C-Dory Featured in Upcoming Book

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I thought that the C-Brats community might be interested to hear that my old 22' C-Dory, C-Sick, is featured in the upcoming book: Arctic Solitaire: A Boat, A Bay and the Quest for the Perfect Bear.

https://www.arcticsolitaire.com
https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Solitaire ... 1680511041

Published by Mountaineers Books, it tells the story of four years worth of solo polar bear expeditions to the arctic ice of Hudson Bay. It’s a humorous look at all that goes into making polar bear pictures the hard way. No crew, no guides and no National Geographic expense money. Just a guy, a boat and a willingness to do almost anything for a photograph.

I trailered the boat from Seattle nearly 2,000 miles to the end of the road in Gillam, Manitoba, then backed her into the Nelson River. From there, it was 75 miles to Hudson Bay. I hung a left at the river’s mouth and headed north. It was a couple hundred miles to Churchill and then north toward the Arctic Circle, nearly six hundred miles as the crow flies. Once there, I motored along the edge of the melting summer ice and searching for polar bears.

I hope this post isn't not too much of a shameless promotion, but I do imagine that folks would enjoy reading about the adventures and mishaps that followed.
 
Certainly sounds like a grand adventure--thanks for sharing it! No "shameless promotion" That type of adventure deserves all of the promotion you can give it! Book pre- ordered. The perfect evening read on our Cumberland, Tennessee River trip!
 
Ordered.

Looks great, and well written.

I feel like I read a blurb of yours elsewhere. I vaguely remember your description of the guy you bought the boat from, and a even vaguer memory of a clever description of your boat....
 
My Gawd! Paul, that is just unimaginable to this San Jauning island-hopper, playing it safe in a familiar arena with fuel, food, friends, docks, and river otters instead of polar bears. Man, I gotta get that book, and meet you one of these days. I got some questions.
 
Paul; I’m a prof at the UW in Env. Science and my director was asking about seminar possibilities for our fall seminar series. Would you be able/willing to talk about this to our faculty and students on a Wednesday this Fall quarter for our seminar series? You can certainly promote your book, heck sell copies if you want to. Rob Harrison
 
I haven't read it or anything so I can't say yet, but I just hope that this book is more about C-Dorys and a boating adventure than the last one that "featured" a C-Dory.

The polar bear saga will be an added bonus.
 
Paul, Fabulous photography, and interesting reading
(at least on the blog --

"Instead, I had to take my medicine. Motoring offshore, I beat into the waves to get some distance from the shallows, and waited out the night. I even managed to shut my eyes in a sort of half-sleep for an hour before the wind carried me back toward the rocks. Around five the western sky cleared for a moment, revealing the setting full moon, but the seas remained angry. I took one look at the breakers at the narrow cove entrance and turned the boat to continue south. I hoped to stop at Hubbart Point halfway there, but at low tide I found no shelter from the seas, just rising wind and a bad feeling that the door was swinging closed.

I never would have gone out in 25 knots if I had a choice in the matter, but the hard facts of my situation told me go now or spend another night out on the water. So I went, motoring a straight line course southeast toward Churchill. The Bay gave me passage, but only just. I rode over 12-foot breaking swells that dumped huge showers of water onto the boat. With both bilge pumps shot and only one engine running (badly), I felt like I was hanging by a thread that was fraying before my eyes."

The photos are exquisite, and I would imagine the book is as well. Haven't gotten to that part yet, but you have a very special eye, and incredible guts. there are enough photos top assure me that they are done from a CD-22 and those (in some cases) animals are WAY TOO CLOSE. What an adventure, and you have plenty to toot your own horn about.

Thank you for sharing and welcome to the C-BRATS. Do hope you stick around and don't be a stranger here.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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After looking around at your website, and the blogs, and all the photos I am thoroughly impressed with your talent for photography, and getting into the right places at the right times. That translates to spectacular photos. The Blogs are very well written, so there is more than just a photographic eye there. I will enjoy the book for sure, and it will be worth sharing the source.

Thank you again for sharing the info about your book. Looking forward to it.

Hope to see C-Sick around locally some time as well.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

0_CD_Cover_SlpyC_with_Classics_MBSP_2009_288.thumb.jpg
 
I'm a little chagrined to admit that I sold C-Sick last spring. I own not one, but two sailboats now. I swore to God and my wife, not necessarily in that order, if I made it home from Hudson Bay in one piece, I'd never go to sea without a heavy keel under me.

I spent a couple years slowly re-fitting a 43-foot steel motorsailer in Nova Scotia that I took north last summer. Made it across to Newfoundland and then up the coast of Labrador, nearly all the way to the northern tip, before a leaking stuffing box turned me around.

There's also a Gulf 32 pilothouse sailboat here in Seattle that I bought on the cheap, since it had a foot of water over the sole. Dried her out, bought some new sails and took her north to SE Alaska this summer.

But, sadly, there's no C-Dory in my life at the moment.
 
You are forgiven by Neptune, since you choose good voyaging sailboats!

Talk about guts!: (I believe this is copyrighted by Paul/Barcroft Media)
As in Telegraph:

photographer_1910192i.jpg

CRWordFoto Aura Photos Solent--as in DailyMail:


2D524E7800000578-0-image-a-20_1444647921922.jpg

Those alone should be enough to encourage every C Dory owner to buy the book and every yacht club or adventure travel in the world to book Paul!

link to portfolio

Link to facebook
 
I see that you used drones in you work a lot. How did they do in the cold? Which ones do you have?

If you do give a speech at the UW. Can I go?? Wife works there and I know she can get in to any talks. Might have to sneak in.
 
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