History of the Blake Sea

To me the Blake Sea was always there. When I discovered virtual sailing in SL, it was already a fact of virtual life. A fantastic fact of virtual life. Much later I discovered that the Blake Sea had come to exist through the actions of certain individuals. Fantastic actions really.

The Blake Sea

One of the persons deeply involved in the creation of the Blake Sea is Mr. MarkTwain White. He did a video about the beginnings of sailing in SL. As far as I know, it hasn't been promoted much. I found it by accident. After watching it, I asked Mr. MarkTwain White about part two, and there will be a part two. However, the release date is unknown as of now.

Recently there's been a hefty debate over the use of the Blake Sea. I haven't really had the energy to follow that debate closely, but it's about warships and combat zones and stuff. When I received a note from MTW that the story of the Blake Sea is now available my curiousity demanded I read it right away. It is available on a blog called blakesea.blogspot.com. Interesting read. It is - of course - written by MTW aka Mr. MarkTwain.

PS: Here's another video from way back when the Blake Sea opened...

Destination Paradise

It doesn't have to be all about racing. There are plenty of cruising opportunities in the virtual waters. It is perfectly possible to sail for hours and never see the same water twice. I've done that a couple of times, and since the summer is near, it is cruising time.

Heading south from Tradewinds

Two things are really important for cruising. Some would say three, but let's start with the first. You need a great crew. No matter how big the boat, you will be close together for an extended period of time, so pick your crew wisely. I was so lucky as to meet Marin on the pier; He was looking for a cruise too. Great guy. Knows his sailing. Sweet too...

Rounding Pslande

The second thing you need is a great boat. In RL you'd probably go for a 40-footer or something. In a virtual world, you'd go for a stable and fun boat. We had no doubts. The Flying Fizz simply provides the best and the most realistic team sailing experience available. So off we went; Wind, team sailing, waves, current, the works, and...

Entering Blake

Here we are, entering the Blake Sea. Clear blue sky and absolutely nothing on the horizon. Kinda like coming out of an archipelago, entering open sea. That's when the third thing comes in: Where to go?! You need a great destination, but we skipped that. True cruising means exploring. It means not knowing where you might end up. Going with the flow. Airflow that is...

Spyglass in the back

Today the wind was sending us south. We talked about cruising in RL, and we easily agreed that we wanted to see some palms and sandy beaches; Usually that means heading south. There is no reason it should be true in a virtual world, but hey... there is no reason why it shouldn't be true either. Anyway, it's about the sailing, not the destination... 

Passing Sharp-Tooth Isle

I checked the charts; Can't see any palms on the charts, but there is a pretty nice sailing trip to some southernly - and to me rather unexplored - waters. That ended up as the plan... The Great Plan, hehe. Going somewhere as far away as possible, not knowing what to expect. Soon after that, we saw the majestic Sharp-Tooth Isle on the horizon. 

Sharp-Tooth in the back

We passed it on a south-easterly course... Rather small waves, lovely breeze; Champagne conditions. Marin mostly in the trapez; Me murmuring about those classic Digestives, - and that's when that ticklering sensation in the stomach started. The excitement! We didn't know what we would see next. Unexplored waters ahead. This is cruising...

To be continued...

Continue to Destination Paradise II.

Sharp-tooth isle

This is really just a post to share an amazing view. There's no story behind it. So here it is: The view from "Sharp-tooth isle". That's what my grand-grand-grand-grand...very-much-more grand parents called it. More on that in another post. Look it up, if you are too curious to wait. Again, the view:

Me on Sharp-tooth isle

Don't look at me. Click the image, and see what's behind me. Ok, maybe there is a little story in this post after all. But it aint much. As usual I logged in to get my sailing kicks at Tradewinds, and what do I see? A beautiful ship at Tradewinds YC. That's not unusual, but wait... it is a ship I know. I have seen it in RL. I have even seen it sailing in RL. Many times.

Me enjoying the view over Blake

I wrote the builder right away, and he responded by giving me the opportunity to actually sail the boat, and that's how I ended up here on this piece of rock in the middle of the Blake Sea. You see, - the boat crashed. No! Not me crashing the boat by running aground here. I took the inshore navigation class. Another kind of crash, that rarely happens in RL. Sometimes virtual sailing suffers from computer related problems.

Is this sunset for real?

I won't blame the boatbuilder, and that's not what this post is about anyway. It is about the view. By sheer accident I happened to be in this spot, when that ship passed. Yes, it is a digital world. Yes, in many ways it cannot compete with the real thing, but seeing that ship out there, simply took my breath away. It is pretty, don't you think? Oh, and Sharp-tooth isle? Be my guest, - guess!

So many pretty views and sceneries. I ought to do a series just on that. Check the night swim, and here's a few shots from Fruit Islands. Definately also worth a visit.