The Quiet Ripple Defines The Pond

We organize a Gala Concert to celebrate Jonathan’s years as President.

Yay

The concept is to have lots of different pieces including ones from each of the countries from which the students who will graduate tomorrow, come. In between music, people get up and pay tribute to Jonathan. It works well.

The real thing

Cecilia Lu is an amazing person. She is a neuroscientist at the university and also a concert pianist. She assembles a group of amazingly talented musicians from Japan and Taiwan.

Cecilia plays a duet.

There are two Irish graduates and Hokulani, the university orchestra, play Carolan’s Concerto in their honor.

Very talented bunch

I try to keep up.

All in all a great evening in a packed auditorium.

Left to right; Julia speaker, Jonathan star, Renee star, Cecilia performer, Keshav speaker, Me performer, Ankur speaker.

After the festivities, of which more later, I set off on Sunday to San Francisco. First leg is Okinawa to Narita. It is an unusual flight as the passengers are a mix of young US military and Nobel prizewinners returning from the Graduation Ceremony.

Half way to Tokyo, I realize that I have left my flute at home. This plunges me into gloom as I was looking forward to playing a lot in California. I am amazed how forgetful I can be. We get to Narita and something happens to me that has never happened to me before. As I get on the bus to the terminal, a very polite young marine gets up from his seat and says, “Here you are Sir, there’s a seat for you right here.” He clearly sees me as a very old man. Troubling.

I arrive at SFO and wait for James to pick me up in the truck. However, after some confusion I get a text saying the truck’s battery is flat and I will have to find my own way home. During this wait my much beloved Google Timbuktu bag is on the sidewalk.  I then go over to the shuttle stop and in no time at all I am en route to SF.

Just as we are entering downtown I get this cold clammy feeling. Where is my bag? It was strange as I suddenly became aware that my bag was not with me. Perhaps the driver, the estimable Alejandro, had  put it in the back with my suitcase.  He stops in the middle of traffic, scoots round the back to look and comes back shaking his head.

I have left my bag containing laptop, IPad, house keys and all kinds of documents somewhere in the airport. I had no idea where.

The bag itself has sentimental value as Larry Page gave it to me in 2006

How can I be so forgetful? I have to consult a Gerontologist.  Who is going to hand in a nice bag full of Mac goodies? Gey few. I am feeling pretty bad when Alejandro phones back to the pick up station, turns around and grins,”They have your bag!”

Despair to elation over a very short time. Alejandro says, “Look man, I will go back to the airport and on my next trip into the city I will drop the bag off at your place. Would that work?”

Alejandro – mention him in your prayers.

Sure enough, a couple of hours later he brings me my bag. This is what is known as a life affirming experience.

I check my email and there is a message from Officer Lucas, SFO Police, very politely informing that my bag had been found and I should not worry.  He had found a business card in the bag and had mailed my OIST address.  Thank you Officer Lucas. I then get a Facebook message from the wonderful Laura, who had spent six months at OIST as a Science Writing Fellow. “So they recently paged a Neil Calder over the intercom at SFO… I thought it can’t be you since you’d be in Japan for the grad ceremony. But how many Neil Calders are flying through SFO?”  Amazing, she just happened to be in the airport when they started paging me.

Long strange trip.

Comfort food.

Asked yesterday what I did not like about Japan, I had to think hard. I could only come up with:

1. ATMs close at 6:00pm
2. Post Offices and Banks closed at the weekend
3. Way, way too much packaging, especially plastic bags.

On the last point there is one behavior  in Japan that I have not seen in other countries, of which I totally approve. If you buy any product that comes in a plastic spray bottle, for example, kitchen cleaner, or in a plunger type plastic container, for example shower soap, then you buy a refill rather than the whole container over again.

See what I mean

This probably happens in all countries now.  I like it.

This is what my friend Kiyuna san told me this morning. How true.

We were going through the parts list for the overhaul of the engine. He is a lot of fun and seems determined not to waste money by buying new parts when the existing ones can be restored.

