Our journey, by sea kayak, to Lunan Bay with Ian, Mike, and Douglas continued and I found myself thinking about how much I love and am drawn to the sea.
Perhaps it has to do with being born on an island...and at three years of age boarding a ship (the Cunard Liner Franconia) for Canada...and spending weekends and summers as a child by a lake...returning to the UK at the age of 8 aboard the Sylvania and returning again to Canada on the Carinthia...never being very far from water, whether it be lake, river, or ocean.
Perhaps it's much more ancestral, something primitive...something that harkens back through unimaginable time...
I don't know...except that there is a passion for the sea.
Others, much more eloquent, have expressed their love of and respect for the sea..
The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
- Jacques Yves Cousteau
My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The winds, the sea, and the moving tides are what they are.
If there is wonder and beauty and majesty in them,
science will discover these qualities...
If there is poetry in my book about the sea,
it is not because I deliberately put it there,
but because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.”
- Rachel Carson
The ocean is a central image.
It is the symbolism of a great journey.
- Enya
In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.
- Kahlil Gibran
Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way
the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline,
no matter how many times it’s sent away.
- Sarah Kay
The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination
and brings eternal joy to the soul.
- Robert Wyland
When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come,
I go to the sea,
and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds,
cleanses me with its noise,
and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused.
- Rainer Maria Rilke
The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.
The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.
- Kate Chopin
Shortly, we will fly across the ocean, over the frozen arctic regions, and then a massive continent. We will reunite with our Canadian kayaks on Pacific waters. They have waited patiently, for six months..now their adventure will continue.
Hi Duncan, it looks so wonderful. I can understand the passion. :>). Have a safe trip. Gen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that, Gen, it's not unlike your passion for the mountains. Both inspire "dreams", both by day and by night - and a large measure of humility! :) Warm wishes. Duncan.
ReplyDeleteAll very true Duncan...... Despite the sea being in a way my "office", I never cease to be captivated by it. For me the movement of the sea is , quite simply, a heartbeat of the planet. Bon voyage - enjoy the transition form North Sea to North Pacific!
ReplyDeleteWarm wishes to you both
Hi Ian, you must have seen every "mood" of the seas over the years...our experience is but a tiny glimpse from the kayak cockpit, in benign conditions. Many thanks for your good wishes. We'll be in touch. Warm wishes. Duncan.
ReplyDeleteDuncan it was a great joy to share a little time on the sea with yourself and Joan. I look forward to the next time and hope it will not be too long, Douglas :o)
ReplyDeleteA great pleasure for us, Douglas, thank you. We'll keep you posted on "paddle strokes" in Canada and look forward to another meet up on the water upon return. Warm wishes from us both. Duncan.
ReplyDeleteHi Duncan & Joan
ReplyDeleteHope you have settled back into life on the Island. The good news here is that I have had a friend in who changed my browser to Firefox and I am pleased to say I think I have now got communication with your blog again.
MG Mike
Good news, Mike, great to have you back! Yes, we're well settled for our stay back in Canada. Lots of time on the water too but we now have minimal internet connection for our time here so it's been hard to blog! Have to turn off every other wifi device to get on line - frustrating! Hopefully, we'll get some Canadian postings out before heading back. Thanks for checking in and talk to you soon. Warm wishes. Duncan.
ReplyDelete