Hello you dear Paddlewisenheimers again - and happy New Year! Spent five weeks working in UK and after checking mail last week found out that there has been some really interesting threads going - surely sorry to have missed them... First, a comment about the weather topic, even if I might be flogging a dead horse: the National Broadcasting Company here gives the sea weather forecast five times per day, beginning at 5.50 am. Forecast includes detailed list of local reports from stations and lighthouses along the Finnish coastline - unfortunately the reports are about an hour old. Checking them frequently, making personal observations - and having the possibility to order local forecasts and reports as text messages to your mobile phone (or to make a quick call directly to meteorologists) gives a fairly good impression about what is going on (the networks are really impressive here and practically covering the whole coast). Getting the big picture can be really interesting fun, as Barbara and Dave to my opinion were telling - and following it gives one more respect towards the mother nature. We need it if we are seriously planning to go out there. Now, I did find a most entertaining and informative book about Thule (NW Greenland), its people and history from a second-hand bookshop in Newcastle. Unfortunately, it is not really about kayaking, but it gives a really living and colourful picture about living in Greenland in the fifties and the changes which the U.S. air base brought to the whole culture of Thule (500 inhabitants around 50s if I recall correctly). The French writer, then a geologist, stayed there the winter of 1950-51 and has returned few times ever since. Part of his trip was an expedition of 1000 miles to Inglefield Land, Washington Land and to Ellesmere Island using dog sledges. As a scientist, Malaurie gives detailed information and observes everything with warm curiosity most of the time, as staying also reasonably modest. Malaurie gives also detailed information about food. There are some receipes, as for an example rotting 100 to 250 guillemots inside seal skins for months and eating it raw might interest especially dear old Dr. Inverbon, who is as we all know, a highly advanced eskimologist and gourmet... Published in the 80s I suppose it can be out of print, but it could be found from some libraries, I hope: "The Last Kings of Thule" by Jean Malaurie, Jonathan Cape Ltd. London1982 (ISBN 0-224-02028-5). If anyone is familiar with the book and willing to exchange comments about it, please, dont hesitate to mail me directly! Cheers, Cheers, Ari Saarto "Home of the Traditional & Famous Scandinavian Skinny-dipping [TM]" Finland - Europe GSM +358 - 50 - 526 5892 fax. +358 - 3 - 828 2815 e-mail: asaarto_at_lpt.fi *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Jan 11 1999 - 01:52:23 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:03 PDT