Moon rising

Full moon rises over the river. Gorgeous. 

Things houseboat - and Covid - have kept me so busy that I lost track of the days. It’s already Thursday. Amazing.

A year ago, Week 13, Day 91, Thursday, June 25, I posted “Mindboggling numbers.” 

This week’s numbers of infections and death around the world are rising so precipitously it feels appropriate to examine them, understand them, do our best not to contribute to further rise – and begin a new week fresh and hopeful….
Little did I know, back then, that coronavirus Covid-19 would still be with us one year later. Indeed, that it’s worse in many countries, including South Africa in its third wave of infections.

On the cusp of Week 66’s numbers compared to Week 13, one year ago
Worldwide (Map) 
June 24, 2021: 179,530,600 confirmed infections; 3,890,200 deaths
June 25, 2020: 9,409,000 confirmed infections; 482,190 deaths

US (Map)
June 24, 2021: 33,578,000 confirmed infections; 603,000 deaths
June 25, 2020: 2,381,540 infections; 121,980 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 24, 2021: 1,861,100 confirmed infections; 59,260 deaths
June 25, 2020: 111,800 confirmed infections; 2,205 deaths

News blues

Urgent action needed as third wave sweeps Africa 

Covid-19 cases in Africa rose by more than a fifth week-on-week, pushing the total to more than five million. The number of new cases reported in the week has exceeded half the second-wave peak of 224,000 in January, with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Namibia reporting the most weekly cases since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, seven African nations have used all the vaccine doses they received from Covax, the vaccine-sharing facility. Seven more have used more than 80% of theirs.

South Africa’s province of Gauteng is experiencing daily increase in Covid-19 infections that is 21% higher than the previous peak in January 2021.
‘An absolute catastrophe’: Covid-19 deals Gauteng a sucker punch as hospitals fill up 
On the other hand, South Africa has been chosen to host the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) first Covid-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology transfer hub to scale up production and access to vaccines.
This will be the first in a series of Covid mRNA vaccine technology transfer hubs that the WHO is launching around the world to boost Covid-19 vaccine supplies. Read more >> 

***

India's vaccinations hit record with free Covid shots 

India gave out a record five million vaccine doses on Monday under a federal campaign to inoculate all adults for free after weeks of criticism that a chaotic roll-out had worsened a second wave that killed hundreds of thousands. Over the past 30 days India has administered an average 2.7 million doses a day.

Brazil passes half a million Covid-19 deaths 

Brazil's death toll from Covid-19 has surpassed 500,000 as experts warn that the world's second-deadliest outbreak may worsen due to delayed vaccinations and the government's refusal to back physical distancing measures. Only 11% of Brazilians have been fully vaccinated. Thousands of Brazilians protested against President Jair Bolsonaro's management of the pandemic in nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, blaming the administration for the high death toll.

***

Expect the Unexpected From the Delta Variant. There’s no way of knowing how bad things will get in the U.S. In a way, that’s a luxury.

This much is clear: The coronavirus is becoming more transmissible. Ever since the virus emerged in China, it has been gaining mutations that help it spread more easily among humans. The Alpha variant, first detected in the United Kingdom last year, is 50 percent more transmissible than the original version, and now the Delta variant, first detected in India, is at least 40 percent more transmissible than Alpha.

Read more >> 

***

In hunt for Covid’s origin, new studies point away from lab leak theory

***

The Lincoln Project: 

The Mission  (1:14 mins)
Juneteenth  (1:24 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Oceana: Amazon (AMZN) plastic problem set to skyrocket with Prime Day booming sales.

Anne Schroeer, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Oceana, issued the following statement calling on the major online retailer to reduce single-use plastic packaging and give customers a plastic-free packaging choice. “As Prime Day and Amazon continue to grow, so too does the company’s devastating impact on the environment. In December 2020, Oceana exposed Amazon’s massive plastic footprint, which amounted to an estimated 465 million pounds of plastic packaging in 2019. Our research estimates that, in 2019 alone, up to 22.44 million pounds of Amazon’s plastic packaging waste polluted the world’s freshwater and marine ecosystems where it can wreak havoc on marine life – that’s the equivalent of dumping a delivery van payload of plastic into the ocean every 70 minutes.

