Dan Newland wrote about the passing of dear friend Jocelyn Nash. He could not have said it better.
Hey guys
I was saddened to hear about the passing of Jocelyn Nash. She died April 7 in her sleep, she was really one of the people I really loved. I was lucky enough to phone her maybe a a couple of days before she died, just calling to say hi and see how she was doing. She didn't sound very well and she let it slip that she had just picked up some oxygen at Hospice. She was also living with Chris, having left her apartment in Point Richmond since she needed help, (I sailed with Chris in a Transpac many years ago). What a wonderful person!
She was such a hoot! I loved working with her at DeWitt Sails in Pt Richmond so many years ago, she had the gift of enjoying helping people and was a true resource for anyone that wanted to know how to do this or that on their boat. As a salesperson for DeWitt, you could always trust her to find ways to save you money by recutting an old sail or getting one sail to do double duty rather than selling you a lot of new sails. I always admired her for that.
She will be missed.
Here are some snippets, the first is a preview of a movie, the second
her obituary :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz1v...rr_watch_on_yt
https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2...-jocelyn-nash/
Stay well!
Dan
Last edited by sleddog; 05-09-2020 at 10:46 AM.
Rob should get credit for “most correct answers” AND the best mental visual while most of us stay at home.
I’m pretty sure the answer to #6 is Blue Glaucus (either Glaucus atlanticus or Glaucus marginatus or maybe even Glaucus mcfarlanei), also known by several other common names including Blue Angel and Blue Dragon. These are pelagic nudibranchs that live floating upside down on the surface by using the surface tension of the water to stay up. Their blue side, facing upwards, blends with the blue of the deep ocean, while their silver/grey side faces downwards, blending in with the reflected sunlight when viewed from underwater.
https://oceana.org/marine-life/coral...s/blue-glaucus
Last edited by Dazzler; 05-08-2020 at 10:11 AM. Reason: Added link
Tom P.
Thanks, DAZZLER! But the Blue Glaucus pelagic nudibranch, although a fascinating pelagic critter I'm not sure I've seen, is not the answer to the quiz. The Blue Glaucus can live at depth, as well as on the surface.
It is also poisonous.
Our creature, and correct answer to which I am seeking, though an inhabitant of the Pacific High, does not live in the water, and would die if it did so. In addition, it is not poisonous. And unlike the Blue Glaucus, it is so fast that if you blink when approaching, it can be gone. There are no wings or fins involved.
Last edited by sleddog; 05-08-2020 at 11:03 AM.
I'm at a disadvantage here, as I've only been in the fringes of the High!
If it's "fast" then it's not single-celled, nor is it a plant. So it must be an animal. Vertebrae or invertebrate?
i'm thinking maybe you're referring to Japanese fishing boats!
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"
No worries, Alan. Although the answer to #6 of the quiz predominates in the Pacific High, they are found elsewhere in increasingly large aggregations, usually between 40N to 40S. You've likely encountered them. But maybe didn't realize it at the time.
"Is it a vertebrate or invertebrate?" you ask. The answer is "Yes, it has a skeleton." But don't be misled. So does a starfish and an Alerion 38.
Is your guess a "Japanese fishing boat?" If not, you can guess again and not wait 24 hours.
Last edited by sleddog; 05-08-2020 at 12:00 PM.
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"
"First to correctly answer all the below within one week in one post wins an autographed copy of Randall Reeves cool new book, The Figure 8 Voyage. Multiple submissions allowed, but please wait 24 hours between posts. Max guesses = 3"
Good thing this friendly competition is not being held under the RRS. Otherwise, it's beginning to resemble rounding Blossom Rock in the Corinthian Race..Somebody might have to go to the penalty box.
Rob's submissions, even though one was outside the allotted time frequency, have been so entertaining and enlightening that I am hoisting Code Flag Sierra and congratulating him on answering all 6 answers of a really tough quiz...Rob is the only one to tell us both dancing stars and halobates live in the Pacific High and spinnakers can be flown from the mainmast of schooners and therefore he wins F2F.
Halobates are water walkers, aka water skimmers, sea skaters that you've likely seen in quiet streams and ponds. Halobates Sericeus is one of very few oceanic insects and predominates in the Eastern Pacific and specifically the Pacific High (Gyre.) Halobates Sericeus can lay as many as 70,000 of her bright orange eggs on a piece of plastic debris. Hairy legs create small bubbles they use to walk on water. And they can move very, very fast when disturbed by the bow wave of an approaching boat.
My technique for observing Halobates at sea was to slow speed to just steerage in the glassy conditions of the Pacific High and hang my head over the bow. For days on end, in one sweeping glance port to starboard, I would see thousands. Did I mention they can hop 6" off the water? And their exo-skeleton is UV resistant?
Although they are there, wind waves and increased boat speed makes Halobates Sericeus difficult to see. They are nearly impossible to catch, except using a fine trawl net at night, thus the paucity of information on this fascinating bug. Yes, it doesn't live in the water, nor in the air. But on the interface between.
You may have fresh or salt water halobates in a backyard pond, nearby lake or stream, or dock slip. If anybody can provide us with a visual sighting and location of a halobates in the next 24 hours, your prize will be a Capitola Boat Club "Dark and Stormy." (ginger beer, Pellegrini, a shot of dark rum, lemon slice, ice, and a tad of Marianne's Macapuno.)
Rob: can you contact me your snailmail address so I can send Randall's new book? skipallanatsbcglobaldotnet
Thanks, all, for participating.
Last edited by sleddog; 05-08-2020 at 01:49 PM.