Being in a boat offers me a totally new perspective in a literal sense. Normally at home, I am in my home office which lacks a view of any kind. When I take walks in my home city of Seattle, they are often in the neighborhood and offer "peek-a-boo" views at best.
This contrasts greatly with the 360 degree views that are available all of the time from the good ship Quijote. Instead of looking a screen a few inches away, I am generally looking at a distance - for example looking at islands that are perhaps 500 yards away. Of course my views are from a moving platform - the boat is never really steady. And when the boat is underway, I am not always looking straight ahead as I would if I was the driver or a passenger in a car back in Washington.
What are the effects of this "marine" perspective? Well, the immediate impact on me from seeing things from a moving platform was seasickness. But that was a few days ago and I am more used to it now. Another effect on me is that when I am on land now I am fascinated by the detail at my feet. The beached crab claw above provides an example. My hunch is that since here is since the views from the boat are primarily distant, I am more inclined to look at nearby detail when on a hike. Research continues!
(written by Bob Bennett)