Read more >> 
Learn more about Oceana.org >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I’ve completed my 2-part Pfizer vax program and, while I didn’t win the million dollar prize, California’s vaccine incentive program  will deliver me some sort of runner-up reward, perhaps $50 or a trip to Disneyland, or some other place.
(The million-dollar lotteries is having trouble lining people up.)
I expected my second Pfizer jab to hit me harder than the first, but other than the site of the second jab requiring an ice pack for several hours, it was easy peasy. 

If you haven’t already, and your country is vaccinating, I recommend it.

***

I avoided the Delta and houseboat living for the duration of last week’s soaring temperatures (up to 111 degrees Fahrenheit last Thursday). Temps have been in the balmy upper 80s and low 90s since then. (They start to rise again this weekend, into the high 90s and low 100s.)
I mentioned to a friend that I’m beginning to recognize the reality of climate refugeeism. She thought I was joking. Not so. Decisions I’ve made in my life have me opting for simple: simple living, modest income, creativity, and independence. The upside downside: living in a houseboat suits me, living on the San Joaquin River is a gift. Alas, climate change in California means increasing drought, increasing heat, increasing heat waves. Lack of environmental protections means increasingly foul, even toxic water, air, and land.
That’s the future.
Am I sorry I’m pursuing this "lifestyle”?
Alarmed, perhaps. Sorry? No. 

The moon, after all, is full and bright tonight. Canada geese have been visiting the river the last few days. 

Life is good.

Delights

Numbers this week compared to numbers last week (Thursday, June 10):
Worldwide (Map) 
June 17, 2021 – 1.77,120,700 confirmed infections; 3,835,000 deaths
June 10, 2021 – 174,500,000 confirmed infections; 3,759,200 deaths

US (Map) 
June 17, 2021 – 33,500,000 confirmed infections; 600,700 deaths
June 10, 2021 – 33,415,000 confirmed infections; 598,400 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 17, 2021 – 1.774,500 confirmed infections; 58,225 deaths
June 10, 2021 – 1,713,000 confirmed infections; 57,320 deaths
South Africa’s Covid-19 infections jumped by 13,246 on Wednesday, the highest daily total in five months, its government said.

Countries of Covid Concern – 2021
India: Update according to WHO >> 
June 17, 129,700,350 confirmed infections; 382,000 deaths
June 11: 29,183,000 confirmed infections; 356,000 deaths
Brazil:
June 17, 628,600 confirmed infections; 493,700 deaths
June 11, 2021: 17,123,000 confirmed infections; 480,000 deaths
Brazil has had 95,367 new cases of coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours and 2,997 deaths, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, the South American country has now registered 17,628,588 cases since the pandemic began while the official death toll has risen to 493,693.

Post from one pandemic year ago: “He Speaks!” 

News blues

California lifts most COVID-19 restrictions 

“California has turned the page. Let us all celebrate this remarkable milestone,” an exuberant and mask-less Governor Newsom declared from an outdoor stage at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he hosted a game show-style selection of 10 residents to receive $1.5 million apiece, just for getting vaccinated. “Today is a day to reconnect with strangers, loved ones, family members. Give people hugs.”

Hmmm, I guess I didn’t win anything “just for getting vaccinated.” (I go for my second dose of Pfizer on Sunday June 20.)

***

Covid-19 cases have fallen far below the winter peak, but in the US the Delta variant has roughly doubled every two weeks 

The Delta variant is spreading at an uncertain time in the US. Covid-19 cases have fallen far below the winter peak, from an average of more than 250,000 new diagnoses a day in January to about 14,000 a day in June. Fewer cases have coincided with fewer hospitalizations and deaths.
This has led state after state to lift all social distancing guidelines, including in California, which gave the green light to large indoor gatherings such as sporting events. Now, social distancing and mask requirements are largely operating on the honor system.
But, even as pandemic guidelines recede, Delta has roughly doubled every two weeks in the US, a pattern once followed by Alpha, the variant first discovered in the UK, which eventually came to represent the vast majority of new US infections. The Delta variant has also delayed the UK’s planned reopening.

***

The Lincoln Project: How Trump gets back to the White House  (1:02 mins)
Doonesbury at 50! An interview with the cartoonist 

Healthy planet, anyone?

