Meet your elders today. MidSummer may be too late.

This morning I received news that Ole Crumlin-Pedersen, the passionate, energetic and visionary founder behind the Roskilde Viking Museum in Denmark passed away. When I visited the museum for the first time in 2009, I was struck, as everyone seemed to be, by the sheer size, the unexpected familiarity and the relatively easy access to to these boat skeletons made possible by the dedication and creativity of the museum supporters and staff. Like dinosaurs if you own a lizard, I felt immediate connection owning a Danish double-ender, to these giant pointy-ended boats and walked around them in awe at the fact that they had been both preserved through ingenious Viking methods thousands of years ago and today. I'm on my way to Denmark again next week and while I missed meeting Ole, I am hoping to meet some of the elders who built, sailed and exported my spidsgatter to the US. It's not the best season to travel to Scandinavia, but MidSummer may be too late. Tribute to Ole Crumlin-Pedersen as announced by the Viking Ship Museum:

He was a pioneer, who through his professional engagement and an almost unbelievable capacity for work developed an entirely new area of archaeological fieldwork. He changed our view of the world of the past, and gave us new glasses with which to view history. The Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde stands as the most striking trace of what he leaves behind. Ole’s remarkable career began with the five Viking ships from the Roskilde Fjord, and the construction of a museum around them. This was a pioneering job, which demanded ingenuity, new thinking and co-operation across disciplinary borders. The result was worthy of admiration, and the methodology became the model for work with archaeological ship-finds throughout Europe.

Words of Wisdom: Thanks to Lin Pardey

Last winter at a new event I worked on called NW Maritime Spring Boating Symposium, Lin Pardey gave a talk called The Compelling Life of Adventure. Boom! Little did I know how it would ring in my ears six months later when I turned 50.

First, you should know that I've worked with Lin through at least 4 other events connected to Wooden Boat Festivals. I've been a fan of her writing and their adventures for more than a decade using their advice while sailing around the world. I'd also been fortunate to get an early copy of her book Bull Canyon while spending a month writing in my own arid canyon, so I thought I was pretty "caught up" on their advice.

Second, being the director of this and other first-time events, I knew I wouldn't get to enjoy the Symposium. At best, I'd get snippets

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CHARLOTTE, a wooden boat story & movie

Flash! October 7, Movie Trailer released. Charlotte: a wooden boat story is due for release on DVD December 1st. This beautifully filmed documentary, shot over 6 years on Martha's Vineyard by award winning cinematographer Brian Dowley and directed/produced by Jeffrey Kusama-Hite (most recently honored for producing The Kids Are Alright) features the story of the legendary traditional boatyard, Gannon & Benjamin with a special focus on Nat Benjamin building a schooner for himself and his family. Premiere showing for the West Coast was at the 2011 Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend and we packed the house! It was also featured at PT FilmFest. I'm helping spread the word to communities throughout the west coast of US and Canada whose history, culture and livelihood is echoed in this film through every tap of the mallet, every splash of a wave on a bow and every chuckle. A must see for wooden boat lovers and those who love them!

Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2011

48 North is the favorite "free" sailing rag for sail cruising folks in the Pac NW. Editor Rich Hazelton and his hard-working, humorous, devoted or arguably crazy staff have saved me countless times over the past decade by taking a press release at the 11th hour, calling me in foreign countries to tell me they're missing our ad, and provided at-a-girls and "here, let us help" salvation through our most difficult times. When I sent the article summing up the 35th Wooden Boat Festival, I had no idea it was going to be my last at the helm. As it turns out, it was and I'm grateful to Karen for bugging me to send it and to Rich for allowing it to take up so much real estate when we weren't even advertising, again:) If I could add a postscript, it would be to publicly thank 48 North staff and readers for your amazing loyalty through the decade. I'm sure you do this for everyone and it's part of why 48 North remains a fav. Here's my final article (pages 14-15), wrapping up the decade on a high note!

PTTV Interview with Kaci, March 2009

In her community leaders series, Karen Nelson of PTTV interviewed Kaci at the Cupola House. Her focus question was "Who influenced you?" Watch the video here. "