This is his workshop

Starter motor, whose death I had taken for granted. He has been soaking it in magic potion for a week and seems confident of resurrection.

Same thing for the alternator

Anyway, I am going to the States on Sunday after the Graduation. I will be away for a month. Kiyuna san says no problem, give me some money for parts and  the engine probably fixed when you get back. I sign over my life savings.

I have also finished cleaning and generally sprucing up the tank.

Smearing on nice thick coat of sealant.

Pretty tank

I find a tin of lamp oil made from boiled down blubber. I cannot wait to see if my lamps work.

Lamp oil.  How many whales died under the lash for that small tin?

It lights

Looks beautiful

I can now dream of long evenings at anchor in tropical bays, the cabin aglow with gentle oil lamp light, drinking cold beer to the serenade of fruit bat howls.

You know how it is.

So, I have to print a document but do not have a printer. I do not want to buy a printer because I am very poor and you only use them once in a month of Sundays. Naoko tells me what to do. You go to a web site, establish an email and user name. Then you can upload the documents you want to print to this site. The site has an English version.

What you see when you upload a document.

You then go to your nearest Combini. Combini are an amazing Japanese tradition, they are stores that sell virtually everything and they stay open 24/7. The are all over the place and offer an incredible range of services, stamps, bill pay, hot meals, cold meals, of course as soon as you walk in all the staff look up and shout “Thank you for coming, welcome!” The big ones in Okinawa are Lawson and Family Mart.

Thank you Lawson

Anyway you go to the amazing printer device. Hit “English” and you are guided through the steps. There is a number associated with your upload that has been sent to you by email. This you enter, put in 20 yen per page and hit print. Whammo, here are your documents.  It is so easy.

The amazing device.

So maybe this service has been available in all countries for decades but it is new to me and I am very grateful.

I also have to pay my gas bill, which for some reason is not possible at the Combini. but they tell me that I can do so at the bank which is a block away.

Again this is all done by a machine. This time there are no English instructions so a delightful young woman comes and walks me through it. Such fun.

Look at this! A new apartment block beside my own.

During construction the building is wrapped in fabric that disguises its nature. Today it is unveiled,

Sunset tonight

I lunch with Jonathan and Renee, who are here for the Graduation Ceremony. Next I go for a ramble down by the sea in front of where I live. It is a truly wonderful day, bright sunny and not too hot. Okinawa has a strong ancestor worship tradition and families have their individual tombs. The area in which I live is tomb rich.

Low tide unfortunately. This islet is normal set in a silver – actually turquoise – sea. This is just in front of my apartment.

IPhones are so cool

These I believe to be very old and I think abandoned.

This again is on an islet 50 meters from the shore

These are pretty flowers

Likewise

Anyway enough of this soft stuff. Yesterday I had a long talk with Sato san. He is a wonderful man who has spent many years setting up rigging for racing yachts and  is held in great respect around the boatyard.   He is also a stern taskmaster. He insists that I take off all the ancient sealant that is stuck to the underside of the gunwhale trim and  varnish. This turns out to be very difficult as the ancient sealant, sometimes very thick, is fast to the wood  and my little scraper has not much effect. Sato san then produces a real scraper.

Wow

It smashes off all the residual sealant in no time at all. I then ask him about removing the old antifouling paint. Again he says use the scraper.

This took a minute.

The right tool for the job. Sato san lends it to me and seems deeply unconcerned about getting it back. This is very Okinawan.

I have to spend the day at the university. There are matters unsettled that I have to contribute to. Yay, the lake in front of the university has attracted duck that I have never seen before in Okinawa.

Gadwall!

Eurasian Teal

I love birdwatching. I am  delighted that the thrill has not gone. I mean a lot of sensations are blunted by old age but my excitement of seeing  birds when I do not expect to see them is as intense as when I was 20.

Near my crib, there is a retirement home for old fighting bulls. Touchingly, Egrets hang around the old bulls to pick off ticks and stuff.  On the way back from OIST I watch a very gentle Egret nurse an old bull.

