Swordwhale Walking: illustration, webcomic, stories, photojourneys, videos
  • launch here
    • what I do and how much I charge
    • tales of the Earth Life Foundation
    • American lotus
  • art & stories
    • black horses
    • Sea Ponies of Chincoteague
    • Just Animals
    • playing with water
    • Tradigital illustration
    • environmental education >
      • Christmas Magic Mural 2020
      • animal alphabet and counting murals
      • Assateague ponies
      • the salamander room
      • more touch room ocean
      • more: touch room forest
      • wetland
      • wetland art
      • greenleaf
      • reptile week murals: Nixon Park
    • just animals: photography
    • Tales of the E.L.F. >
      • That Darn Elf, a musing or two
      • cast and crew
      • I dreamed of black horses
      • fanfiction: If Wishes Were Elves...
      • Following Raven
      • The Merrow's Cap >
        • Merrows Cap credits
      • Manannan's Horses
      • fandom >
        • Radagast's Rabbit Ride
        • the Lone Ranger >
          • LOLs and Trolls
          • but wait, there's Moore, and Silverheels
          • Hi Yo Silver
        • black panthers and night furies
        • tales of Middle Earth >
          • Mirthwood
          • Loth-LOL-ien >
            • Im-LOL-dris
            • Smirkwood
            • well, that coulda' been worse
        • Sherlocked
        • catz and doges on fandom
        • Faithful Sidekicks
    • murals
    • scribblings
    • coloring pages
  • mermaid tales
    • Gramma Swordwhale's Mermaid Blog >
      • how to mermaid
      • merfolk on the Chesapeake
      • my life as a mermaid
    • privateers and pumpkins and ponies oh my!
    • stupid gravity (the adventures of a mermaid on Eastern Neck Is.) >
      • stupid gravity credits
    • stupid gravity: the search for sea glass >
      • stupid gravity: the search for sea glass: credits
    • Stupid Gravity: Misty Cloudy Windy Stormy Augh! >
      • Misty Stormy credits
    • Stupid Gravity: the search for mermaids
    • mermaids, Moana and Maui, beached on Christmas Eve
    • horseshoe crabs forever
    • stupid gravity: hot hot hot >
      • hot hot hot credits
  • Chincoteague
    • A Beginner's Guide to the islands
    • back to the islands 2021 >
      • Ponies 2021
    • identify that pony
    • chincoteague pony art
    • Fall Roundup Oct 2019
    • Chincoteague 2019
    • pookas pumpkins and swamp ponies
    • Chincoteague Carousel
    • Chincoteague November 2018
    • the 3rd Sea Voyage of Makenuk's Fin
    • wild horses and kayaks 2017
    • wild ponies in camp
    • North Beach
    • on island time
    • saltwater cowboys
    • Chincoteague
    • Christmas by the Sea
    • island ponies
    • Ace and Unci revolt
    • beached
    • running water in between
    • Assateague Light
    • the Haunted Lagoon
  • crafty stuff
    • customizing riders and other characters
    • Wonder Horse repaint
    • Rich Toy hobby horse rehab
    • photo your toys >
      • how to photograph Breyers in the wild
      • welcome to Hawk Circle: telling stories with model horse photography >
        • more Hawk Circle
        • take your models to the beach
      • Lokigator and Throg's Epic Adventure
      • Sam and Bucky's Excellent Adventure
      • Mando and Grogu
      • paint and wet snow pants
      • Legolas and Hwin, snow
      • derps (or how not to photograph Breyers and others)
      • wild Breyers >
        • printable prints and downloads
        • water horses
        • beach Breyers
        • Lotus Legolas and Arod
        • teeny tiny Breyers
        • backyard Breyers and Schleichs
        • vintage breyers
        • Hartland Horses
        • Black Horses
      • educational display
      • Schleich and Safari Faeries
      • North beached
      • more model horses
      • beach party
      • advenatureData
      • Finding Hank
      • Otterlock and Hedgejawn >
        • Hounded in Baskerville
      • how to photograph your dragon
    • ModPodge rules
    • paint pours
    • flour salt clay
    • chalk paint
    • rock it: paint rocks and use or lose them
    • faerie gardens >
      • more faerie gardens
      • faerie festival at Spoutwood Farm
    • sea this tutu (and make)
    • I found Dory
    • knit me a mermaid, or chicken, or Hei Hei
    • sea treasures
    • sea glass
    • sea horses
    • rehabbing horse epic fail >
      • do you wanna build a snow pony?
      • do you wanna build a sand pony?
      • Barbie horse gets a makeover
    • mermaid saddles
    • Yule Laugh, Yule Cry... >
