BEES, BEES, BEES, AND MORE BEES
Bees are awesome. The pollinate our food chain and make it possible for all of us to survive.
I am not particular fond of starvation, and If it were not for the bees, we would all starve.
That being said, bees sometimes are a nuisance, and occasionally outright dangerous when Africanized bees travel in swarms.
In Arizona, we have had people attacked by swarms of bees, and the outcome is sometimes fatal.
Here in the Sea of Cortez, there are bees - lots of bees, and they are fond of visiting sailboats as a source of fresh water.
Baja California is a dry place, and there are relatively few places bees can go to get fresh water. In my swimming pool in Phoenix, we also have bees stopping by for a drink.
Apparently salt water does not work for bees.
In the southern Sea of Cortez, we are getting lots of visitations from bees. They like landing on wet laundry, extending their proboscis into the wet cloth and extracting fresh water.
I love making pictures of bees. Usually I get my photos of bees pollinating flowers, but here in the Sea of Cortez I can get a picture anytime I want during daylight hours. Just wet a black cloth like a sock with water and hang it on the lifelines. It won’t be long before the bees show up - dozens of them - and they will hang around until the sock dries in the wind.
If you have a puddle of fresh water on deck, bees show up and party in the water until the puddle is gone. It’s best to not have open containers of water in your sailboat if you don’t want to have the bees come inside for a drink.
The good thing about bees in the Sea of Cortez is they are not aggressive. They are not there to sting you, and the macro photos I have taken of the bees don’t show a stinger. I don’t know what that means. If they have a stinger, they apparently have it retracted when they are getting water.
During a camping trip in the Saudi desert many years ago, we came upon five gallon buckets of sugar water out in the desert near a small stand of flowering trees. The bedouins knew that the bees needed water and nectar to survive, and so they placed small pieces of styrofoam on the surface of the sugar water. The bees landed on the styrofoam, and they were able to get the water and sugar they needed to make honey with the help of the blossoms in the stand of trees.
I don’t mind supporting the bees with a little fresh water. If it keeps the pollinators alive and well on planet earth, then I will have done a tiny thing to make the world a better place.
Live long and prosper little friends.
The world is counting on you to keep our food chain intact.
Awesome music video that captures the essence of what it's like to sail offshore in a catamaran around the world when conditions are less than perfect. David Abbott from Too Many Drummers sings the vocals, and he also edited the footage from our Red Sea adventures. This is the theme song from the Red Sea Chronicles.
Sailing up the Red Sea is not for the faint of heart. From the Bab al Mandeb to the Suez Canal, adventures and adversity are in abundance. If you take things too seriously, you just might get the Red Sea Blues.
If you like drum beats, and you like adventure, then have a listen to the Red Sea Chronicles Trailer.
Flying fish assault Exit Only in the middle of the night as we sail through the Arabian Gulf from the Maldives to Oman. And so begins our Red Sea adventures.
Sailing through Pirate Alley between Yemen and Somalia involves calculated risk. It may not be Russian Roulette, but it is a bit of a worry. Follow Team Maxing Out as they navigate through Pirate Alley.
Stopping in Yemen was just what the doctor ordered. We refueled, repaired our alternator, and we made friends with our gracious Yemeni hosts. We also went to Baskins Robbins as a reward for surviving Pirate Alley.
After you survive Pirate Alley, you must sail through the Gate of Sorrows (Bab Al Mandab) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Gate of Sorrows lived up to its name with fifty knots of wind and a sandstorm that pummeled Exit Only for two days. Life is good.
Captain Dave and his family spent eleven years sailing around the world on their Privilege 39 catamaran, Exit Only. During the trip, the crew shot 200 hours of video with professional cameras to show people what it's like to sail on a small boat around the world.
The Red Sea Chronicles is a one hour and twenty-two minute feature film showing their adventures as Exit Only sails through Pirate Alley in the Gulf of Aden and up the Red Sea. The professional footage documents their experiences in Oman, Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, and the Suez Canal. It chronicles the rigors of traveling in a remote section of the world rarely visited by cruisers. Exit Only dodges Yemeni pirates, fights a gale and sand storms in the Bab al Mandeb at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The crew explores deserted islands on the western shores of the Red Sea, and learns to check the cruising guides for land mines before venturing ashore.
The Red Sea Chronicles also has outstanding Special Features including an Instructional Video on Storm Management that tells sailors how to deal with storms at sea.
And don't forget the two Music Videos: "The Red Sea Blues", and "Captain - Save Our Souls".
The Red Sea Chronicles is a first class adventure that stokes the sailing dreams of both experienced and wannabe sailors alike.
Join Team Maxingout as they sail through Pirate Alley and up the Red Sea
See what it's like to cruise on a catamaran before you spend a bazillion dollars purchasing one
After watching the Red Sea Chronicles you will be able to see yourself sailing on the ocean of your dreams
Although I like the feel of a paper book in my hand, I love trees even more. When people purchase an eBook, they actually save trees and save money as well. Ebooks are less expensive and have no negative impact on the environment. All of Dr. Dave's books are available at Save A Tree Bookstore. Visit the bookstore today and start putting good things into your mind. It's easy to fill your mind with positive things using eBooks. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can pull out your smart phone or tablet and start reading. You can even use electronic highlighters and make annotations in your eBooks just like paper books.