Roughly 50 million people across the Western U.S. are under some form of heat-related alert from the National Weather Service, which predicted record-setting heat this week just about everywhere west of the Rocky Mountains. 

Scientists who study drought and climate change say that people living in the American West can expect to see more of the same [sorts of heat waves] in the coming years.
“Heat waves are getting worse in the West because the soil is so dry” from the region's megadrought, said Park Williams, a climate and fire scientist who has calculated that soil in the western half of the nation is the driest it has been since 1895. “We could have two, three, four, five of these heat waves before the end of the summer.” 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

After 1.5 years of pandemic in South Africa, I’ve been in California for 19 days, most of which have been under quarantine and “isolated” on my houseboat in the Delta. I do not own a television. I have not owned a TV for 2 decades although Donald Trump’s run for president, shocking victory, and disastrous incumbency in the White House turned me into a TV news junkie. Back then, I could hardly wait to plop on a sofa and catch up with The Trumpster.
Pandemic in South Africa coupled with the lack of TV coverage of US news meant I watched news clips on YouTube. Fast forward to this heatwave and sheltering with air con and a large TV in a friend’s apartment. Since I’ve been here – two days – I’ve returned to his sofa to catch up on early evening TV new. Main takeaway: why on earth do Americans put up with so many commercials? Groups of commercials – 5 or 6, many advertising big pharma - run every 10 minutes or so. Cable news is about 40 percent commercials. Un-f**ing-believable. Nevertheless, it is good to watch the news again.

***

Until my 2020 departure for South Africa, I regularly accompanied my friend for a late afternoon walk in his neighborhood. Yesterday, despite the late afternoon swelter, we walked the usual route. Changes since I’d been gone: a new library under construction, taller trees spreading, oak saplings planted, the stream already dry, my fav fig tree not producing figs this year, tasty small plums from my fav wild plum tree already harvested.
I miss walking. The drawback to living on a houseboat in the Delta? No safe areas to walk. While the heatwave rages and I’m hunkered down with air con by day, I’ll do what I did this morning: arise and walk the neighborhood in the early morning – cool, delightful – and late afternoon – warm, delightful….

Alerts and advisories

News blues

South Africa’s President Ramaphosa addressed that nation and upped that country' Covid Alert Level, from 2 to 3. As of today, “action will be taken” against those not complying with restrictions that include:
   Curfew from 10 pm to 4am
   Restaurants and “non-essential business” must close by 9pm to allow travel home.
   Funerals and cremations max 50 people or, for small venues, 50% of space capacity
   Max 50 indoors, 100 outdoors
   Alcohol retail sales from 10am to 6pm, Monday through Thursday; no consumption in public or on public holidays
   Officials are closely monitoring data and expertise to save lives. Going forward:
   Masks must cover nose and mouth (criminal offense not to do so
   Social distancing must be practiced.
   People must take action to protect themselves and others.
   Vax program: shortages, hindrances, supplies reduced, but 500 sites currently operating. Aim for 250,000 vaccinations per day
President ended with:  “We’ll not be deterred. We will succeed. We are people made of sterner stuff: succeed we will and succeed we must.”
Listen and watch (24:10 mind)

***

South Africa’s Covid Dashboard (Updated 11:30, 14 June 2021):
Confirmed Cases: 1 747 082
Confirmed Deaths: 57 765
Confirmed Recoveries: 1 606 581
Vaccines Administered: 1 773 417

***

Delta, a scary new variant of the coronavirus, is spreading both stateside and abroad. The good news: In the matchup between vaccines and variants, the vaccines remain ahead for now.
To help you better understand what Delta means for you, and for the global fight against the coronavirus, review the answers to six quick questions. 

***

COVID infections drop where people are vaccinated, rise where they’re not As recently as June 4, US states with higher vaccination rates did not have significantly lower case rates than states where few people were vaccinated. 

Read more >> 

***

The Lincoln Project: Celebrate  (0:43 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Hits Record High Despite Pandemic Dip

***

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Since last week, the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories that include warnings about “excessive heat” with temps varying from 104F to 111F/ 40C to 44C – hot in any measurement.
The 104F temperature I endured soon after I returned to my boat knocked me out. I’ve no reason to expect several days of further excessive heat will be easier so I plan to skedaddle to more temperate climes. Weather in the “inner Bay” – Alameda, Oakland, San Francisco is predicted to run 25 to 30 degrees (F) cooler. 

