Posted by Kathryn Lawrence on May 08, 1999 at 16:50:28 from ppp67.columbia-center.org:
In Reply to: Then, and Now... posted by Edwin M. Kiser on May 04, 1999 at 22:31:17:
Edwin,
I haven't been to England, and can't speak about Englishness.
I can speak about sailing, and life on the water. Technology changes, but
lakes and rivers remain remaarkably the same, over incredibly long time spans.
Living beside a river, (I do,) gives the passage of time a difference.
For the river time passes, yet it doesn't. Season follows season, and the patterns repeats
timelessly.
Man does have an impact, and often a very negative one. Where I live,
hydro electric dams have done remarkable things to alter the river and damage the environment.
We are now struggling to cope with the mess we've made. There will
undoubtedly be changes to try to restore health to the system.
Meanwhile, it still snows in winter, and melts off in spring. Water that begins as
a snowfall in Canada flows past my house in Oregon in its season.
People have technology, but boating technology hasn't changed all that radically.
The problems are still the same, and modern solutions give another tool
but don't take away from the qualities needed to be successful skippers
as exemplified by John and Nancy. The Nancy Blackett sails beside modern
cruising boats and endures the same weather. Sails on both have to be raised, lowered, shortened.
Picking up your moorings is pretty much unchanged in 60 years. There are still
responsible boaters and hullaballoos on the water, and still people like George Owden.
Ransome's books aren't about "Englishness" from my point of view, although the Englishness of
the past is a side light. They are about seamanship, sportsmanship,
self reliance, and good character.
I do hope to visit Britian in the future, and see Ransome sites while I'm there. I plan to
see as much of the country from the water as possible. I'm afraid I'm not much
interested in Stratford on Avon or the Crown Jewels. I'm also a Dick Francis fan, and would like to visit racecourses.
That is a personl viewpoint.
Kathy