Horseless in Cygnet, Tasmania: Bike, Boat, or Kayak?
PublishedNovember 2, 2010
I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.
Greetings from Cygnet, Tasmania! Before I dive into the No Horse Pout, I want to extend a huge thank you to Pat and Sylvie Synge of Lymington, Tasmania. They’re friends of a friend back in New Zealand and are putting me up a few days while I collect my wits and transportation – if not the horse – I intend to find for this trip.
Pat’s a marine surveyor – the fellow you call before you buy the boat you plan to sail into the sunset with. Boats are like horses in that respect. They buck and pitch when they’re not happy. And like boats, horses get blisters – on their bottoms. Really. I won’t get into the chemistry of it (it has to do with the interaction of water and the resin fiberglass boats are built of). You just have to know it’s really expensive to remedy (more so for vessels than equines).
So Pat’s the guy you call before you plunk down lots of cash on a holey boat. Sylvie is involved with Tai Chi. A recent project is bringing Tai Chi to seniors. Helps them with their aches and pains.
Heck, Pat and Sylvie might even talk me into traveling by boat. Among other things, they’ve sailed from Brazil to the Caribbean in an 18-foot plywood sailboat, cruised a small converted lifeboat across the Pacific Ocean – then built a 42-foot aluminium cutter from scratch – on which they raised a family.
Which brings us to right now.
At the moment, typing horseless here in Cygnet, Tasmania, the matter of locomotion is an open subject. I mean really, why plunge into anything? The plan now is to spend a few days with Pat and Sylvie. Look at some local mounts. Then, if nothing shows up, just strike out on a bike or a boat or …?
Hmmm…. This morning I spotted an old green kayak behind Pat’s shed….
(Cranky publisher’s note: Hey bucko, stop crying that there aren’t any photos on this post. I’m typing up this post on the Cygnet public library computer as I can’t get online with mine. Hold fast.)
Emily Rose — 2010-11-03 08:33:27
Ahhh, public library computers. Aren’t they great? Glad you’ve arrived safe and sound!
Keith — 2010-11-04 15:14:25
I’d like some horse poo on my postcard.
Al Privette — 2010-11-22 18:57:38
Oh man …. go for the kayak! A girl named Freya paddled around Tasmania in a kayak last year (she was good looking too!). sorry, she’s got a boyfriend.
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Ahhh, public library computers. Aren’t they great? Glad you’ve arrived safe and sound!