***

After 14 days of alternatives, I adopted the “nuclear option” for plugging the plumbing problem under the boat: a putty and tape combo replete with warnings of toxicity, mandatory use of gloves, etc. I consider applying toxic materials, particularly near river water, a last resort. But it worked: after 14 days with no running water into the boat and many attempts to plug the pipe – one attempt included fish biting me on the butt, twice! – I succeeded in plugging the pipe.
I’ve have running water for more than 24 hours. Luxury!
I inspected the area today and it looks solid.
Over the past 14 days, I frequently thought of fellow South Africans who must carry empty utensils, buckets, etc., to fill at a communal “tap” (faucet) then schlepp that heavy load home. Onerous. A crying shame in a country whose leaders, 26 years ago, promised people decent homes, running water, etc. Instead, corruption reigns.
More corruption: Over the past two weeks, Eskom, the national power supply commission, subjected the nation’s people to more load shedding … and increased the cost of the minimal electricity they did supply.
Eskom’s bill for my mother’s house doubled. This, for only two people drawing electricity – lights only, no electric hot water heaters, no electric stoves, sitting around a fireplace at night.

***

What is remarkable in the marina: no Covid cases and very little mask compliance. Perhaps its the outdoor lifestyle? 

What price success?

News blues

Southern Africa is in its third wave of Covid-19 thought to be partly associated with the emergence of more transmissible variants.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least a dozen countries have so far confirmed the presence of the variant now named the Delta variant - first detected in India late last year. These countries include Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This third wave is further straining an overwhelmed health system and further complicating the painfully slow progress being made with vaccinations. 

***

Experts say that understanding how the virus first leapt from animals to humans is essential to preventing future pandemics. Even as we still don’t know the origins of the coronavirus, explore four possible origin scenarios >> 

***

The Lincoln Project: The Real Antifa  (1:05 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

‘We’re causing our own misery’: oceanographer Sylvia Earle on the need for sea conservation 

The world has the opportunity in the next 10 years to restore our oceans to health after decades of steep decline – but to achieve that, people must wake up to the problem, join in efforts to protect marine areas… oh, to stop eating tuna….

***

In the business-as-usual scenario emissions from food production alone could use up all of our 1.5°C or 2°C carbon budget. We have a range of opportunities to avoid this. But will we?

One-quarter to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from our food systems and from various sources: deforestation and land use change; emissions from fertilizers and manure; methane from cattle; methane from rice production; energy use on the farm; supply chain emissions from food processing, refrigeration; and transport. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Is today the day for shore water running through the houseboat’s faucets? Will yesterday’s foray under the boat to patch a redundant pipe succeed where half a dozen earlier forays failed?
Almost afraid to test the holding power of my latest effort, I’m contemplating yet another trip down there, this time to adhere another layer of material around the fix – just in case yesterday’s fix didn’t fix. It’s been 11 days of DIY. If this attempt fails, I’ll capitulate and hire someone to fix it.

***

This floating island of invasives is, so far this year, the largest to drift back and forth on river tides. 

I think of these floating entities as organic distribution centers for alien invasives into the Delta.
The crews whose job it is to discourage invasive plants unfortunately wait until late summer and then, instead of capturing the floating islands, indiscriminately spray all river plants – therefore birds, animals, and fish - with toxic pesticides.  By the end of summer, river banks and islands are brown, curled, and uniformly dead.
The good news? Concerned anglers discovered and photographed scores of dead fish and wildlife in many parts of the Delta, including Sandmound Slough in Bethel Island, Rock Slough near Knightsen (where my boat is moored and where I swim) and Horseshoe Bend in Brentwood.

