I
can't control the wind but I can adjust the sail.
Ricky
Skaggs
Lately,
I’ve been a bit busy in Second Life (SL).
What with
chasing after hobbits,
strolling the boulevards of Weimar
Berlin, and riding dragons
among other things, I’ve had a lot on my plate.
My good
friend and research assistant (RA), Tera Trenchcoat,
has not been slacking off while I’ve been working hard to bring SL to you, my
loyal readers. (Both of you!)
You may
recall that Tera helps me find subjects to blog about, raises a skeptical eye
brow on new story ideas, and accompanies me on some of my misadventures. She does all of this out of a sense of
adventure, curiosity about what lies over the next hill, and the spirit of a
true virtual explorer. Tera also works
for no pay. A point which she reminds me of whenever she feels my ideas are a
little too crazy. (Significant Other is
convinced Tera’s a psych graduate student who believes she’s fallen into a
goldmine of a subject for her dissertation on abnormal psychology.)
After I
rezzed inworld the other day, Tera reached out to me all excited about her latest
SL hobby. (Yes, Tera’s wise not enough
not to sit around waiting for me.)
Tera had discovered sailing.
Yes, the kind with a boat,
in water, with lots of sailcloth, and wind.
Apparently, despite the
difficulty involved and the risk, she spilled over a couple of times, Tera is
enamored with her new interest. I’ve
never seen her quite like this before.
Hence, when Tera recommends
this as a potential subject for future stories whom am I to say no? She’s got very good instincts for
stories. Tera found DaVinci Gardens
which has been the basis for several successful posts. (Also, remember what I said earlier about being
willing to work for nothing. That gives
her a lot of clout in our editorial discussions.)
I was hooked. There was going to about sailing in SL and
the sim that Tera had discovered that is presently her favorite hangout which
captivated my interest.
Now, since Tera and I can’t
always manage to be on at the same time, I decide to head out on my own to see
what’s gotten her so excited.
I arrive at the landing zone
in Sailor’s Cove East, SpoonDrift,
the coordinates given to me by Tera.
Around me is a scene
reminiscent of the seacoast of the American South. I’m in a marina with a small clapboard office
standing near me. It is weathered and
it’s blue paint has seen better days. An
ample meal is laid out on a nearby picnic table.
The sky is blue and, except
for music, all is quiet. Butterflies
float in the air. (This is
important. Significant Other loves
butterflies and believes anyplace with them can’t be bad.) No one is around as is typical for many sims
these days. (I won’t go into Significant
Other’s theory that maybe they knew I was coming.) Except for a small plane flying overhead, I
appear to be all alone.
Around the side of the
office is a teleport board with links to twelve different locations across
SpoonDrift. (There appears to be a
connection to my old friends at Second Norway which I need to check out. SL does seem to be getting smaller or maybe I’m
spending too much time inworld!)
My location is a small
island with dock and piers going off in multiple directions some connecting to
other small islands. In the surrounding
waters I spot other islands some with buildings and boats moored at them.
Where I am, a small flotilla
of boats appear to be tied up. Most are
sail boats but some motor boats can be seen.
There are many varieties of differing sizes within each category. They are flagged with many nations’
colors. I see German, Australian,
British, and American. Dutch and French
are visible as well. (Yes, Lisah, I can
tell the two apart!) This being SL, some
seem to have created their own national colors.
(Either that, or I’m more out of touch with current events than I
thought.)
Apparently, boats can be
bought and customized. Since this visit
is only meant to be brief, I don’t have the time to fully investigate. So, I’m not sure how everything works and I’d
like to avoid being accused of piracy.
(Not sure Tera knows how to post bail inworld yet. I’d better check on that.)
I take my leave but not
before deciding that Tera’s right.
(She’ll ask why I even had to think about it.) SpoonDrift is an incredible sim for those of
a nautical bent. There are many islands
to investigate and Tera, who seems to know of these matters from Real Life
(RL), vouches for the realism of the sailing experience.
I’ll return to SpoonDrift
with Tera and we’ll report back on the sailing and the various sites. Please check back for our adventures!
I’ve
included links to pictures from my visit but these don’t do any justice at all. Go and see for yourselves. You’ll be glad you did!
I’d like
to thank Tera for finding SpoonDrift and urging me to visit. I’m also grateful for her informing of the
dress code. I was properly attired!
As always, I’m grateful to
all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who
was passing through their lives.
I welcome feedback from
readers, please either comment on my blog or
e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com
.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
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