW somewhere between the Bay River and the Alligator River.  Now I might run across the fleet the anywhere from the Neuse River to Beaufort or on Core Sound - early in their trip and mid-way through mine.

Thinking about the kayakers in the EC, from whom I have stolen many equipment ideas over the years, I was realizing how much more storage space I have on Spartina as compared to a kayak.  I still don't know how they pack gear and food for a week on those kayaks.  I have the the luxury of space - lots of space - and that is what allows me to carry little goodies like the cups of fruit that I enjoy with each meal.  With this is mind, if any Watertribe kayaker comes within hailing distance please give me a shout and I'll share a cup of fruit and sweet syrup (as long as supplies last).  It's only fair to share.

steve

where did summer go?

Flying V-shaped squadrons of geese have been flying overhead.  A man fishing along the old concrete rip rap on the eastern branch of the Elizabeth pulled in a nice speckled trout.  And there were 20 mph gusts buried in the steady wind that rolled straight down the Elizabeth River yesterday morning.  All signs of the coming fall.  I had to wonder where had summer gone.  Maybe this evening I will scroll back through this summer's posts to remember what it was like.

It was a beautiful day on the water, starting out under a double reefed main, then single reef and then full sail as the winds evened out mid-morning.  No clouds, plenty of sailboats big and small enjoying the cool dry air.  The Coast Guard barque Eagle drew a crowd to the High Street Landing on the Portsmouth waterfront.  There was a music festival on the Norfolk waterfront, the Sail Nauticus boats were out for an afternoon regatta and I must have counted a half-dozen kayakers paddling the river.  Just a great day.  

Packing starts this morning.  I'll sort through the cook and light kits, check the hypothermia bag.  I'll open all the deck plates, taking out the day sailing gear and replacing it with cruising supplies.  The boom tent will take the place of the rolled up sun shade beneath the foredeck.  The bivy, sleeping bag, sleeping pad will all go into their stuff sacs.

I need to count my food supplies.  The trail mix I've made up is too salty, I'll add some dried cranberries to make it less so.  I'll buy some more cups a fruit, a luxury on board because of their weight but I do enjoy a cup of fruit with breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I've found two new favorite flavors - mango and mango/pineapple.

A dead battery for the Fuji X20 will be charged today - another nice sunny day - using the solar panel.  I've done a couple of tests recently and found that I can charge a battery and have the storage battery back to 100% in a matter of hours.   

I'll drive a circuitous route to Uncle Chuck's, my shellfish guy, taking me by two places that should have fuel canisters for the jetboil and West Marine where I'll pick up a spare spark plug for the Honda outboard.  (At Uncle Chuck's I'll pick up some Argentinian deep water shrimp which I'll substitute for lobster in this nice recipe from the NY Times.)

I'll count batteries, pack clothes, maybe check the ten day weather forecast but probably not as it is not very reliable.

Lots of things to do on a pretty day that feels like fall.  Where did the summer go?

steve

little blue flags, recipe generator

I seem to have deleted all of my North Carolina waypoints.  I had opened Garmin Homeport expecting to find my southern waypoints and needing to create waypoints for the northern part of the fall trip: the Pasquotank River, Albemarle Sound, Alligator River, Roanoke Island.  Instead I had to create waypoints for the entire trip, from Elizabeth City to the north and Cape Lookout to the south.

The red track is from the eight day Tidal 214 trip, the eighth day being a two hour sail into Hobucken, which makes me think that 16 to 17 days is reasonable for this trip.  The trip could be done faster, and it will in fact be done faster by several people at exactly the same time I plan to be on the water.  The Watertribe crowd will be doing the North Carolina Challenge, covering much the same distance in a week.  I, on the other hand, like to get a good night's sleep each and every night, read a book or two and maybe cast a line to an unsuspecting speckled trout.

Questions have been raised about whether this blog is about sailing, food or photography.  With that in mind I post the photograph above of veggies delivered from my neighbor's garden (which reminds me of the belief in the south that the best reason to roll up your car windows and lock your doors is not theft prevention, but rather to stop your neighbors from filling the backseat of the station wagon with excess zucchini from their garden).  It was taken with the new Fujifilm X20 camera, which I am liking more day by day.  I am getting the settings dialed in to my liking and feeling more comfortable with the various controls and dials.  I took this photograph after  coming across Mark Bittman's delightful Farmers' Market Recipe Generator.  Choose your produce, cooking method and herb - and the generator will suggest a meal.  The cumin-rubbed lamb chops with cucumber salad has caught my eye.

Sailing, food, photography - yes, that is what it is about.

steve

owner's manual

Yesterday was Christmas in July for me as I picked up my new Honda 2.3 4-stroke outboard AND then came home to find that my new camera, a Fujifilm X20, had arrived.  

