[Paddlewise] "Below the Convergence"

Well, I have been stockpiling paperbacks to take with us next month for a
long paddle on the  central Canadian Arctic Coast. AND, have down a fine job
of keeping them closed (not reading them beforehand.)

The book "Below the Convergence...Voyages Toward Antarctica 1699-1839" by
Alan Gurney   ( Penguin Books 1997) proved irresistible however. So here I
am, half way through the book, regaling my wife with "you gotta read this".
Any one who has even a passing acquaintance with the novels of Patrick
O'Brien, will find this work of non-fiction  impossible to stop reading.
Mostly it deals with the British attempts at discovering the Southern
Landmass in the 18th Century ...but it contains a wealth of historical
information dealing with everything from the struggle to develop a system to
determine Longitude at sea, to anti-scurvy methods prior to the discovery of
vitamins. It deal with cartography, maritime biology, personalities ( Edward
Halley, James Cook, Weddell, and others). It is without a doubt the best
book I have read in the last 3 years...I regret NOT saving this book for
some anxious day storm bound on Bathurst Inlet,sitting in our tent, cursing
"rotten luck and foul weather".

Possible relevance to Paddlewisers?... uh.. saltwater, adventure, and  an
appreciation of "common sense" before it became so "common".  It is
difficult (for me at least) to appreciate exactly how much I take for
granted....and how hard won even the most basic knowledge (like the creation
of accurate maps) must have been.

One of my favorite lines in the book is a quote: (Paraphrased as I can't
find it at this minute) " Embarking on a long journey stirs different
emotions in men. In some  it is fear, in some excitement, in some pleasure
and satisfaction . But in the heart of all, unspoken,  there is a sense of
foolishness."

Rich Dempsey
ridem_at_msn.com



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