"In 1492, He Sailed The...."

 I just bought a compass from Above and Beyond in Cramlington the UK. It is the Silva Adventure 58 Kayak compass. One I hope to use on my new boat when I get it. I have an older Silva that I added a mini cell foam base to to raise it on my deck so I can see it better. It is big and bulky though but easy to see further down the deck of the kayak, which leaves room for me to attach a deck bag and still make my compass visible. I know, I know, so many hate deck bags and cluttered decks. Well I hate cluttered decks but I've always paddled with a deck bag. This post isn't even about deck bags.

It is about exploration I guess. The stein in the picture is a collage of Christopher Columbus and nautical scenes. I bought it years ago but it always serves to remind of the great adventure there is to be had in ones life. One simply has to have a vehicle sometimes to find that adventure and explore it. My vehicle to most adventure but not all is my kayak. I look at the instruments we have today to guide us and still find it amazing how the most basic piece of equipment for navigation on land, sea and air, is still the compass. It is sometimes tough to encourage your mind in severe conditions to trust your compass, especially when there is zero visibility around you, but it always amazes me of the simplicity and accuracy of how it works. If every piece of gear or equipment that we have or use could be so reliable, consistently! Of course proper use and knowledge of a compass and the various kinds and uses must first be obtained but once you do, there is no where you cannot go........knowledgeably.