Intermediate Egret framed by old fighting bull

The boat has a big slab of steel called the rudder plate. This can be lowered to give the rudder more depth, thus more purchase. It also acts as a mini center plate. At times, too complex to go into here, it is a good idea to raise the rudder plate and this is done by pulling on a thin rope that goes up inside the rudder and is cleated on the tiller.

My plate. Notice that there is no hole or any other method of connecting the rope to raise the plate.

Hmmm, how to connect the rope? I consult the excellent Neil Thompson Boats who make the Norfolk Gypsy http://www.neilthompsonboats.co.uk/.  They send back detailed instruction with each step illustrated by photos. Thank you.

First I drill a hole in the top of the plate.

Green thing is a drill.

I then mix up some epoxy glue.

Araldite

Nice colors

Next I drench the rope-end in glue and force it into the hole.

The rope goes right through the plate and just protrudes on the other side.

I then clamp, using some plastic so that the clamp does not get stuck to the plate.

Such fun. Of course I should really have sanded off all the old antifouling paint  and repainted with new before doing this. But you know how it is, all my life excitement has always got the better of me.

The boat has several non standard features. One I particularly like is the  cockpit cocktail table, which was in a terrible state but has responded well to care and attention.

This will come in very handy when anchored in beautiful remote cove  and you need somewhere to put your martini.

Extra joy as a tin of Brasso arrives in the post, sent by brother Alan.

Watch out brass work. Thanks Alan. Notice the weather.

Beautiful day at the end of cherry blossom time. Okinawan cherry trees are a different variety from the classic cherry trees of Tokyo.

Yay Kawazuzakura!

The Okinawan trees are named Kawazuzakura and the first to bloom in Japan, exploding in late January, early February. This morning I am out early on the top of a hill, looking through cherry blossom down to the blue, blue sea and the startling white of the waves breaking of the reef. I am unable to take a good photo. It is beyond photography.

The Japanese are very fond of cherry blossom, ye ken

Prince Charles drinks Cherry Brandy

And so down to the boatyard where I have a long chat with Sato san about the restoration. He is a very wise and experienced man so I give him a bottle of Islay Mist in the hope that he will like me.

I set to to clean the fuel tank. I unscrew 30 screws and slice through all the sealant with an Opinel that James gave a decade or so ago. I undo all the fuel lines, which submit very satisfactorily to the power of the spanner.

It takes a long time to take out the screws.

I lever off the lid.

To my surprise, the tank is full of diesel. I do not know why but I had assumed that it would be empty.

Golly

How to remove the diesel? I feel very pleased with myself when I realize I can bail out the fuel with an old water bottle and pour it in the jerry can that came with the boat.

Experimental set up.

It works very well.

I am elated. I have opened the tank and am now draining it all by myself. I had never imagined that there was more diesel in the tank than the jerry can could hold. This was however the case, which I realized when the funnel, which  was jammed in tightly,  shot out of the filler hole with a loud pop. I do not think I have been more surprised but manage not to shriek.

The diesel was full of muck and water.

Hooray!

I am very pleased with myself.

Frankly most of the work I have been doing has been cosmetic – cleaning, sanding, treating, painting, varnishing. The big boy things, for example, the skegg and the engine have been handled by people who know what they are doing.

Today I determine to open up the fuel tank and clean out inside sludge, supermarket chariots, old bikes etc.

This is the tank lid screwed down by lots of screws and sealant. Very dirty and rusty.

I persuade myself that it would be much better to soak all the potentially moving parts in WD 40 before trying to unscrew. I mean you would not want to snap copper fuel lines , er would you?  So I avoid doing big boy stuff for another day and get on with the usual.

A box full of cleats, fairleads, pulleys, and boxes of screws. All of these I will have to use I suppose.

I clamp on the hatch cover trim.

It is very cold.

I reinstall the lamps.

Where can I get glass bits for these lamps?