In the paddle strokes of the Inuit
- Thread starter Uilleachan
- Start date
I'll have to have a look for that book, I may have lent it out and not received it back. But fear not, the fellow who put me onto it has the complete collection so I should be able to track it down through him. I'll report back.
Sliochd = Progeny/seed/descendants/offspring/children, depending on context. Nan = of-the. Ron = Seal or seals. So the literal translation; "children of the seal(s)".
The Blue Men of the Minch, I've always assumed to be the nasty standing waves that form between the west coast of mainland Harris and the Shant islands. In either a strong northerly or southerly, blow, that acts against an ebb or flood tide. Nasty 30' near vertical walls of water.
Got the tee shirt on a trawler fleeing from the Shants in a + force 10 SW gale to the island of Scalpay. Long story but the up shot was that the skipper of the bigger boat who shadowed us in, said to us whilst tying up something about the Blue Men. With the sun shining through the waves I have to say they looked green!
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
I heard that early attempts to paddle south were frustrated because the innuit kayakers would break off parts of their kayaks to burn to keep warm. Owing to the length of the journey this resulted in too little kayak to remain afloat so the early voyagers sadly drowned.
Thus giving rise to the saying, "You can't have your kayak and heat it too."
I heard that early attempts to paddle south were frustrated because the innuit kayakers would break off parts of their kayaks to burn to keep warm. Owing to the length of the journey this resulted in too little kayak to remain afloat so the early voyagers sadly drowned.
Thus giving rise to the saying, "You can't have your kayak and heat it too."
Response to Uilleachan….
Hah!, aye, right enough
Na fir ghorma are scary creatures I'm told.
My Dad and my brother sailed through on a schooner in the 1950's. I don't think they ever went back.
M
Hah!, aye, right enough
Na fir ghorma are scary creatures I'm told.
My Dad and my brother sailed through on a schooner in the 1950's. I don't think they ever went back.
M
Can't resist saying that the kayak,heat it, joke was first told on the radio programme with Frank Muir and Dennis Norden capping each other with tall tales. Another was that of the Knight whose horse died in a thunderstorm. He sought refuge at an inn and tried to persuade the innkeeper to lend him a very large Saint Bernard in order to ride onwards. He was refused with the statement, "I wouldn't send Knight out on a dog like this."
My Word was the programme.
Response to Uilleachan….
Hah!, aye, right enough
Na fir ghorma are scary creatures I'm told.
My Dad and my brother sailed through on a schooner in the 1950's. I don't think they ever went back
M
Nor me, well not by boat.
Can't find it, and when I mentioned it to my pal he said he'd drop it round, which he did but it was the wrong book. So back at square one. The likely looking books that I've tracked down on Amazon are too recent, my pal apparently got the books at a knockdown price from a bookshop that closed down in Dunkeld in 93 or 94, so the publish dates would be sometime before that.
The book he did bring is called "Arctic Chase" relating the Canadian north atlantic whaling effort.
If it turns up I'll let you know..
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