Out late at night

Monterey10

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exMember
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Feb 23, 2004
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12830
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The air over California has dried out, the moon was down. The sky was ink black with the milky way showing brightly. Some stars and planets seemed to hang low, like ornaments hung by strings. It looked as you could reach out and touch these low bright stars. Comets streaked brightly across the sky .

I read an article in the Latitude 38 magazine of two different Captains. Each thought they saw emergency flares decending slowly into the sea. In both cases, after extensive searches, it was decided that the skippers had seen comets.

Another skipper was certain that they were on a collision course with a large ship. Panicked, they altered course, the large bright lights bore down on their boat. Later, they determined that Venus was showing brightly as it rose above the horizon .

The mist is common along the ocean. In most cases, our view of the sky is muddied. The dry, off shore wind brought on the super clear conditions. These conditions have seemingly dropped the stars low onto the water.

I'm reminded of a night that my wife and I were anchored out in the delta. For some reason, about 0300, we both woke with a start. Alarmed that something may be amiss, I padded through cabin to the back deck. Turning, I peared into the darkness. I'll never forget the sight. The stars shown brightly right down to the water. Stars reflected on the water gently rippled under the boat. I felt like I was floating in a sea of stars, traversing the heavens on my trusty boat.

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When I first started coming to the delta, we would often anchor out in Franks Tract. There were very few "city lights" back then. We could sit on the back deck looking up at the stars. What a view! That is when I first got a true impression of the magnificence of the Milky Way. Back then we could enjoy the stars from east to west, north to south. And if the wind was down, the stars continued onto the water. A very magical time. Today all of that has changed. So sad.......
 
I love the delta at night. My brother and I for ten years have fished at night all over the delta. It so quiet and peaceful, only the sounds of animals of all sorts doing whatever animals do all night. No boat traffic and there is no better way to sleep than to be in a warm boat anchored out on the water. A little whiskey at night along with a little Jerry Jeff Walker music, add a good cigar and folks it gets no better. Mornings ain't half bad either.

DBH
 
Funny, I was sitting on the top deck of my boat this last weekend looking at the stars! Our sky at Oxbow is pretty dark so the view was not bad, but I live in Minden, NV at 5000 ft and when I can't sleep, just sit outside and watch the shooting stars. I see about one every 30 seconds or so - pretty awsome!

Jim
 
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