I've been doing some work on the side (though some people - and I'm talking about you Bill - say I don't really work) and earned enough money to buy the outboard and camera, both of which I've been researching for the last year or so.

I have two books to read this weekend, each titled "Owner's Manual."  With a busy work schedule, the outboard will probably stay in the box for a few days or maybe even a week.  The camera, though, nearly made me late this morning as I was having fun taking a few photographs.

steve

crabs compared, a poem

Stuart, of Dabbler Sails, sent an email the other day asking a few questions about the Fuji-X20, the digital rangefinder that I have been using.  As an aside in the email, he mentioned my photograph of blue crabs in a bucket, saying the photograph reminded him of a painting, above, by the southern naturalist painter Walter Inglis Anderson.

I have been an admirer of Anderson's for years, particularly the paintings he made when rowing out to Horn Island just off the coast of Mississippi.  If you want to read an interesting biography, take a look at "Fortune's Favorite Child, The Uneasy Life of Walter Anderson" by Christopher Maurer.  Creative and compulsive, he painted just to paint, seldom signing or dating his work.  There were times when he would paint on rolls of butcher paper, selling the art by the foot.

I confess when I was looking at the photograph of the crabs, a Walter Anderson painting crossed my mind too.  It wasn't the same as the one Stuart mentioned, it was the one below.  But I guess I should not get too carried away with comparing my photographs to Anderson's wonderful work.  

I should and will repeat a poem that I've mentioned on this blog before, one written by Walter Anderson's wife Sissy and included in the biography above.....

green water and the sun

whiteness and brightness

salt

and unbreathed air

steve

spent

I do not enjoy spending money, something that pairs very well with the fact that I do not have very much money to spend.

I did earn some money earlier this summer, working nights and weekends, so for once I did have a few dollars to spend.  The transactions always left me feeling queasy.  I do believe I invested well.  None of the purchases were impulse buys - all were items I had researched for several months, if not a year or more.  If you were to check my bank account you would see that all of my summer earnings have been spent.

The Honda 2.3 hp four-stroke was something I needed.  The old Nissan 3.5 hp two-stroke, while an excellent outboard, was beginning to show its age.  I need to know I have a reliable source of power if the wind dies or if I have a long canal to transit (which will be the case this fall).  I had been concerned that the power unit would be too large for the well, and too large visually for the cockpit ("image is everything" according to a tennis player whose name I can no longer remember).  But it is not too large for Spartina, in either sense.  The fact that the outboard is environmentally cleaner is a huge plus.  I am still adjusting the centifugal clutch, but that is no big deal.  I do need to buy a spare spark plug, plus change the oil before the trip.

The Fujifilm X20 has been a delight.  It has lived up to all my expectations.  I will not go into detail about the camera, but you can find an excellent review here.  I love the size, form factor (I can't look at it without seeming my old Leica M3), optical viewfinder, control dials and - most importantly - the images it produces.  It can shoot 12 frames a second - yes, count them, 12 frames a second.  It can shoot in low light and at night.  And it can shoot close-ups to the point that the subject is nearly touching the lens.  I had been concerned about the batteries until I found the menu option to turn off the battery-eating LCD viewfinder.  With the LCD viewfinder the camera is expected to shoot 250 images on a single battery charge.  With the LCD turned off, the frame count increases considerably.  This is, in my opinion, a very nice camera.      

Even with camera settings set for minimal battery use, there will still be issues with battery power on a two-week trip.  Which explains the last purchase of a Goal Zero Sherpa 50 solar charging kit.  I've been testing its battery charging ability and finding that it takes less than 20% of the power pack's charge to charge a battery for a camera.  As I mentioned in a recent post, in a matter of hours the kit can recharge a battery plus restore the power pack to 100%.  I've only done the one full test on Spartina, I hope it proves to be accurate.  My concerns will be keeping the gear dry - the solar panel is weather resistant, the power pack has to be kept dry.  How this will work on a small boat remains to be seen.  

I had one last chance to spend money, a father's day gift card to Bass Pro Shops from my youngest daughter.  I spent it today on some lures, above, and some freeze dried meals.  I'm told by an experienced sailor that freeze dried meals are practical for small boats and also taste very good.  I do like the idea of having only to boil water, and not having dishes to clean.  I purchased three meals - Beef Stroganoff with Noodles, Chili Mac with Beef and Jamaican Style Jerk Rice with Chicken.  I may buy one or two more for the trip.

I saw these clouds leaving the office this evening.  They were spectacular.  I watched them as I drove home, seeing lightning on the backside of the storm as I crossed the bridge of the ICW.  I was glad to be watching the storm cell from a distance, not from a small boat on the water.

steve