…it wasn't just what [anglers] saw, it's what they say they smelled on the Delta too.
"It smells almost like an over-chlorinated swimming pool,’’ said a long-time competitive bass fisherman. Chlorine was so strong it made fishermen’s eyes water and their throats burn.
The indiscriminate die-off problem became so acute that thousands of people, including fishermen, boaters, swimmers and those who live along the Delta, banded together to form and support the Norcal Delta Angler's Coalition. The group shares information about the die-offs and keeps tabs on the California State Parks Department of Boating and Waterways to monitor pesticide use on the Delta.
Learn more and get involved  >>

Ironically, yesterday I met a couple seeking a spot easily to harvest and carry home invasive hyacinth for their backyard fishpond. Hyacinths are pretty. Indeed, in South Africa, I too have transplanted water hyacinth from waterways into a small fishpond in my mother’s garden. I was, however, careful to isolate them in a pond far from the stream to ensure the plants couldn’t “escape” and replicate willy nilly.
Native to the northern neotropics of South America, water hyacinth has successfully colonized North and South America, eastern and southern Africa, and Asia.

Renewings

Worldwide (Map) 
June 10, 2021 – 174,500,000 confirmed infections; 3,759,200 deaths
March 11, 2021 – 117, 645,000 confirmed infections; 2,612,000 deaths

US (Map) 
June 10, 2021 – 33,415,000 confirmed infections; 598,400 deaths
March 11, 2021 - 29,222,420 confirmed infections; 529,884 deaths

SA (Coronavirus portal) 
June 10, 2021 – 1,713,000 confirmed infections; 57,320 deaths
March 11, 2021 – 1.522,700 confirmed infections; 50,910 deaths

Countries of Covid Concern 
June 10, 2021

India: 29,183,000 confirmed infections; 356,000 deaths
Brazil: 17,123,000 confirmed infections; 480,000 deaths
Peru: Why has Peru been hit so badly? 

Posted June 10, 2020: Embers, ashes, and flames 

News blues

Delta Variant On The Rise In U.S., Prompting New Warnings To Get COVID-19 Vaccination 

***

How the ‘Alpha’ Coronavirus Variant Became So Powerful:  A new study suggests how the variant first identified in Britain hides from the human immune system. Its stealth may be part of its success.

***

‘Sniper attack’: Inside the Western Cape trial of a potentially variant-proof vaccine

An experimental Covid-19 vaccine currently in Phase I trials run by the University of Cape Town has a unique design that might offer better protection against current and future variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. An update on the trial  and unpacking the science behind this vaccine candidate.

***

The Lincoln Project: The Line  (0:55 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

The Western Drought Is Bad. Here’s What You Should Know About It   >>

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Quarantine. So far, so good. Mandatory stay-at-home means no guilt about not looking for short work contracts, instead working on the houseboat. Yesterday I cleaned and painted the metalwork on the stern. I also tried to pump out water collected near the outboard motor (I’m unfamiliar with the boaty technical terms for boat parts). And I was frustrated yet again in efforts to seal the 18-inch redundant semi-rigid plastic hosepipe that will allow shore water to run through my faucets.
Eleven days of scooping water from the river to wash dishes, clean the boat, etc. I’ve lagged on exploring the ultimate fix due to cooler temperatures – immersion in colder deep water under the boat - waiting for low tides, general ineptitude about how to plug the hose, and an abundance of scoopable water. Next time I will succeed.

***

Best boat news? Renewed communication with the two women from whom I purchased the boat results in renewed offer from them to teach me how to pilot the darn thing. They’re moved on to a larger, fancier pontoon houseboat yet have offered to help me get a handle on that aspect. Looking forward.

Launching

News blues

Third wave sweeps across Africa as Covid vaccine imports dry upWHO says continent urgently needs more jabs as eight countries report rise of 30% in cases in a week 

***

The Lincoln Project, Trump's North Carolina Speech In 70 Seconds  (1:02 mins)

Healthy planet, anyone?

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

…is a land of stunning open spaces fed by five major rivers. A maze of creeks and sloughs spreads finger-like through some of California’s most important habitat, especially for Chinook salmon and Greater Sandhill Cranes. It also contains over 500,000 acres of prime farmland devoted to diversified agriculture. The Delta is home to a $5.2 billion agricultural economy and to a fishing, boating, and recreation economy worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The Delta’s cultural diversity and rich historical legacy add vibrancy to regional tourism.
Fisheries, agriculture, and people within the region and throughout the state are dependent on the Delta’s fresh water supply. Although other factors affect Delta water quality, water management policies that help to maintain flows of fresh water into and through the Delta are of great environmental and economic importance to all Californians.

