posted 07-02-2010 12:27 PM ET (US)        

www.onlyinamerica.biz/2010_test_trips

We learned, and re-learned, a whole list of things.

John

posted 07-14-2010 07:47 PM ET (US)            

It's amazing when traveling 100+ miles per day how often you find yourself alone with one or two 50-foot+ sailboats. Beautiful summer afternoon and the only boats out are large sailboats and a 17-foot Whaler.

If you think you can do 125 miles in six hours averaging 25 knots and stopping for lunch, think again. It takes 8-9 hours, stuff happens.

Need to figure out a way to secure a laptop so it doesn't bet beat to . . .

Gloves, gloves are good.

The American Spirit is alive and well. To that end, we need to film a lot more. First day people were bending over backwards to help us out. We were to busy accepting the gracious hospitality to film the gracious hospitality.

posted 07-14-2010 08:47 PM ET (US)            

http://continuouswave.com/sail-logs/

These narratives cover my boating since 1986, about 24 years of boating, and much of that time, since c.1997, in smaller Boston Whaler boats.

I have found that often the process of photographing and making notes while boating and traveling takes away from the experience itself. I have to discipline myself to take good notes, and to take all the photographs I need, in order to have material to write all the narratives and accounts. I have also found that it has become an effort to produce the long and detailed narratives. For a while there, from about c.2001 to c.2005, I was so busy boating that I really did not have time to do any narratives.

Since about 2001, or for the last nine years, I have probably averaged about 20-nights per year cruising and sleeping aboard a Boston Whaler boat. That totals about 180-nights aboard. Sometimes I think I need a bigger boat. However, the ability to travel on the highway with the boat is a great advantage of a smaller boat. We have hauled our several Boston Whaler boats around the country. We've been to:

--the Pacific Northwest;
--the Gulf of Mexico;
--the Atlantic Coast of the Carolinas;
--all five of the Great Lakes
--the Rideau Canal in Ontario
--the Trent-Severn Canal in Ontario
--the Ottawa River from just above Ottawa to Mattawa;
--the Tennessee River and its many impoundment lakes, including Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, and Watts Bar Lake;
--Lake of the Ozarks; and
--many inland lakes in Michigan.

Although I have been employed in professional video and audio production for over 30-years with a top-ten TV market network affiliate, I have never tried to produce any motion picture recordings of my travels. Perhaps it is because I know how much work is required to produce a truly good quality and watchable motion picture that I have been disinclined to try it myself. Trying to shoot really good quality motion picture footage while traveling would take away from the pleasure of traveling and turn it into a job. I go boating to get away from work, not to generate more work.

posted 07-14-2010 09:20 PM ET (US)            

Great videos!

posted 07-14-2010 09:22 PM ET (US)            

You're right, that is a ton of work on your narratives. Great work.

posted 07-15-2010 07:11 PM ET (US)            

Have you considered putting your narratives into a book? I found writing the book to be way to much fun, a truly enjoyable experience. Getting it published, now that's a different story, which includes self publishing which is the route I took. I'd be happy to tell you what I know, which is so little it may do more harm than good.

And again, thank you for this forum. I enjoy both reading and writing stories, I have learned a lot and have made some good friends through your Continuous Wave.