      • a Brandywine Christmas
    • Uncle Bob's Toys >
      • Uncle Bob's Toys 2016
      • more: Uncle Bob's Crafts
      • the Adventures of Mortimer
  • adventures
    • Go Play Outside
    • Nature Deficit Disorder
    • I heart Nature
    • autumn light
    • cats
    • mushing 101 >
      • dogs on wheels >
        • Autumn Run on Wheels
      • dogsled
      • dogsledding: running on snow! >
        • Groundhog Day
      • kids and dawgs: first sled run
      • Klondike Derby
      • Sled Dogs and Pirate Ships
      • Christmas Day Run: Rail Trail
      • Horses and Huskies: when predator and prey share the trail
      • Schipperke doo dah >
        • Runnin' with the Big Dogs
        • Hobbit Husky
      • women who run with the wolves
      • Play Time
      • wubba wubba
      • New Year's Dog Day
      • Team Swordwhale
    • trains, sleddogs, and horses oh my!
    • butterscotch and sprinkles
    • horses >
      • horse reference for art
      • ponies small but mighty
      • First Horse: Saraf
      • the Wild Black Mare
      • between thunder and lightning
      • Goliath, Nevada Mustang
      • Yataalii
    • Planet Water >
      • Planet fish tank
      • planet toadpool
      • Planet Pond
      • Under the Lake
      • Planet Stream
      • Planet River
      • Planet Marsh
      • Planet Ocean
      • Planet Water Bird >
        • Planet Water Bird: gulls
      • Planet turtle
      • Planet water snake
      • planet amphibian
    • kayak! >
      • blue boat home
      • kayaking 101
      • favorite good boats
      • some kayak videos
      • kayaking Assateague and Chincoteague
      • how to train your dragonfly
      • Chasing Raven
      • the Susquehanna River >
        • the Rock Garden >
          • return to the Rock Garden
        • Conewago Dreamin'
        • the Conejehola Flats
        • Thunderbird Island (petroglyphs on the Susquehanna)
        • to the White Lady and Beyond
      • Calvert Cliffs fossils
      • Sassafras River Lotus Paddle >
        • Return to the Sassafras
        • sassafras river 2015
        • sassafras paddle 20160814
        • Sassafras River 2017
        • Sassafras river 2018
      • Eastern Neck Island >
        • winter marsh, winter beach
        • Eastern Neck Island: under the supermoon
        • more Eastern Neck Island
      • Pinchot Park
      • Lake Marburg >
        • where are the manatees?
        • ...and the dolphins???
        • macros and SAVs
        • Lake Marburg 2018
        • how to be a kayaking Gramma
    • beached
    • dive in! (SCUBA) >
      • Gourd of the Rings
    • mid Atlantic seashells
    • longship company >
      • December sail
      • Sae Hrafn at Oakley
    • pirates and privateers >
      • Sailing 101
      • Schooner Sultana 1768
      • Capt John Smith Shallop
      • Pride of Baltimore II
      • Kalmar Nyckel
      • downrigging 2010 >
        • Chestertown autumn
        • Downrigging Weekend 2014
        • Downrigging 2015
        • Downrigging 2016
        • Downrigging 2017
        • downrigging 2018: pink tardis
        • Downrigging 2019
      • privateer weekend
    • horseshoe crabs and red knots >
      • horseshoe crab spawn 2021
      • slaughter beach
      • horseshoe crabs and semipalmated sandpipers 2019
    • surfboards and watchtowers: Cape Henlopen >
      • beached
      • Watching Whales >
        • Watching Whales...again
    • Seadogs: Newfoundland water trials
    • wind hounds
    • wild things! >
      • baltimore aquarium
      • there's a hummer in the garage...ceiling ...
      • critter cam
      • sky walking
      • leaf-fall
    • The Adventures of the Good Ship Fearaf
    • the incredibly dead blog page
  • art class
    • framing 101
    • watercolor: how to
    • sip n paints
    • acrylic painting 101
    • wildlife art class
    • Santa, You're Doomed
    • (drawing) horses 101 >
      • horse color 101
      • gaits
      • ponies in motion
      • tack
      • Draw: a horse
    • dogs and wolves
    • go ahead, draw a pirate ship
    • anthropomorphism (cartoon animals and stuff)
    • the Little Kids Page of Big Ideas
    • mural: how to >
      • Gabriel's Whale
      • stuff you need
      • drawing (mural)
      • drawing mural 2
      • painting
      • mural jungle
      • mural bat cave
      • mural cats
      • mural ocean
      • mural arctic
      • mural leaf smacking
      • watershed mural
    • crayons and colored pencils
    • palettes
  • wait wait! let me get the camera!
  • who perpetrated all this???
    • swordbroad