But…

“The San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary is on the brink of environmental disaster. The fish, wildlife, drinking water, and the many other uses it provides are all declining due to massive water exports. Currently, the State allows more than half the water needed for the delta’s ecological health to be diverted away for unsustainable Big Agriculture on the west and south San Joaquin Valley.” – Restore the Delta 

Learn more about the Delta >> 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Quarantine has its upsides. Combined with jetlag, cultural reentry, and the houseboat “lifestyle”, quarantine is a godsend. Without quarantine, I’d likely be working a short-term office gig to generate income lost over the past two years. Instead, I’ve decided not to pay exorbitant professional fees to haul out and clean the pontoons. They’re in decent-enough shape – for now – so I’ll clean off algae, patch what I can, and regularly maintain them. I’ll also slowly repaint the boat’s exterior. Most of all, though, I’ll realistically evaluate the likelihood I can competently pilot this houseboat. It’s big and unwieldy. I’m small and inexperienced. The nature of the San Joaquin River and the Sacramento Delta are to be respected rather than trivialized by my potentially unrealistic ‘can-do’ attitude.

In the shade provided by the houseboat’s bow deck, I unfolded the used/recycled Sea Eagle inflatable I’d purchased two years ago. 

Worried that storage may have damaged it, I followed assembly directions provided on YouTube, I semi-inflated it (using a foot pump), installed the rigid flooring, and fully inflated it. After that, I attempted to launch, solo, the bulky, heavy, unwieldy craft over the bow. Eventually, panting, grumpy, with aching muscles, I prevailed. No perceptible damage from long storage, the inflatable shelters in the space provided by pontoons under the houseboat. Egged on by determination and a stubborn attitude - “by god, I can do this” - I accomplished something almost impossible. Another reason for enjoying the houseboat “lifestyle”: surprised by my heretofore unexplored potential. (Maybe I should run for president?)

***

In KwaZulu Natal:
Sunrise: 6:49am, sunset 5:07pm;
daytime high 64 F, nighttime low 41 F

 

In California:
Sunrise 5:43am, sunset 8:28pm;
windy and chilly with daytime high 74 F and nighttime low 51 F.

Faceblocked

A reminder that that desperate-for-attention old guy, The Donald, is still desperate.

Ah, all that “Donald stuff” mercifully feels so far away.

These days, blue herons inhabit my life and imagination. Pic taken soon after sunrise.

News blues

More crazy, only-in-America bribes for vax. This time, get the vax, win a shotgun…. 

***

More than 225 000 senior citizens have so far received their Covid-19 vaccine shots in KwaZulu-Natal. (This includes my mother. ) 

Healthy planet, anyone?

The argument for a carbon price? We are paying a price for fossil fuels, but that price is not paid by those that burn the fossil fuels – we need to change that. 

It is a mistake to believe that we are not paying for emitting greenhouse gases. Even if we do not pay a monetary price for carbon emissions we do pay a very large price, the consequences of climate change.
Without a monetary carbon price it is those who have the smallest emissions that suffer the largest costs from climate change. A carbon price, in contrast, means that those who cause the emissions also pay for them.
A key reason why voters are not in favour of carbon pricing is that many believe it won’t actually reduce emissions, but empirical research and theory show that this is wrong: pricing carbon emissions – either via a carbon tax or a ‘cap and trade’-system – is effective. It shifts production and consumption from carbon-intensive goods and services to low-carbon alternatives and does reduce emissions.

***

Jane Goodall: If We Don’t Make Peace With Nature, Expect More Deadly Pandemics. The famed primatologist spent the quarantine broadcasting to the world about the threat of climate change, zoonotic disease and biodiversity loss. 