Chasing Raven

Picture
The Longship Company sails (or, as you see here, beats against the wind with oars and doughty crew) in the tidal waters off the southern Potomac River (St. Clements Bay). Sae Hrafn's (Sea Raven) mission is a kind of living archaeological discovery... as in how did the Vikings make this thing work anyway?!?!  While the crew is experienced in sailing, ships, and nautical knowledge, as well as Viking history, there is always something new that the histories and sagas didn't tell us. We invite all and sundry to come ro...er...sail with us (free, donations are cool if you can). 

This is one expedition in which I chased Raven in my sea kayak, catching stills and video. In a contest of arctic tribesmen vs Vikings, Inuit win. With a modern (presumably less efficient) plastic version of the northern hunting and fishing kayak, I can literally paddle circles around Sae Hrafn under oars, and generally keep up with her under sail. On this day (Captain's Log: 2012.09.22) I passed her as we beat into the wind heading toward St. Clements' Island (formerly known as Blackistone Island, as our Captain, Bruce Blackistone attests). 

Then someone said something like "Want to scout ahead?"

"Sure." Git'm up Scout. I took a compass course reading, plunged into wind and waves and Blackistone Island grew g...r...a...d...u...a...l...l...y larger. And of course, rather like when Tonto goes into town on a mission, and trouble finds him, I looked back and the Lone Ranger was nowhere in sight. 

No ship. Nowhere.

Of course she had given up struggling into the wind and turned around (the crew IS the backup engine). I got a call on my cell phone (hard to answer in three foot waves). I paddled around the island, trying to find a landing. And a potti. I found the beach below the lighthouse, hauled the 'yak up out of the reach of wave and tide. 

The phone rang.

I tried to answer it... and the ensuing conversation went like something out of a sit-com. 
Me: Hello? HELLO???" 
Them: (happy little cell phone ring tone)...
Me: HELLO!!!
(random static, "I"... eakin... ho..."
Me: ?????
Them: cheerful ringtone...
Me: "Whut???"

I am in the middle of the flattest piece of territory in North America (southern Maryland and the southern Potomac with vast stretches of flatness and water) and I can't get a signal. I move up the beach to the lighthouse and finally get a signal. The ship has wisely turned back for calmer water... and raised sail.

Which means I will not catch her on this wind.

Fine, I have a compass course. I return to the kayak, check my compass... and am staring at two large bodies of water stretching away before me: two bays, and we came down one of them.

Which one to go back up? (swings compass; left, right, left right, leftright). Looks like the left one. I go, paddling through some fairly exciting waves. Somewhere in the midst of slightly less wave action, I call the ship, and check my bearings...

(crackle...mumble... snork... crackle) "We don't have buoy marker blah blah on our charts."

It exists, I am sitting in front of it. My boat is blue but it is not a Tardis, I'm pretty sure I didn't fly through any time/space warps.

(crackle, rustle, charts being examined), "Oh, here it is..." Then follows a description of where I need to go to find the creek we rowed out of. None of this matches the landscape I am looking at. (the creek is well hidden by the treeline and can't be seen from that point on the water). Following the ship, it seemed as if we had rowed/paddled down one long stretch of water, instead, it was a smaller creek feeding into a larger bay. I set out, looking for Canoe Neck Creek, and finding a lot of stuff that isn't, including a landing with Civilization, where nobody is home except a very loud, invisible, deep voiced guard dog behind a very tall fence. I flee. Out in the middle of the bay is a boat, the first one I have seen in some time, it is a sailboat, under motor power. I shriek at them with my whistle and paddle toward them. As with most people on the water, they are helpful, giving me directions to the creek. It is now near sunset, and still a long way. 

"You want us to throw you a line?"

Oh yeah, I have no idea who you are, you might be pirates or something, but at this point, I need a tow. They tie my bow to their line with the reassurance, "We won't get 'er up on plane or anything..." (motorboats plane, coming up out of the water at fast speeds, sailboats do not).

I make it back to the creek and the dock before dark, vowing to take charts next time. In these kinds of waters, you definitely need a compass, charts, survival gear (PFD, bilge pump, water, snacks, whistle, extra clothing layers)(oh, and a cell phone). Here are some pics from the adventure. Those from outside the ship are mine, others by Capn' Dave Tristan.

more at http://longshipco.org/
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