“…this pandemic has emphasized [the need to] develop a new relationship with the natural world and animals. If we don’t somehow get together and create a more sustainable greener economy and forget this nonsense that there can be unlimited economic development on a planet with finite resources, and that the GDP isn’t God’s answer to the future, then it’s going to be a very sad world that we leave to our great-great-grandchildren. Their children may have no planet left.”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I sit in my berth and enjoy the sounds – birds chirping as they flit thither and yon – and the gentle rays of sunlight stoking the water, and reeds, and river vegetation, and the blue heron on its lookout, shown above.
Despite the uncertainty about my houseboat’s current state of maintenance and evaluating how much to invest in this aging entity, I can’t think of anywhere Id rather be than aboard. Perfection: rocking gently in a boat on a river home to birds, otters, wildlife….
Not that things are, well, ship shape.
My current slip neighbor (before he was slip neighbor could have become a quasi-friend/acquaintance) plays high volume hip hop music… and reggae. Reggae? These days, the beat quickly becomes tedious. It’s contextualized, however, by the non-unpleasant wafts of pot/dagga emanating from his houseboat.
Hip hop? Not for me…to the extent that I may accept the harbor master’s invitation to move my houseboat to the “new dock”. The downside? That dock hosts The Trumpie family and their houseboat flies a Trump 2024 flag.
My Sophie’s choice? Hip hop lyrics or Trumpie conspiracy agit-prop.
More examples of not-ship-shape:
The lack of running water moved from mysterious to solve-able problem. It’s tedious and time consuming to solve although also appeals to my sense of rising to a challenging.
Backstory:
This boat hosts a water storage tank, but like the onboard wiring, it’s disconnected. Electricity and non-potable water are supplied directly from the dock. Usually, water transports via hosepipe onto the boat and through faucets in sinks in galley (kitchen) and head (toilet). After moving in last week, I’ve not had running water, instead drinking only bottled water and hauling buckets of non-potable water over the deck from the river.
Yesterday, Nate, recently met boat expert, advised I inspect the boat’s under-carriage for the root of the lack-of-water problem.
That 3-foot-high space under the boat formed by the shape of the two pontoons is my least favorite part of the boat. Naturally, that’s the location of the rusted metal stopper that had crumbled on a residual section of redundant underwater hose. Dockside hosepipe water flowed straight into river water.
The difficulty: the water under the boat is deep and requires constantly kicking to stay afloat.
Aside from my presence panicking cliff swallows as they nest under the boat, working alone under the boat is creepy. I imagine underwater monsters, or freshwater sharks, or hungry seals grabbing me…. I’d disappear, poof! But… best not to dwell….
Solving the water leakage problem requires swimming, climbing onto/off the boat, switching on/off the dockside faucet…and much kicking, kicking, kicking to stay afloat while attempting to plug the hose.
My onboard toolbox is limited. Luckily, during a recent trip to the hardware store, I’d picked up a metal screw-to-tighten gasket. That, carried in a small bag along with a perfectly proportioned cork from a bottle of wine, and a screwdriver, I kicked, kicked, kicked in the deep water. I inserted the cork into the redundant hosepipe and screwed down the gasket.
First try: water ran through the galley and head sink faucets – then abruptly stopped. Re-entering and kicking, kicking, kicking in deep water under the boat, I discovered the water pressure had blown out the cork from the hosepipe. Luckily corks float.
I hauled out, walked to the dock, turned off the water, then reviewed the toolbox for appropriate hardware. Finding nothing suitable, I cut the cork in half, and, re-immersed to kick, kick, kick under the boat, I inserted the half-cork and prepared to tighten the gasket with the screwdriver. Alas, I dropped the gasket. It’s down there, somewhere in deep water – perhaps entertaining underwater monsters, freshwater sharks, and hungry seals.
The upshot? Still no running water. Deep gouges on my index finger knuckle from the screwdriver banging the cork into the hosepipe. Tired legs from kicking, kicking, kicking…
As we say in ye olde country: tomorrow is another day.
Moreover, I’ve a sore throat and the sniffles. I must find a location offering free Covid tests.
The good news?
Nate found the outboard motor works better than it looks. Hooking up the new battery I’d purchased in August 2019 but never used, the motor started right up and Nate lubricated it with my newly purchased WD 40. He also advised on gasoline and additives required for the 2-stroke motor, and advised on constructing the Sea Eagle inflatable before I spend money on fixing the smaller outboard motor. Most importantly, he suggested the steel pontoons may not require immediate – and expensive – haul-out and maintenance at a boatyard. That’s a savings of around $2,000 /ZAR 27,000.
Most exciting, Nate will spend a couple of hours teaching me and my daughter to pilot the boat. Yay!